OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Thanks to the great efforts of our friend Pipsy , Masato Shiono has agreed to an exclusive interview with OOAK forum!

Although Pipsy deserve the credit for making this happen, we should also give credit to Donic Germany and Donic Japan who helped organise this, and of course Masato Shiono himself, for agreeing to the interview!

You can read all about (and see) Masato Shiono here.

So if you have any questions, please post them here (or PM myself or Pipsy).

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1. Were you always a chopper, or did you start off more as a normal offensive player? When did you make the switch; was it a gradual process or a conscious decision?

2. When did you start playing table tennis and what event(s) finally led you towards playing in the U.S. Open in 2010?

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Oh man this is absolutely awesome! Great stuff Pipsy

Here are some of my thoughts:

• We've noticed that recently you've changed equipment. How important is equipment to you? Do you change regularly and try new equipment regularly, or will any old setup do?
• Most modern choppers use a thick sponge with their long pimples, primarily to help vary the spin on pushes. You appear to use a thinner sponge. Could you explain why?
• When you're chopping with your normal rubber, how often do you try to vary the spin?
• How often do you twiddle?
• How often do you train?
• What style of player do you find it most difficult to play against?
• Some choppers prefer to chop and push exclusively, but have to hit occasionally against some opponents. Would you prefer to just chop and push all game or do you like to attack too?
• Which players influenced you on your way to becoming a top defensive player?

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My blog: "Learning to play: as a modern defender": http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=22254
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[Other gear I've used]
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SPs: Friendship 802 (1.5), TSP Spectol (1.3, 1.8, 2.1), TSP Spectol Speed (1.3), TSP Super Spinpips Chop Sponge 2 (0.5, 1.3)
LPs: Butterfly Feint Long II (1), Butterfly Feint Long III (0.5, 1.3), Tibhar Grass D.TecS (OX), TSP Curl P1-R (0.5, 1, 1.3), TSP Curl P4 (1.3)

Well, I don't feel like deserving so much credit , it all happened almost coincidentally . As some might have read in the Shiono-thread, I sent an e-mail to Donic to inquire about Shiono's new equipment and got a reply. In my thank you mail, I mentioned the OOAK forum and our interview with Joo Saehyuk and asked ('you never know') whether it would be possible to have a written interview with Shiono. I then got referred to the Japanese distributor Mr. Takizawa who asked Shiono and he agreed.

Today, Mr. Takiwaza sent me another mail to say he will meet Shiono this Friday in his office and I think he wants to confront him with (some of) our questions orally. That means he already expects to have our questions on Thursday night.

So let's by then try to collect those questions that are important to us and we can't find out from other sources. Eventually we can follow up afterwards.

We'll see how it goes! I'm really excited about this

Thank you Dunc and Abdulmuhsee for the first questions!

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Exclusive OOAK-Interview with Joo Saehyuk | Masato Shiono | Panagiotis Gionis

Cool!
Too bad I read this when it is time to sleep, but I will dream about it and return with a few questions tomorrow

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Our pictures seem to indicate you're using TSP P-4 with 0.5mm sponge, is that correct? Why do you prefer this over TSP p-1r?

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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

Pipsy,

Thanks so much. This is really great. Since the interview may take place on Friday, and Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the US, a major holiday, I quickly put together a number of questions. Please don't hesitate to exclude any of my questions, if you feel that they aren't very good. If I think of additional questions, I will post them tomorrow.

Steven
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I would first like to congratulate you on winning the Japan Open and Czech Open.

1. You have had so much success during the past six months. Did you make some changes to your game which can account for this success?

2. You have excellent spin variation on your backhand, yet the long pip rubber on your backhand appears to have a thin 0.5mm sponge. I had previously thought that it would be impossible to vary the spin so well with such a thin sponge. Can you explain how you are able to vary the spin so well?

3. I had thought that it was impossible to beat top players in the world playing defense unless one attacked very often with their forehand, as does Joo Saehyuk, Chen Weixing, and Wang Xi. However, you have beaten many top players in the world with much less offense than these great defenders. What do you do differently that enables you to win with less offense than these defensive players?

4. Japan has had many great classical defensive players over the years, starting with Norio Takashima in the 1970s, followed by Koji Matsushita and several others, and now yourself. Why does Japan have more great classical defensive players than any other country?

5. Being the first great Japanese classical defensive player, did Norio Takashima play a major role in motivating most defensive players in the following years?

6. Your footwork is amazing. You are incredibly fast. Is there some particular training that you do for your footwork?

7. What are you personal, long term table tennis goals?

8. How do you play against other defensive players? Do you mostly push and wait for the opportunity to attack, or do you try to beat your opponent with your offense, as does Joo SaeHyuk?

9. How many hour per day, and days per week, do you spend training?

10. Did you know that you have many fans from all over the world, especially here in the OOAK Forum?

11. For top defensive players such as yourself, how important is spin variation while pushing? How much of your spin variation while pushing comes from twiddling?

12. Since you attack much less than the other top defensive players in the world, is spin variation more important for you than for them?

13. At what age did you start to play table tennis, and at what age did you decide to become a defensive player? Why did you choose to be a defensive player?

14. Nowadays, most top defensive players use Tenergy 64 on their forehand. Why do you not use this particular rubber?

15. Is there any particular aspect of your game that you would like to improve?

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Butterfly Joo Se Hyuk
Butterfly Tenergy 80-FX 1.9mm
TSP Curl P1R 1.4-1.7mm
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Returned to table tennis September 2011
Canada National Team Member, 1973-1975
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1972-1987
Brickell Balsa/Birch 3-ply Blade
Yasaka Mark V 1.5mm
Joola Toni Hold AntiTopspin 2.5mm

It is often thought, especially in China, that defensive players mature and bloom later than attacking players for reasons that the modern defender requires more time to master both attack and defense, with you and Seo Hyowon of South Korea being the two most notable examples of this year. Do you agree? By the same token, height and reach are two desirable qualities in many asian defenders, for example Joo Saehyuk, Hou Yingchao(侯英超), Yuto Muramatsu who stand over 180cm tall. Does that have any effect on how you play, and how do you manage that?

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Thanks a lot Steven for those many great questions! And thank you Zeio!

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Exclusive OOAK-Interview with Joo Saehyuk | Masato Shiono | Panagiotis Gionis

1. when did you start and how did you end up playing table tennis ?

2. what is your training regime , now that you've secured a place in the Japan's National Team ?

3. how do you keep your spirit up , particularly in a hard game ? what motivates you ?

4. when you have started to play in the Japan Open , what were your thoughts ? how surprised were you when you reach the finals , and you won ?

5. how did the Japan Open winning mean for you ? what were the people's reactions around you , before and after the winning from your perspective ?

6. what are your future plans for Table Tennis ? are you planning (now or in the future) to play for an european club in order to gain some experience ?

7. table tennis is an important aspect of your life ,now that you're part of the National Team . still, what do you do in your spare time , in order to relax ?

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Boys, be ambitious !

Wow this is so great....

- We Know that before you win these pro tours you was a Semi-PRO (worked half time and trained the other half) That changed after you joined the national team?

- How works to train just half the time that others pros?

- Could you tell us your routine of training? ( exercises , multiball, fitness, footwork)

- You Inspired us Not Just by beeing a awesome Defender but by Working and training ( Like all of us), Do you Think that is viable to everyone do that and reach a high level of play?

- Do you work your fitness in another periode then your training session?

- whats the diference of curl p4 and Feint Long 3 that make you change?

thanks

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Victas Koji Matsushita
Thibar Hybrid k1 euro max
TSP Curl p1-r 1.0

If you have to play Primorac again, what's your game plan?
What make him so difficult to play against?

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Competition:
- Why did you choose to partecipate JP Open? Which were your expectations? Did you do that just because you wanted to partecipate a great international tournament in your homeland or did you expect to have some really good result, even if you probably didn't even think about victory?
- You said you never won important titles in Japan before the JP open, so how do you explain your international achievements during this year? Are the japanese players very good vs your type of game or have you managed to really improve your game lately?
- Which matches where the most difficult to you during this months in the international stage? For example, i guess to recover a 0-3 match (with 2-11 in the 3rd) vs Matsusdaira wasn't an easy task at all...
- How did you feel about your three losses, vs Primorac, Ovtcharov and Shibaev? Were the opponents too strong that day or could you have done better? Were you disappointed or were you satisfied enough by the stage you reached in thoose tournaments?
- In particular, what can you tell us about the match vs Ovtcharov? I was watching it live and i couldn't believe my eyes...
- In Joo Saehyuk's interview with ooak, he stated that the best match of his life, which he really keeps in his memory and heart, was vs Ma Lin in the 2003 WTTC in Paris. What's yours?

Past and Future
- What influence these months had on your table tennis career? How they affected your plans for the future? How things have changed for you now?
- Which are your main goals in table tennis?
- Would you like to go to live and play outside Japan? Maybe in some great european team? What about partecipating in champion's league?
- What's your feeling about the protour grand finals you are going to partecipate to?

Training
- What's your training routine?
- Your fitness is great for sure: how much importance has physical training for your game?
- Have you ever had the chance to train with the chinese team, the best in the world?

Spare time
- Which are your interests outside table tennis?
- Which are your favourite sports?

General questions about TT:
- What future has defensive game in TT? Is the situation different for men and women?
- What's your opinion about the new plastic balls? Had you the chance to try some prototype?
- A part from defensive game, do you like the direction that overall the sport has taken in the past 15 years with the modern attacking game, the change of rules and materials...?
- Sure, you know the other defensive players in japan. What can you tell us about them? The young Muramatsu for example is very interesting: very young but very succesfull already, with an uncommon game (short pimples, often twiddling to attack with the backhand...)


If i think about more, i'll post

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Thanks so much for all the questions. I think they're wonderful and very complete!

I don't think Mr. Takizawi and Shiono expect so many questions I'm gonna have to make a compilation of them and neatly place them into categories.

Let's hope it succeeds!

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Exclusive OOAK-Interview with Joo Saehyuk | Masato Shiono | Panagiotis Gionis

wow lots of questions there, all I want to ask is ...
. Is it better to start with pips as young as possible if you wanted to be a chopper, or not?

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