OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Quite a few short pips now come with medium or soft sponge options, e.g Firestorm and Tornado supreme.

For forehand attack use what are the pros and cons of choosing soft versus medium sponge. For instance does soft give more spin but less control and precision.

I used to like soft sponge on FH, especially for flat hitting, but these days I prefer something a bit firmer - I feel like I have more control. I think it also depends on the blade - a softer blade might work better with the firmer sponge, and likewise a harder/stiffer blade might work better with soft sponge.

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Yasaka Sweden Classic | 802 OX | C8 OX
Check out my blog - LordCope's Latest Learning Log - 10+ years of accumulate mistakes!

Thanks for you help. My main issue with soft sponge on a hard blade is rather sudden bottoming out effect if sponge thickness is not enough. This is ok for flat hitting but not for blocking or forehand topspin. With softer blades this is less an issue. I currently have 80fx 1.9 on my Bloodhound blade which feels about right, so probably better to try an SP with more of a medium sponge on my second Bloodhound unless I choose at least 2mm.

I've gradually moved to max sponge on my FH. I used to like the bottoming out effect for flat hitting, but as I've evolved as a player I value having other options. I also think it's helpful on a slower blade. I think unless you're defending more than attacking, and/or trying to get pips effects, more sponge is probably better with the current ball.

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Yasaka Sweden Classic | 802 OX | C8 OX
Check out my blog - LordCope's Latest Learning Log - 10+ years of accumulate mistakes!