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I have had a very uneven table tennis career. I first started playing, with a BTY equipped premade bat, in the early ‘60s, when I was 13. After about 9 or 10 months, I moved half way around the world and was diagnosed with a condition that required me to stop playing, or doing anything strenuous at all. (I am still unconvinced that this was an accurate diagnosis).
I mention this because when I restarted playing after the Rio Olympics, I tried the same play style I had used more than 50 years before. It was all I knew. I ended up with a DHS Hurricane H301 with H3 FH and a variety of BH rubbers. Unfortunately, it became clear that I was no longer an energy-packed teenager, so eventually, I had to slow down. I went to a style that allowed me to stay close to the table, and moved to LP on BH. Then the Lockdown happened. When I re-restarted, I moved to using a Matsushita Pro Model blade, which had a phenomenal feel, and I began a winning streak. However, I relied on my FH to win points, as opposed to letting the opponent lose them. I much prefer to win the point (D’uh). And even with Dignics 09C or Tibhar MX-D on the FH, I couldn’t hit hard enough to be sure of winning the point. And I started to lose interest in playing. For the last couple of matches (I was playing in two leagues), I moved to trying a Viscaria with old Tenergy 05 and 64. It was so much more fun, although I did have accuracy issues.
At the end of October, I had contacted Sérgio of SDC fame, to discuss the purchase of a version of the MPM, with inner ALC to add a bit of pace and power. It was going to be at least 14 weeks before he could start, so I kind of forgot about it. It was in fact April before he got back in contact, by which time I had changed my priorities a bit, and wanted a little of the Viscaria in the new bat. After a short dialogue, I ended up ordering a normal sized bat with Kiri core and ayous medial, inner ALC on the BH and outer on the FH, with anegre face plies like the MPM, and the same handle as the MPM as well. I grew to like the feel of the MPM handle over the last few years, although I suspect most people would find it too small and short.
I slapped on the old Tenergy the day the bat arrived and went to practice. I had no idea how the bat would play. With the Tenergy, I initially found the BH very spin-sensitive and the FH very, and I mean VERY, fast. Faster than the Viscaria. But by the end of the evening, I had come to grips and was enjoying the sheer pleasure of whacking the ball and sometimes seeing it go past the opponent. The BH was remarkably easy, despite the fact that for years I had been struggling to do more than block/chopblock with LP, and had forgotten how to use inverted.
I have had one more practice session, using H3 on FH and Spinlord Marder on BH, and this is starting to feel super comfortable for me. I do have some H3 37 in red, so may use that on the BH.
So, I have a bat with elements of the MPM, Viscaria and Hurricane 301. Genetically engineered almost.
I wonder how it will turn out.
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Other setups:
SDC Custom Blade/Butterfly Dignics 80/Butterfly Glayzer
BTY Viscaria/Tibhar K3/Tibhar K3
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