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PostPosted: 30 Nov 2021, 01:10 
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A.D.D.I.C.T.T.
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Hi folks

Just been thinking about this.

The plastic ball has been out for a few years now.

When it first came out, I was sure defenders would suffer - less spin, higher bounce, easier to drive through the ball, etc.

Then, for maybe the first year, it actually felt like defenders were doing better? Filus got good, Hou Yingchao made some incredible comeback aged 40+, even Joo was doing well until his physical problems took hold etc.

Now though it looks like everything has pretty much settled down, and not much is different to the celluloid ball.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree that, now, not much has changed? Has your game changed for better or worse? Can't honestly say mine has.

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PostPosted: 30 Nov 2021, 17:01 
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Blade: Tsp Black Balsa 3.0
FH: t05 1.9 boosted
BH: 388d ox black
Going back to 2015 I felt at the time ox lp chopping was affected as the ball was harder and didn't spin /grip as well ,also could feel the wood coming through more which I didn't like and decided to look for a softer Feeling blade with more dwell to rectify this and consequently my game became more effective than it was in the celluloid era so fairly comfortable now.
I'm curious to see what it would be like to play a game with a celluloid ball now and compare to the 40+ balls and will try this next week.

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PostPosted: 01 Dec 2021, 00:36 
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Back in 2014 when I made a series of videos on the new plastic ball the general impression of our league players was that there wouldn't be much difference. For me, there has been a difference but more around quality control. I do remember stopping in practice sessions or matches to check if the ball was round as the bounce wasn't quite right. I also see players at tournaments even now regularly spinning the ball on the table to check any new ball they are given to see if it wobbles when it's spun with fingers. We also coach with a wide variety of balls both old celluloid, 1 star and 3 star and plastic 40+ balls. The kids switch between them all (and a lot of the beginner adults) without commenting about differences. They're focusing more on understanding footwork, bat angles and coming to terms with spin. Where I have noticed a difference is when using a robot. The feed can be different and sometimes the old celluloid 40mm balls don't feed because the rollers are set for the 40+ ball. Doesn't happen often but the spin the machine makes is different between the different sizes. And there are breakages. The plastic balls are definitely more prone to breaking especially when hit hard or a bat edge catches them. Lastly the big difference is how smooth the balls feel. There is a notable difference with used celluloid and plastic balls.

If I go to events, occasionally you do here players sigh when they are told to play with certain brands of ball (for example one version of the butterfly 40+ ball wasn't liked)

So, whilst the quality of the plastic balls continues to improve, and it needed to especially in terms of roundness, I'm fine with playing with them. If tennis players can cope with different varieties and makes of tennis ball I think the best way to look at it is to consider it a challenge - how well and quickly can you adapt, rather than see it as a problem that preys on your mind.

One final thing. There are still only a few manufacturers of plastic balls who sell their "batches" to table tennis companies which are then branded accordingly. If I could change anything, I'd like it to be made clear on the box who the actual manufacturer was and what the batch number was. All we have at the moment is a date of manufacture.


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PostPosted: 25 Dec 2021, 03:05 
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This was exactly what I was predicting. When all the dust has settled, the better players will still be at the top and the less better ones would still lose to them, and nothing would really have changed. What HAS changed is that I feel _I_ play better now than I ever played before, mainly because the new ball is a little slower and easier to control.

Iskandar


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PostPosted: 25 Dec 2021, 14:01 
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I miss the extra spin and kick on the table that the older balls used to get. I feel like I've adjusted to the new balls quite well, but my slow high-spin loops, that used to win me a lot of points, are clearly not as effective as they used to be, which makes some of the players harder to beat.

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PostPosted: 25 Dec 2021, 15:41 
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Actually, the polyurethane "seamless" balls do kick a lot, mainly sideways when there's sidespin on them. Not that we use them much, we've switched over to the ABS balls.

Iskandar


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PostPosted: 25 Dec 2021, 19:21 
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For a push-block style, the 40+ balls are not so good.

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PostPosted: 25 Dec 2021, 23:51 
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+1.I still have some celluloid balls.Everything is so different, the feeling when blocking , the spin on serves and on blocks the ball is loaded with backspin.Nice job ITTF ; you have really managed to weaken defenders..... let alone the ban on FL pips and the new regulations for pips....

I am seriously considering to defend at mid distance and far from the table......the choice is Victas P1V in 0,5 to start with .


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PostPosted: 26 Dec 2021, 00:13 
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Blade: Tsp Black Balsa 3.0
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0 5 sponge trial for me too,tried de tecs 0.5 and was too fast for me,have also tried 388d-1and 388d both in 0.5 there are easier and promising
Mate reckons I'm setting my forehand up better with the sponged versions.
Merry Christmas everyone,pleased to see I'm not the only one distracted from the festivities!

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PostPosted: 26 Dec 2021, 02:15 
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If your style doesn't work so well, adapt. Most people seem to have. I wonder if there's much data on push-blocker ratings - if the ball really hurts the style, you'll see the ratings dropping over time. Or it would for those who haven't - or won't - adapt by trying new things.

Iskandar


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PostPosted: 13 Jan 2022, 16:43 
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For me, I find the Magnus effect with a plastic ball isn't as profound, so it's harder to read the spin on a serve.

The old cellulose balls were so light and would curve in the air so readily, picking up spin direction when returning serve was far easier.

The plastic ones however drove me nuts - the differences in flight path are so subtle now iand spin is much harder to spot. This was part of what drove me to stop using tacky rubbers - I just couldn't read the spin as well, so for a while there returning serve became a real nightmare.

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PostPosted: 21 Jan 2022, 03:36 
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On the other hand - RETURNING the old 38mm ball with spin on it was a great deal more difficult. That was why they increased the size of the ball - to increase overall control. I think most people get their spin cues by watching the opponent's racket movement at contact rather than watching the flight of the ball. Which is why they outlawed hidden serves.

Iskandar


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PostPosted: 26 Jan 2022, 01:02 
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Do you think we will ever come back to the celluloid ball? let´s get a global ban on plastic :lol:


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