OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Hi Guys,

I'm playing on the highest regional league in my country, just below national level. I had a weird year with a major EJ-Phase. I fell in love with the style of Luka Mladenovic. I started off playing with FL-anti ABS 3 and did very well with it. But as I got better at it, I got confronted with the limitations. I can twiddle, but make more mistakes because of it. Attacking with the ABS is not my cup of tea and frankly it’s not good enough at my level. Also it’s difficult to really take the initiative in rallies. People just ignore my good FH and play to the BH side. The Flanti gives me lots of control and people make a lot of mistakes against it.

So I decided to try out some other stuff. Long pips was just not my jam. I can’t get them under control. I tried: Desperado’s reloaded, Grass, Trouble Maker and LSD. I just don’t like the feeling of the balls shooting out of the rubber. Couldn’t get the right amount of control I need to play. I make too much mistakes playing with them. And spin reversal is not as good as with flanti.

Afterwards I tried Killer. Really like the rubber for its offensive potential and for the little bit of weirdness it gives the opponents. But I don’t like blocking with it. For some reason I miss a lot of easy blocks with it. But offense is really easy, I can flip and attack a lot of balls. Downside: you always give a no spin ball to the opponent, even when pushing. If you play a good opponent, he uses this to his advantage.

Now I’m trying out some regular short pips. Moristo 1,8. It has good control. I can attack a lot of balls. I can generate some backspin and topspin. And blocking is easy. It has no real funk for the opponent, but you can generate some sinking attacks, some weird sidespins and a weird block when really playing with soft hands (instead of normal punch block). Downside it’s at it best when playing really fast after the bounce and close to the table. I’m a tall guy so this doesn’t come natural to me. Need some more time to really adapt my playing style to it.

I have tried almost everything there is to try. I can play with almost everything and adapt pretty well (except for the LP). But I feels like I can’t make a choice. I want to play a game that allows me to play a disruptive controlling style but allows me to attack with BH without twiddling. What do you guys think I should try? Go down the SP path? Invest time and practice in the killer series? Or maybe try an offensive Flanti? Or just go back to normal inverted?

Interesting dilemma shared by many i.e. how to find the optimum balance of spin speed and nastiness with pips out rubbers.the problem many find is that it can vary from opponent to opponent especially at club level where many different styles exist. Moristo SP is an excellent short pip but as you have found out works best taking the ball early with a punch style, but can also chop away from the table. You may be better with the faster and spinnier AX version or perhaps Spinfire.

Have a look at the short pip you tube reviews by the pong professor. He uses Waran 2 and has a very aggressive style which may be what your are trying for. He also writes the blog reviews on TT11 .He often comments that at the highish level he plays sponge thickness is critical to be able to absorb the speed from powerful topspin. Too thin and control is lost due to bottoming out especially with soft sponge rubbers like Moristo

GeblockTT also have lots of you tube review of short pips.

How thick of sponge did you try with LP? If you dare to try them again use a grippy LP with 1.5 sponge. You can do a lot with it.

But I do think you hit on something. Every rubber has its up sides and down sides. There is no perfect do it all rubber. I think finding what does well at the most common way you play is the only way to solve this conundrum.

I tried the LP mostly ox. I tried a few with sponge. But the deception and revearsal part goes away when using spong. They do become easier to control that's true.



Verstuurd vanaf mijn moto g22 met Tapatalk

Reading your text I think you're making it hard on yourself by trying totally different things. You like flanties, but don't like the attacking capabilities of the ABS 3 and you make too much mistakes twiddling. The solution seems to me to be trying other flanties and practicing more on the twiddling.

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There's always stuff to improve!

My blog on being a LP defender beyond 2000 USATT and the pips discrimination that comes along with that

I like the no bullshit approach. Thanks for that.

Do you have a good suggestion for a more offensive glanti? With enough revearsal.

Options seem to be
Super glanti attack

Verstuurd vanaf mijn moto g22 met Tapatalk

Here is a link to a video showing Marcus Johansson using DMS Sabotage Offensive. I suspect he can make any anti look good as he recently took two games off Truls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfMqT9XYV4I

I went down the route of playing with LPs for a couple of years, but then eventually switched back to inverted - and don't intend to go back!

Much as I enjoyed playing with LPs, against the better players, as you have found - there are many limitations. While I could get cheap wins against players who didn't understand the pips, there was a severe limit to the level. It is depends on I think how you want to play - if you want to be the aggressor as soon as you can, LPs may not be ideal, unless you hit with them - and that takes lots of training. I spent the time rather learning a backhand loop.