OOAK Table Tennis Forum

i played against one old guy (around 65y) on the tournament and he nearly won...he played with 2 orthodox (short pips w/o sponge) close to the table...blocking and attacking every pushed ball...very nasty...

i remembered i said to myself i will play that style when i will be old and immobile..so i dont know, it is an option you can try?

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Ann Alvarez is amazing. I think about 75, rated 1900+.

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My whole set-up costs less than a sheet of Butterfly Dignics

This lady plays in the same division as me. She doesn't just rely on blocking, she dislikes pushing and she prefers an aggressive top spin game both to play and play against.


I don't know if you wear knee braces or the extent of your injury but the best player I saw with knee problems was in his 60's. he played in our summer league. He parked himself in the middle of the table and never moved more than a few inches back and only a little sideways. I don't think he lost a game in the premier division that summer league. He won because he had incredible ball placement and excellent touch. He nullified attackers by taking away their chance to attack or making it a high risk shot. He kept balls short and only went long on his terms. Virtually every shot was played with his backhand. Tremendous hands. That's the great thing about table tennis, people can adapt and still have fun and be successful.

Ann uses a variation of the Seemiller grip.

If she had a forhand attack, bet she would be 2300.

Back in the 1990s there was a man in Florida who played in a wheelchair and who was rated over 2000. Yes, he played against the able bodied. Said to have been a looper. There was also someone playing in Indiana tournaments in a wheelchair who was over 1700. Saw him play a few times.

Iskandar

Thanks for all the tips.....

Nathanso....what type of equipment do you recommend? Thanks!

You want a fast paddle that's good at flat-hitting and not reactive to spin. The ww grip favors blocking, punch-drives, and sweeping BH flat hits. Blocking with a slow paddle, while more reliable, is like being in a shooting gallery: The attacker has way too much time and can unload on your sitting ducks until you miss. Since you'll be blocking loops you need a FH rubber that's both fast on flat hits and not spin-sensitive, though being able to generate spin on serve and on select offensive shots is also important. Some of the better ones for this are Xiom Omega IV Elite, Tenergy 25, and Nittaku Beautry (short pips). Since you'll be playing close to the table you want an inverted rubber with a high, short arc like the two I mentioned so you can perform over-the-table flick loops with your ww grip (a devastating shot). Blocking off the bounce is advantageous since a) it steals time from your opponent, and b) it's in your range since you're playing at the table.

You'll want an OFF+ or better blade that's stable and stiff (the new BBC Ghost is ideal for SP). On BH I recommend an OX LP like 755 or Talon which can be used to block as well as hit. You'll know your setup is fast enough when your opponent is still in stroke reset mode while your block is careening past him.

I haven't mentioned twiddling yet. I "half-twiddle" to shake hand in the middle of some points when given the time and opportunity to loop on the FH (or hit with my SP), or BH topspin attack with my OX LP using shake hand grip. Don't be shy about chicken-winging on your FH corner with that OX LP.. another reason to half-twiddle, which is essentially dropping your thumb from Ann Alvarez position to regular shake hand position; a feat that's much easier than twirling the paddle 180* during a point like those full-twiddlers do.