Hi! Been playing since I was 12, I am now 46. All clubs in our area of Kentucky have been shut down by Covid. Never have really gotten a lot better over the last 5 years, maybe not as good. I am amateur, usatt around 1250. I’m looking to get better and get some help on this forum. Also to discuss table tennis of course! I use a basement grip of Seemiller with a thumb on the back and have an unusual footwork stance. Mostly push a lot, but it seems to pop the ball up, which is terrible. Flat hit for point killers, but often I miss. Tried anti and still have it after Covid, but I don’t think I ever got the hang of it. It is very slow!I do pretty good at blocking, and have some decent serves. Tried to branch out into tournaments at the national level, but never did much good. I’d love to get to the 1600 rating mark. Probably looking for a new setup, as I feel that the Sardius hurts me on control. Practice not much, as access to a place to play is limited. I’ve never had any real coaching to speak of. Most players in our area are the same. Bigger cities have high rated players, but it is a pretty good drive to them. I have tried to play the Seemiller style, but I don’t like to play spin much. Flat hit, block, push and sometimes try kill shots. I wish I was a lot better, kinda discouraging to be rated so low after playing so long. Looking forward to talking and interacting with all of you, thanks!

Hello and welcome.

This will sound weird - but something about the way you describe your game immediately reminded me an awful lot of the way my partner's father plays (and he's actually pretty good - also self taught, uses the same kind of grip you do and plays a very similar game to you - very unorthodox style, and quite hard to play against.).

Dunno if this info is of use to you or not, but he uses (and swears by) his Donic Cayman blades and 1.5mm Mark V rubbers on both sides. This combo certainly suits his particular game very well and gives him the control and spin he's looking for during play - have you ever tried a similar setup yourself? (Just a thought I thought I'd share - really not sure why. Make of it what you will.)

Welcome to the boards anyway.

Hello, I´m Jose Torres, from Spain, CTM Málaga.
47 years Old and OX Long Pip Player, been playing since 4 years.
I came to this forum looking for information about long pip. I play close to table with long Pip, push and hiting the ball.
Some thanks

Thank you for the welcome! It’s always great to hear of a dominant backhand gripper (for lack of a better term, this is what I’ve heard it described as). I’d be interested in some sort of dialogue with him if possible, if not, that’s cool too. I’m always trying to improve my game, and as you pointed out: it’s a very unique and unorthodox style. I’d say he gets really good control with the 1.5 mm Mark V. Does he only use one side of the blade? My thumb rests on the back of the paddle, and I keep it turned sideways, almost penholders ready hit position. I’m also looking for a different setup as I feel my Sardius is probably too fast. I used to play a lot of flat kill shots, but I moved away to a more defensive push/blocker style in hopes of winning simply by forcing errors. A younger player showed up that is super athletic and a really good hitter/counter hitter, extremely good footwork, he doesn’t miss much-played college baseball. So I’m trying to get my game up a few levels. I know most people will say that my grip is terrible, and it probably is, but I dunno how I even begin to switch now. Thanks again for the welcome!

Hi! I'm May. A little about myself. I'm 29 yr old. From US Atlanta. I work in sales. My hobby's sewing and knitting, recently I became interested in outdoor of Table Tennis (I don't have much space indoors). I used to play Badminton with my brother when I was 10. I really wish to play tt seriously in a few years. I hope. I joined just to pick up tips from some of the better players.

New to tennis, I play in my free time from work and enjoy the game.