OOAK Table Tennis Forum

@pgpg

Hi pgpg,

I will likely be at Boston TTC this Tuesday night.

Last couple trips to Boston Leo gave me rides to TC (I mortgaged my second life away to get an apt for daughter in the spring)

Gunna be using backup bats with 2 yrs old rubber... a good chance to get me when I am down.

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Goof-off chopping bat
Gambler All Rosewood
Aurus Soft / Gambler GXL .6 sponge

Status - Out of Business Janitor/Babysitter

I'll try to show up - I think Tuesdays still draw a decent crowd, even in the absence of the formal league. Hope to see you there!

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USATT: 1807 | League: 1887

Hi pgpg, good chance I an there Fri night too, do not have a car to go cruising down Main, so TT it will be.

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Goof-off chopping bat
Gambler All Rosewood
Aurus Soft / Gambler GXL .6 sponge

Status - Out of Business Janitor/Babysitter

Met pgpg in Boston TTC, sry no pics or vids made.

He biatch slapped me a couple times in the one match we played. He is not accustomed to playing vs a player who uses a FH rubber that is as difficult to produce spin like it is anti and he is not accustomed to players like me with a sucky BH that is weak and can be picked on.

I talked to a few good players in Boston... one believes pgpg revolutionized his game and one believes he plays a similar game to what he did a few years ago.

I agree with both and say that pgpg plays pretty much the same shots and tactics (use LP to disrupt and setup FH), but how I see it is that pgpg is MORE AGGRESSIVE with the use of his BH pips than he was a few yrs ago... and is doing a much better job (shot execution and quality disruption) there is some more risk, but he gets more of what he is looking for playing that way.

pgpg says his play time was hugely disrupted the last few years and he is only just getting back into it... but I can say that pgpg is WAY better in the mental performance aspect than some years ago and it will carry his improvements in shots and quality a long way in competitive matches.

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Goof-off chopping bat
Gambler All Rosewood
Aurus Soft / Gambler GXL .6 sponge

Status - Out of Business Janitor/Babysitter

Thanks for the mission report, Der_Echte, and it was nice seeing you yesterday. In case anyone is wondering, bolded statement is dripping with sarcasm. I would also add that Der_Echte picked up a few pounds since the last time I saw him, but it only improved his footwork, so go figure...

My game did change a bit, but it still varies day to day, even stylistically, so both people you've talked to could be correct. I did discover the joy of 'biatch slapping', a.k.a. flat hitting loose balls with my FH, almost off the bounce, which can be quite spectacular, when it works. Now if only I could control the placement and be able to go into the body or down the line with those... I've been trying to get a bit more into chopping game away from the table, but it takes quite an effort to change habits (staying close to the table is 'easier'). And I do need more active and smarter pips shots, I think, to put pressure on better players.

As far as mental stuff - club games are much easier for this, nothing really at stake, so may be I got a bit better at ignoring match result in the club and focusing more on whatever I was trying to do in that game. One day I'll go back to a tournament, will see how it works there .

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USATT: 1807 | League: 1887

Yes... I forgot to mention that pgpg not only biatch slapped me around, but did so me really cool highlight reel strong counter smashes vs some of my really loaded high arcing FH topspins that I failed to land deep enough... he really laid the smack down and punished those... to the tune of 2+ per game.

I RARELY get even ONE of my FH topspins counter smashed successfully at and over the table in a match, even vs higher level players. pgpg did NOT get those of the bounce, he did it the more difficult way of waiting for the ball to rise up some more before he spanked that puppy and heard it BARK. pgpg did that OVER the table and that takes an elevated skill level, ball recognition, and timing.

Executing that shot sounds simple... and it is... but only in concept. It takes some timing and courage to do that shot, it isn't easy vs my spin and pgpg made it look easy and let loose a Woody Wookpecker laugh after each one... or Der_Echte let that cat outta the bag.

I really do not know why I stay with MX-K, it is so hard to make any measurable level of topspin with it. I might as well throw on a 30 yr old sheet of sriver or anti.

Haha, even 70+ yr old 2000 level LEO uses that one on FH and loves it, gives him trust in low/medium impact and the SMACK on a power shot, whether high spin or speed or both.

Somewhere in pgpg's post I got credited with sarcasm - a noble skill... that Der_Echte prolly doesn't have... but however, Der_Echte do have a dry and wry sense of humor. He does like to Deadpan just a little.

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Goof-off chopping bat
Gambler All Rosewood
Aurus Soft / Gambler GXL .6 sponge

Status - Out of Business Janitor/Babysitter

We were in a good competitive division. No easy opponents, pretty much everyone between 2000 and 2100. He fought but ended up losing all but one... I don't see his matches on usatt anymore but I recall him losing a bunch of very very close 2:3 matches. I think it comes with experience.

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Attackers: "All pips players are cheaters who can't loop, move, or read spin"
Me: I beg your pardon?

Hey @pgpg

I may in the future be flying to Boston moar and moar... a TT friend or two graciously pay my airfare and I dutifully pay my Daughter's Mortgage (to a major extent - she contributes majority)

So that means I have both a purpose and means to cause trouble in Boston almost any damn time I wanna do it.. and it shapes up that I may wanna do it often, both to see daughter, see friends, and cause TT trouble. and OH, there is the Russian BAZZAR supermarket next to my daughter's place for provisions. Damn that is some prime location.

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Goof-off chopping bat
Gambler All Rosewood
Aurus Soft / Gambler GXL .6 sponge

Status - Out of Business Janitor/Babysitter

Cool, cool - happy to see you more at the club!

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USATT: 1807 | League: 1887

Nothing particularly noteworthy to report - still at the club 2-3 times a week, mostly preferring to practice these days (it helps both me and the looper, so win-win), while trying to shift my game more to a chopping one (old habits of staying close to the table do die hard).

FH rubber is getting old, so thinking what to replace it with (I don't think Rasant Beat is there anymore, so either something similarly soft, or perhaps Secret Flow Chop...).

Might make it to a tournament later this month - somehow not too eager to compete lately.

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USATT: 1807 | League: 1887

Will be in Boston TTC tonite with LEO... he wholeheartedly endorses Tibhar Aurus, and I got a couple sheets with me.

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Goof-off chopping bat
Gambler All Rosewood
Aurus Soft / Gambler GXL .6 sponge

Status - Out of Business Janitor/Babysitter

Another forum member convinced me to try H3 Neo on FH, so I will attempt this next, and we'll see after that.

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USATT: 1807 | League: 1887

Finally put H3 Neo on my FH and right after gluing it felt VERY slow, just by bouncing the ball. Took it to the club last night and it actually was fine speed-wise, I thought. I've heard it's not that good on flat hits/smashes, but I could not tell that much of a difference yet. Played pretty well with it, both in practice and couple of matches - had a nice win against a good looper. BH feels a bit softer now (I'm sure I'm imagining things, though ). FH chops were decent, but did not get to practice them much last night, and I still struggle to use them in matches.

My H3 Neo is red - I think everyone plays with black, for some deep reasons. But my opponent last night had a green H8(?), so I'm not alone here, it seems.

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USATT: 1807 | League: 1887

A guy I coach recently bought such a green sheet of H8 for hiz BH and liked it... he took a 30yr+ break from TT, came back and discovered there is more to the BH than bumping the ball back.

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Goof-off chopping bat
Gambler All Rosewood
Aurus Soft / Gambler GXL .6 sponge

Status - Out of Business Janitor/Babysitter

Used my new FH rubber (H3 Neo) for ~3 visits to the club by now. Early verdict is that it's not that big of a difference from what I had before (Andro Rasant Beat). Apparently I can't tell the difference between tensors and sticky rubbers . It does not feel particularly slow, I *think* my stability on FH improved (especially long pushes got easier), FH chops are more consistent, but since I'm still unable to use them effectively in matches, it does not really matter much to outcomes yet.

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USATT: 1807 | League: 1887