OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Another reason for my changing the strategy is that I came to realise that most of the veteran champions in my country are choppers .With age the looper will lose consistency and have worse and worse timing .Being consistent enough and having a decent Fh or a decent twiddling game will make me go further imo rather than the blocking based strategy.

I really loved and got used to DG .In my new league DG started to lose pips way sooner ,then, I tried to chop far away from the table and realised I quite liked it despite the running about and the necessary fitness to play with that style.

Next, I came to meet up one of the champion veterans in the South,who told me about his blade.I tested it and I soon managed to master it -great for chopping and good enough for unexpected attacks.

Here I am now trying to become a chopper , trying to replicate what the pros do.Training 5/6 times per week.

BTW, when I made some remarks on my fitness and my refusal on drugs was not to boast about myself, just sent a thought in the air to portray how many people lose their freedom.Those healthy minds must have understood my message as a sign to reflect upon life never as a personal attack on anybody.

That seems to be the case with the higher level players you come up against.Some choppers live on consistent chops only when the looper has poor consistency.The higher your level is ,the more you need to move and attack .

My experience is... you need to think of the game as less of "I'm going to make them miss from my chops" and more as, "I'm going to set up my best attack with these chops!" I suppose some could get away with classic defense -- rarely attacking, and relying on spin variation. It really is MUCH harder doing so. Even having one attack that you're able to set up routinely gives you far greater pressure than having zero. It's far from impossible, especially at the amateur level. However, the games can be VERY long if you go that route... with minimal amounts of offense from either side.

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SOULSPIN CUSTOM BLADES
Fh: Spinny rubber
Bh: Not so spinny rubber...

Another reason for my changing the strategy is that I came to realise that most of the veteran champions in my country are choppers .With age the looper will lose consistency and have worse and worse timing .Being consistent enough and having a decent Fh or a decent twiddling game will make me go further imo rather than the blocking based strategy.

I really loved and got used to DG .In my new league DG started to lose pips way sooner ,then, I tried to chop far away from the table and realised I quite liked it despite the running about and the necessary fitness to play with that style.

Next, I came to meet up one of the champion veterans in the South,who told me about his blade.I tested it and I soon managed to master it -great for chopping and good enough for unexpected attacks.

Here I am now trying to become a chopper , trying to replicate what the pros do.Training 5/6 times per week.

BTW, when I made some remarks on my fitness and my refusal on drugs was not to boast about myself, just sent a thought in the air to portray how many people lose their freedom.Those healthy minds must have understood my message as a sign to reflect upon life never as a personal attack on anybody.[/quote]No reason not to stay with DG if you love it. It works very good for chopping (both Fabian Åkerström and Gustaf Ericsson here in Sweden uses that on Stiga Clippers). Changing the blade to softer defensive will make a big difference. And you can still stay at the table if your opponent refuses to attack. Chopping can be rather good as well but an experienced player will notice you can't add much spin when chopping with such a setup. But perhaps a thin sponge could do the trick, and still give you the benefit of the familiar feeling of the pips when you are close to the table (but I guess a thin sponge changes the way you can use the pips rather drastically)?

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[/quote]No reason not to stay with DG if you love it. It works very good for chopping (both Fabian Åkerström and Gustaf Ericsson here in Sweden uses that on Stiga Clippers). Changing the blade to softer defensive will make a big difference. And you can still stay at the table if your opponent refuses to attack. Chopping can be rather good as well but an experienced player will notice you can't add much spin when chopping with such a setup. But perhaps a thin sponge could do the trick, and still give you the benefit of the familiar feeling of the pips when you are close to the table (but I guess a thin sponge changes the way you can use the pips rather drastically)?[/quote]

DG's durability in our new league is way poorer due to the harder shots I get.I got tired of losing pips so soon,especially,because, so that Dg works great ,it has to be broken in for at least a month and a half-I have no time to do so in the middle of the season.

My new oversized chopping blade has anigre as an outer ply -similar to my beloved Grubba all +- so the changeover has not been so drastic .

Yes,you are right.I am going to settle for a 0.5 thin sponge.I got control and the familiar feeling of the pips close to the table .

I have been aware of the potential of FL3 or P4 even though P1R is harder to play against.I have Yinhe Qing on order in 0.5 sponge.With a 0.5 sponge I can also try to make up a mixed style .Blocking when needed and chopping far away from the table just to have many options in the game .However, I am now focused on modern defense.In my view, classic passive defense away from the table is less effective with this ball. As you ,skilless_slapper,TD,Dazzler ,TTBuddy,Omut pointed out the chopping mixed with attacks is the best strategy.I can watch this in many videos in Youtube by Korean choppers.It seems they try to emulate JOO in all the aspects of the game .

There are also some advantages to using a thin sponge.Attacks are easier and faster than OX.Some reversal on blocks is lost ok, but there is always a trade off somewhere .

You are vey right.That is going to be my plan.Consistent chops mixed with attacks on both wings, be it with the pips or the inverted.

I am getting fitter and fitter with my session trainings every week.I will finally decide on a thin sponge,0.5 and I will change the inverted rubber to 1.7 or 1.9 . I need more speed as Juicc 999 1.5 is too slow for away from the table attacks.

As the first tournament approaches I will have to decide on P1 V , FL3 or Yinhe Qing , all of them in 0.5. ATM I am trying to get to know FL3 and as soon as Yinhe Qing arrives, I will test it .

Thank you all for sharing your experience on this chopping strategy .

I use the hard, tacky rubbers for chopping away from the table. Soft sponge like the 999 feels as if you're hitting into a pillow... no base speed when doing an outstretched block/lob shot. With the hard sponge tacky (sieger pk50 1.4, hurricane 3 blue turbo 1.6 etc), they still pack a good punch when doing a more passive fishing return. Nothing close to tenergy type, mind you! But a lot better than elite 999. I've used all of those rubbers as well, and would NOT be returning to the really soft stuff.

FL3 is quite grippy and can be used to hit, even against incoming top spin. More demanding on the chop, though.

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SOULSPIN CUSTOM BLADES
Fh: Spinny rubber
Bh: Not so spinny rubber...

There may be a debate as to which kind of inverted rubber is better for chopping away from the table .What you've just described is right -for example, the Ukranian double inverted chopper Telnoy uses hard sponge in 2,0 but I have also heard some choppers say that they prefer a soft sponge.

What is your experience with the chopper mates you have come up against?

I concur with skilless_slapper's opinion.+1 for hard tacky inverted rubbers .

Soft rubbers can be "easier" for chopping... have to be less precise. Although, when you want to go offensive, that's where you'll feel the difference! A soft sponge doesn't have the same kick as a hard one. Even the soft tensor style sponges can be bouncy, yet mushy feeling all at the same time. So with them, you lose control in the short/touch game and a bit with chopping - as the ball will zing off faster.

I like the hard/tacky because you can control what happens. There's no wild pinging or zinging, just smooth control. The downside there is the same as always with hard/tacky... you get out what you put in! Do a weak loop attempt? Dies off... Try a half-hearted fish? Dies off! You trade ease of shots (aka laziness ) for control and a linear response. For me, control basically means there's nothing wild going on. You push slow, it goes slow. You push fast it goes fast. No contending with any of the spring sponges, or worrying if the ball sinks in too far and getting a different response.

My usual criteria is based on one question: are you going to actually CHOP away from the table, or do more fishing/lobbing?

Chopping in games comes down to practice and mindset. You have to actually do it! Most people will naturally fish or 'block' the ball back so to speak, even at range. If that happens to you, I'd suggest a faster rubber. If you are really chopping, say, 80%+ of the time... then it makes sense to get a rubber suited for the job at the expense of some offensive speed. And be sure you DO NOT confuse PRACTICING chops with your actual playing. It's very easy to drill chops over and over, yet in a game you revert back to fish/block. That's what I'm talking about there... the actual game response, not your ability to drill.

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SOULSPIN CUSTOM BLADES
Fh: Spinny rubber
Bh: Not so spinny rubber...

Thank you for your post! I agree on what you have just explained.I have to decide between chopping and lobbing/ fishing.I have then been wondering if a semi hard sponge is the key and If I will be able to have the best of both worlds.

A semi hard sponge like Tibhar Super defence in 1.7 or 1.9 might do the trick .It is not soft but it is not really very hard either .Therefore,a semi hard sponge might be a good option.I got a 1.5 one for testing.This idea is sensible,right?

I have already tried Tibhar SD in 1.3 at the table and it worked very well.

Sieger pk50
Victas 401
Joola golden tango ps
Hurricane orange from nittaku
Victas 07 extra sticky


Any of the hybrid rubbers would be good. The super defense is still fairly slow and dead in comparison.

If you like any of the modern variety, a few come in thin sponges. G1 etc

I will say you can pretty much chop away from the table with anything. It's the other areas that make the deciding factor in my view.

You can also always twiddle to fh chop with pips!

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SOULSPIN CUSTOM BLADES
Fh: Spinny rubber
Bh: Not so spinny rubber...

I am getting a lot of consistency with the pips - even on the fh !! ,incredibly enough! it seems I can chop fairly well on the fh side with the inverted but the consistency is still much worse .

Finally, I will have to get a faster rubber as I lob / fish rather than chop .I think this is a matter of preference and I can see I won't be chopping on the fh more than 40 % .Still, I spend more time training the fh chop with the inverted and with the pips,which to my surprise , I enjoy a lot-I even thought of using pips on the fh as well as I was impressed how much consistency I got but I think it might be crazy to do so unless I got a good MP for attacking and chopping .

FL 3 in 0.5 is really good ; obviously , I got way more consistency than with p1R with just the same number of training sessions . I am looking forward to receiving Yinhe Qing in 0.5,which I guess it is going to perform as a cheap alternative to FL3 .

If you ask me now,I have changed my mind.I prefer the variety and consistency I get with FL 3 as P1R is a matter of getting used to the hard sponge,which for me and my technique yields fewer results than the soft sponge .

I still don't dump p1R into the dustbin though.

P1R yields great results if you are patient enough.Yes,hard sponges are not suitable for every player but once you get the hang of it,they are far superior imo .

I use Hurricane III orange from nittaku with my Nittaku Acoustic Carbon and I'm happy.

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