OOAK Table Tennis Forum

How much does what you're wearing in a table tennis game affect how you play? This is talking about in a casual game or a fairly competitive game at school. Obviously a sports kit would be better than school uniform in terms of sweat and being more loose and able to run around better, but how much does it affect your playing?

Discuss.
~ fishy

_________________
Blade: Butterfly Timo Boll 1500
Rubbers: Butterfly Pan Asia 1.5mm
Grip: Shakehand
Visit my table tennis blog now!

before i started to play in tourneys, i wore black tracksuits ( i still have them but i dont use them for TT), they have zips at he botton to flare out the bottom of the pants, but of course, i dont want that so that became annoying

i find it amazing at our club, one guy has not only sweat bands, but oalso one for the head, I sometimes wonder how much that could affect your game. then again, if you've dne it for years, its a habbit

_________________
aka Craig

Set Up: Butterfly Balsa Carbo X5 Stiga Calibra LT Sound and Butterfly Tenergy 05FX

I always wear one of those moisture wicking type shirts so that it doesn't get soaked with sweat. Otherwise, after a half hour, it's like I jumped in a swimming pool. I also wear baggy shorts with those bicycle-style compression shorts below to keep the leg muscles warm and loose. I am a little superstitious about what shirts and shorts I wear, there are some combinations that I tend to play well in, and others that I feel I always struggle in. But I guess that's all in my head.

_________________
"The greatest teacher, failure is"
USATT Rating: 1725
Blade: Stiga Cybershape Carbon
FH Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 19 2.1
BH Rubber: Dr Neubauer ABS3 1.5

What you wear is more important than people credit. Sweat falling in the eyes or racket in a point is devastating. Shorts that grab the legs while moving are distracting. Shirts that do not quickly evaporate sweat are a pain.

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

Status - Out of Business Janitor/Babysitter

If I wore a headband, it would be soaked within 15 minutes. I think I'd need a case of them if I wanted to use them.

I also wear high top basketball shoes to try and protect against rolling my ankles, since that happens relatively easy for me. However, I've had to start to wear an ankle brace on my left foot since I badly turned my ankle over in a tournament almost 3 months ago, and it still gets sore afterwards.

_________________
"The greatest teacher, failure is"
USATT Rating: 1725
Blade: Stiga Cybershape Carbon
FH Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 19 2.1
BH Rubber: Dr Neubauer ABS3 1.5

TT is an amazing game for bringing out the sweat isn't it? I have 4 Butterfly shirts that are made in a cool-tech material. I find they get wet quick and feel cool when they are wet provided the overall conditions are coolish. This has a nice effect as it cools you down as you play and keep producing sweat. If conditions are very hot though I can feel like I'm cooking in any shirt I wear and it makes it hard to focus on the game. In that case a singlet is the only way to go as it allows more heat to dissipate from your body.

I also wear a sweat band when I play and it gets wet from sweat quite quickly but also has a cooling effect when you wipe your forehead with it, and it still absorbs away the sweat. I guess it dries a little as you play, so its able to take a little more.

I wear very light spalding shorts that are in a material that lets your legs breath.

I think in any sport, if you don't keep your body to its optimum temperature, then you can't perform to your best.

_________________
I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

I think that what you wear should start from the ground up...
and bearing that in mind, you should take particular care of what you do with your feet, like dwruck has to...

Had I known earlier that stopping my knee pain could be achieved by wearing Orthoheel arch supports, I would not have had to give up table tennis 7 years ago...so looking after your arches will assist in looking after your knees, and from there up just make sure you are comfortable and not tight and your clothing colours are legal...

fosss

_________________
==========================================
SETUP
Blade: HM Balsa.
FH = Transcend SP on a MAX Big Slam sponge.
BH = Bomb Talent OX

I always wear knee braces on both knees these day.. I used to always have trouble with pain in my knees after playing... since I wear the braces I have not trouble at all!

_________________
OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

which braces haggisv?

_________________
Chasse Patate

Just some basic neoprene no-brand ones....

_________________
OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

My adidas tt shoes are falling apart, but those were some of the best things I have ever bought. I dont know how dwruck moves so fast in his clunky basketball boots .

For clothing, it has to be moisture wicking polyester shirt and shorts. There was a saying "cotton is king", but for tt it is the king of crap. tt is full of fast movements, and nothing is worse than a soaking cotton shirt or shorts clinging to your arms/legs. yuck. I got rid of my table tennis brand clothes because they generally look quite lame.

I also wear headbands for tennis. the tt gyms tend to be super humid and oven-like here in the summer, so I will be wearing those for tt soon. They keep the sweat and sweaty long hair out of my face.

_________________
blade BTY Photino ST/Palio HengDa #1 ST, fh Palio Macro ERA 42deg MAX, bh Palio CK531A OX

TT Armory, N. America Palio distributor. Macro ERA Tensor, Biotech rubbers, and more.

Oh...you have long hair...I'm jealous ...I am a chrome dome...lol

One thing is that a haircut involves a 3 minute session with my electric dog clippers using the surgical blade (super short)

fosss

_________________
==========================================
SETUP
Blade: HM Balsa.
FH = Transcend SP on a MAX Big Slam sponge.
BH = Bomb Talent OX

mdjenders sure is right about it getting humid as heck in the gyms in our area. It's like nobody bothered to invest in air conditioning in these old gyms we play in, and it's like playing in a sauna. I sweat so much, the shirts that are supposed to dry out aren't even able to do that and I still end up soaked in them. Of course, part of that could be that I'm more than a bit out of shape too.

_________________
"The greatest teacher, failure is"
USATT Rating: 1725
Blade: Stiga Cybershape Carbon
FH Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 19 2.1
BH Rubber: Dr Neubauer ABS3 1.5

sweat wicking polyester t-shirts is a must for me. just like dwruck mentioned. also comfortable shorts that don't pull on you when u bend ur knees.

i also wear x-trainer shoes, and ankle height mesh-top socks.

and unless some company pays me, i don't feel comfortable wearing TT tshirts with the brand name of the company in big letters!

Polyester/cotton shirts which doesn't stick to my elbows and a pair of shorts which doesn't stick to my knees. I tend to play in running shorts.

A nice pair of socks which feel great.

Maybe a hairband for the sorta-long hair -- such a pain with the sweaty strands flapping around, hitting my eyes.

And a nice pair of Mizuno shoes.

But to answer the question, methinks being comfortable AND safe in what you play in is important.

_________________
Viscaria. H2 Neo 2.15. Tenergy 05 1.9.