OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Those who have actually experimented with the new ball, and those who are broadly in agreement about its general behaviour - have you started to think about what your coping strategies/tactics will be, faced with:

- even less spin
- higher bounce
- greater deceleration

Of course we defenders won't give up - "fight the long defeat" - but what will you do to cope? What equipment changes would you think might be needed? What technique changes?

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Yasaka Sweden Classic | 802 OX | C8 OX
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Too early to say. Some think the new ball will help backspin players. Others think this could be the end for defenders.

My feeling is eventually manufacturers will come out with new faster, spinnier inverted rubbers that compensate for the larger ball size. However, because pips manufacturers are handcuffed with restrictions on pip length, aspect ratio, minimum friction, etc, there is little room for innovation, so inverted players should eventually end up with an even bigger advantage.

We'll have a better idea in a short time.

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Yeah - of course we're just speculating at this stage, but it's still fun



Perhaps we'll all have to evolve to double inverted chopping?

Again, Joanna Drinkhall nee Parker plays double tenergy, and is very much a modern defender.

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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!

I don't think inverted chopping is viable at the highest level in the world, especially if you consider what MNNB states. Besides, you lose the difference in rubber behavior and the slowing of the game pips can do. If you look at male table tennis (and even female TT), you'll see chopping with inverted isn't very successful (too much spin to compensate). And even if you go slower and grippier, you lose attacking capabilities.

To me, this actually sounds advantageous to a defender. Less spin - easier to deal with heavy loops. Greater deceleration - gives you more time to get in position.

Iskandar

Generally speaking I think that the strategies/tactics will stay the same.

It depends on the defender. Maybe - because the ball is slower and has less spin - defenders try to chop more aggressive and closer to the table.
Defending will be easier because it is less spin on the ball, but also it can be attacked better which forces the defender to place the ball more exactly and play it as low as possible.

Changes in rotation are maybe less dangerous but it depends on the individual defender because I think there are still many variations possible.

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