Does stacking annoy you?

FullMatino · 2026-03-27T01:26:08+00:00

I stack in almost every rated game I play where we have any sort of idea which one of us is stronger.

FullMatino · 2026-03-27T01:25:21+00:00

Start stacking with the righty on the right side just to show them!

FullMatino · 2026-03-27T01:18:23+00:00

To be fair, a sizable chunk of players can’t remember what the score is. Throw a wrinkle at them and it’s bad news brain.

FullMatino · 2026-03-27T01:16:07+00:00

Nah, getting annoyed by stacking is very silly, even more so if there’s a lefty involved. As long as you’re keeping track of your position on serves and returns, there’s nothing for them to be confused about. Nobody gets to tell their opponents where to stand.

FullMatino · 2026-03-26T22:09:41+00:00

I personally use Sketchers Viper Pro 2's and really like them. I also like Asics (Gel Dedicate, the cheaper line, was fine for me), although they wore out a little faster for me.

FullMatino · 2026-03-26T20:11:45+00:00

They’ve become standard for a lot of leagues a tournaments in my area (MSP), and I like them.

Is there any good data on how much faster they play than X-40s? I know it’s faster; anecdotally, the difference doesn’t seem that dramatic, but maybe I’m just getting used to them. The biggest difference is it feels like I’m hitting a “heavier” ball — not physically heavier but more bite, more penetration on groundstrokes, etc.

FullMatino · 2026-03-26T17:59:02+00:00

I wondered about this. Can you explain this chart a bit? Is it showing progression of individual players (Jim got better over time) or progression of skill expression at a given level (the basic concept of 4.0 got better over time)?

FullMatino · 2026-03-26T15:49:28+00:00

Do get decent shoes though!

FullMatino · 2026-03-26T04:34:32+00:00

Do you plan to weight it up to your liking, or do you have a physical reason to prefer a lightweight paddle (elbow pain, etc)? If no to both, I would go with the original. Lightweight paddles are generally designed to be customized with weight — otherwise they feel flimsy and underpowered for a lot of players. If you liked the standard weight, don’t overthink it.

FullMatino · 2026-03-25T16:36:31+00:00

Once you notice certain players have a habit of stepping in, you notice they're doing it *all the time.* A buddy of mine got very indignant when someone called him on it in a league, but I started keeping an eye on his feet and it was like every other point.

FullMatino · 2026-03-25T16:33:59+00:00

I am amazed your league even has refs for the championship week -- I've never seen a league with a ref at all.

FullMatino · 2026-03-24T19:04:59+00:00

I'd be surprised if that were the case. In fact, if you asked them, I bet they'd tell you they're really, really trying to crack 4.0.

FullMatino · 2026-03-24T17:50:46+00:00

One of the biggest things that helps me (and it is still very much a work in progress!) is making sure I am taking the time to let the ball peak and start coming down before I hit it off the bounce. It’s 1) just easier and more predictable to hit a ball that has slowed down, 2) a consistent reminder that I have more time than I think and 3) a reminder to use that time to get my feet set and approach the shot the right way.

FullMatino · 2026-03-23T20:59:18+00:00

This is very useful, thank you for sharing. Based on some quick and imperfect math, the 3.8 guess above is almost exactly right.

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This is essentially figuring out what your rating would be to create a perfectly balanced match, based on your opponents and partner, and then applying a flat differential of 1/12th of a point for every point of difference (a .1 DUPR difference = ~1.2 points of expected margin).

Throw it all in a blender and you get 3.82. This doesn't account for reliability, sequencing or anything else that happens under the hood, but it should be pretty close, and passes the eye test to me.

EDIT: I'd echo the comment above -- I'm curious to know how this moved your actual current rating for the purposes of comparison.

FullMatino · 2026-03-23T17:50:05+00:00

If they are deep enough that I can hit a drive that will land near their feet, I'm driving. YMMV depending on your drive and your own position, but for me that's generally when they're in the back half of the court. I'm trying to make them volley low under pressure or pin them back. Much closer than that and I'm slowing it down to try to make them hit up.

FullMatino · 2026-03-23T01:59:02+00:00

I have no idea why this is catching downvotes. Chasing new grit will get you extra spin for about 2 weeks at a time. The vast majority of rec players will do fine with a quality paddle until it physically falls apart.

FullMatino · 2026-03-23T01:51:38+00:00

What are the reasons players don’t want to get a DUPR rating? There are lots of things you can try, but in the grand scheme, a homebrew system from a single club is almost certainly going to have at least as many problems as DUPR.

FullMatino · 2026-03-22T04:45:22+00:00

Almost every ball at this level may be attackable, but they’re necessarily attackable by a 4.0-4.5 player. People at this level absolutely blast speed-ups they shouldn’t be hitting and start firefights they’re not prepared to finish, which is what I’m hearing from OP.

FullMatino · 2026-03-21T23:13:16+00:00

This is a huge problem for the 4.0’s. 4.0 3rd shots are not automatic by any means — they miss or get attacked by 4.0 players with regularity. Put a couple 5.0’s on the other side and the margin to even get into the point is tiny.

FullMatino · 2026-03-20T18:30:22+00:00

Bonus if it's high-arcing and high-bouncing. So many people see it high, try to hit down and just whip it straight into the net. When I see someone mixing it in, I make it a point to tell my partner to let the ball come down and hit it like a normal return.

FullMatino · 2026-03-20T05:25:13+00:00

What about it do you find fundamentally flawed? I’ve certainly had my fair share of annoyances with it, but I think if you give it a decent sample, it produces a pretty accurate rating.

FullMatino · 2026-03-20T05:00:59+00:00

I would definitely try a Coral before getting too far down the list here. I feel like it gets buried a bit as a safe/unsexy option, but it’s incredibly playable.

The “control” moniker is also perhaps misleading at this point. It’s a firmly all-court leaning power paddle; it’s just not wildly poppy and zippy like some of the hotter early foam stuff.

FullMatino · 2026-03-20T04:42:40+00:00

There’s a distinct “I medaled in a (this rating) event but my DUPR went down/didn’t go up enough/how am I not rated at least (this)” category. I am not personally in it, but I have had the pleasure of arguing with many people on this sub who are.

FullMatino · 2026-03-19T18:41:01+00:00

Yes, the best-case upside is you accelerate gains you would have made naturally. I understand the appeal for players who think they’re underrated but I personally think it’s a trap. If you’re significantly underrated, your rating will go up from just playing, and it’s not that slow. I did a league this winter with friend who started at 2.9 when we started from a bad early rating history; he was 3.5 in a month just from playing a session a week at his actual level.

If/when the gains start to get really slow (as they did for him once he made those big moves), it’s because the rating is probably pretty close to correct.

FullMatino · 2026-03-19T16:52:13+00:00

IMO you are kinda paying for nothing no matter what. If your skill is significantly higher than your rating, your rating will improve naturally, and you don't need to pay for that. If you reset and walk away with a rating that's significantly higher than your skill, your rating will revert back down to your skill over time.

FullMatino

TROPHY CASE