OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I have decided that I will probably skip all tournaments until at least March and focus on taking my game to the next level. Now that I have a table at home, I should be able to get some good players to come over and practice with me. I think that I've gotten to the point where I won't be able to improve my game any further if I don't start to attack more. As my rating should be near or above 2200 after the NA Teams are processed, I believe that I have reached about as high of a rating as it is possible with a mostly passive long pips blocking game. Sure, maybe if I'll get lucky and beat a 2400 - 2500 player who has a weakness for my style, I could maybe get to 2300+ but I won't be able to retain such rating. I also don't want to get to a higher rating just due to luck with the draw.. I want to be able to get to and retain a high rating 2300 - 2400 and when looking at other players with a similar style, they were only able to get to where they are by attacking frequently. (for example John Wetzler, Robert Shahnazari, Sakda Timsuwan)
I'm aware that transistioning to a more offensive game will make me lose to players that I currently beat in the short term, but in the long term, my game shold benefit from that transition. I want to dedicate the next 2 - 3 months to intenively work on my offense and develop patterns with 3rd or 5th ball attacks on my serve. I did try that at the club today with mixed success.. When my attacks were "on", I did very well.. However, my attacks were still way too inconsistent.. For example, I beat a 2000 level player 11:4 in the first game as most of my attacks were good.. Lost game 2 to 4 because many of my attacks were in the net.. I didn't take the right shots in many cases.. I didn't have the patience to wait for a better chance for my attack. A big opportunity for improvement is also at my footwork.. I might enter the Cary Cup Championship mid March and hopefully, I will have transitioned to a more offensive game by then. For now, I'll focus on practicing.. I've talked today at the club with several players of different styles to come over to my home to practice with me. I will need to practice against as many styles as possible in order to have a complete game. I don't want to lose to someone 300 points lower than me just because they have a game that I can't handle. Improving my offense should especially help me against those styles. I will post updates from my progress every couple of weeks.

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2010 Florida State Champion
Dr. Neubauer Firewall Plus with DHS G888 1.8 mm and Giant Dragon Dragon Talon OX National Team

That's a smart thing to do Pushblocker. I know that I've found that, as I hit different levels when my rating moves up, I find that I need to learn additional skills to maintain that level. As you've said, it's one thing to win a match against a higher rated player because it's a style matchup that they can't handle. but to maintain that level, we all need to develop skills that allow us to consistently win at that level.

Best of luck!

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"The greatest teacher, failure is"
USATT Rating: 1725
Blade: Stiga Cybershape Carbon
FH Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 19 2.1
BH Rubber: Dr Neubauer ABS3 1.5

pushblocker,

could i reccomend getting a whole stack of balls and working some multiball with some people? multiball that forehand of yours. because i find that repetition breeds habit, and good habit breeds success

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Yasaka Sweden Extra
Yasaka Rakza PO 2.0mm
TSP Curl P-1R OX

"slappy slappy slappity slap"

Check the Youtube videos of a west coast player named Robert Shahnazari. And try Donic Akkadi L1!

I agree. Probably the best way. Better than a robot, at any rate.

Are you going to work more on attacking with the pips, or with your other side?

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I'm not sure if multi-ball is the right thing for me. I personally like to work on playing patterns that lead to my attack.. My stroke is actually pretty good but choosing the right shot at the right ball is my main problem.. If somebody feeds me balls into my forehand, I can loop all day but unfortunately, in a match, nobody is gonna feed me balls into my forehand. What I want to accomplish is to learn to pick the right shot at the right ball.. To develop and practice playing patterns that will lead to my attack. I'm not planning on becoming a looping/counter-looping player. I like to flat hit and smash as I'm 38 years old and won't outlast the 15 year olds when looping. I like to either put away the ball or set up a smash on my next attack. I have to work on creating opportunities to attack. I attack pretty hard and when I attack, the ball usually doesn't come back.

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2010 Florida State Champion
Dr. Neubauer Firewall Plus with DHS G888 1.8 mm and Giant Dragon Dragon Talon OX National Team

I've tried Akkadi L1 and it's too fast for me.. I do like the attacking ability but it's just not the right rubber for my blocking.. I need something slower. I'm pretty happy with the AIR rubber that I'm currently playing. I do know Robert Shahnazari and have hit with him before (but never played a match). (There is actually a picture of me and him talking in the last USATT magazine in the article about the NA Tour Final)
Robert has a great game but still has problems to stay above 2300.. He has been above 2400 but has not been able to retain that rating.. It seems that the rating that he can consistently hold is in the 2200's. I believe that he is 2230 right now which is probably very close to my new rating (once processed). Robert's game greates heavy chop against opponents topspin and he forces his opponents to push and then attacks with his pips against that chop. He also loops and attacks from the forehand. I will also try to incorporate some of his shots into my game but my general style will be different from his.. He doesn't twiddle a lot and I'm planning on doing just that.. I want to attack with inverted from both sides when the opportunity presents itself to me.. I want to keep blocking and pushing until I'll get a attackable ball, forehand or backhand and then try to put away that ball..

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2010 Florida State Champion
Dr. Neubauer Firewall Plus with DHS G888 1.8 mm and Giant Dragon Dragon Talon OX National Team

I'll do both.. However, I mostly will try to twiddle to inverted on the backhand side to attack. I'll also twiddle more to inverted when pushing and blocking to mix up the spin..

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2010 Florida State Champion
Dr. Neubauer Firewall Plus with DHS G888 1.8 mm and Giant Dragon Dragon Talon OX National Team

Interesting timing of this post, as I was just thinking the same thing recently!

I play classical defense, standing 1.5 meters back from the table and chopping (assuming I'm playing a good looper) and rarely attack. Last night, however, I changed my set-up and plan on working on FH attacks and also playing closer to the table, using chop blocks and hitting with the LP. I also expect to do poorly for a while while adjusting, but I feel that I'm actually quite a good blocker.

There are two options when someone loops -- run back and chop or stand close and block it back. The latter is easier.

I do enjoy going back and chopping, so will keep that in my game, but my focus will be on using the LP in close and attacking more with FH.

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BL: Joo Se Hyuk
FH: Narucross EX Hard
BH: Feint Long 3, 1.0mm

For me, the desire to change my game was triggered by reaching a level from which it will be difficult to improve unless I'll change my game.. There are only 2 players that I'm aware of that have gotten to 2200 - 2300 just by blocking with their pips without doing too much of anything else.. That would be Peter Chen and me.. The other top pips blockers have always been playing offensive when the opportunity presents itself to them. Me and Peter Chen are probably the only ones at that level who hardly ever attack.. Peter Chen got above 2300 but he wasn't able to stay at that level. I want to get to and stay at or above 2300, maybe higher.

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2010 Florida State Champion
Dr. Neubauer Firewall Plus with DHS G888 1.8 mm and Giant Dragon Dragon Talon OX National Team

Pushblocker wrote:
I think you should essentially concentrate on improving your defense instead of on improving twiddling in order to attack. Putting away an attackable ball is a coincidence, a lucky strike, an incident, if you haven't consciously forced your opponent to make the error evoking that ball. One can force an opponent to make errors like this by putting pressure on him by playing fast - but you wouldn't block and push if you were able to do that. So you have to put pressure on your opponents by changing pace, spin and placement at low speed. If you start to attack more, you will increase the speed and put pressure on yourself instead of on your opponents.
It will still be worthwhile to improve your kills. From what you write, I'd guess your bat-angle isn't correct when you attack. This is probably due to your foot-work; if you aren't at the right place when you want to hit (either too far away or too near), you will (without noticing it) adjust by moving your whole arm towards the ball and, as a result, close your bat. You could prevent this from happening by staying more on the balls of your feet (standing lightly), and moving your feet more quickly, in order to be at the right spot and in the right posture so that you can make the correct swing. In a match, this would be easier if you had a clear plan for the rallies, stuck to it, and kept on pushing and blocking until you had forced an obvious error. Getting better is, at your age and mine, often achieved by getting to be more patient and more cunning instead of by wanting to be faster and defter...

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Without opponent, no match.

This Norbert Zymj fellow (wearing white socks) attacks with his BH LP and he twiddles. Dangerous, indeed.

I'm not planning on making pressure.. I want to attack the right balls.. I don't want just lucky shots. I want to be able to read the ball well to know if I can attack or not.. My main problem right now are patient players who refuse to attack hard against me. By just playing defensively against such player, I'll lose as they will play it safe and put away any attackable balls. I need to be able to punish my opponents for trying to play it safe.. Footwork is one of the main areas that i need to improve. My strokes aren't that bad.

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2010 Florida State Champion
Dr. Neubauer Firewall Plus with DHS G888 1.8 mm and Giant Dragon Dragon Talon OX National Team

This is some impressive play but not the type of game that I'll be playing. I will still mainly play a blocking game but will play more offensive minded and will take advantage of attackable balls. With my style, I usually get many balls that are attackable but I often just block/push them back..

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2010 Florida State Champion
Dr. Neubauer Firewall Plus with DHS G888 1.8 mm and Giant Dragon Dragon Talon OX National Team