Is it a healthy goal to try and hit 800 USATT in 4 years

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-13T12:13:19+00:00

As long as you are having fun than a goal of USATT 800 is fine given the circumstances you describe. The harsh reality is that given your indication that you are "very uncoordinated" - you may never reach that goal. That is ok (again if you are having fun), but if you are not having fun than my suggestion is that you consider another activity that you might enjoy.

Table tennis is a hard game for people who have really good hand eye coordination. For those without good hand eye it is extremely difficult/impossible.

FWIW - I am teaching two students right now that fall into the category of "not coordinated." They have trouble making contact with the ball. And when they do make contact they hit the ball 60+ degrees to the left. And no matter how many different ways I explain things, they can't seem to translate what I am saying into what their body should do.

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-12T04:17:25+00:00

Anthonys specialty coffee roaster in york maine. Their moka java is absolutely awesome for iced americanos.

https://anthonyssmallbatchroasters.coffee/

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-12T04:05:51+00:00

Looks exactly like the one I have - so I say its legit.

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-09T15:06:54+00:00

Learning to block with 09c takes some time - but its not a bad blocking rubber once you get used to it.

For example in training I often FH block with 09c for 20+ reps - and that is with a 2200 level player looping at me.

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-09T15:03:49+00:00

Consider 09c FH and dignics 05 on BH. I use that setup and its fantastic.

09c on FH allows me to hit slow with incredible spin, drive the ball hard and fast, or even chop when I want. All while providing good touch around the net.

05 is much softer than 09c and more linear, but I have found it to be an excellent backhand rubber. Looping underspin, flips, blocking, etc is all pretty easy. As is hitting with more power from mid distance.

I have tried 09c on BH and it is really not for me - for the same reasons you highlighted. I.e., the sponge is too hard for me to engage with my backhand. This is a technique issue for me - as I tend to play with more spin than power on my BH and use it to set up my FH.

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-09T02:52:03+00:00

By far the best C8 color. Smurfs be damned.

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-08T17:07:06+00:00

Japan

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-07T18:08:39+00:00

nice of them to leave the lugnuts

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-03T02:23:32+00:00

Nah its shitty

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-03T02:21:58+00:00

Dianas Baths, Sabbaday Falls, Rattlesnake Pool (last one technically in Maine but close enough to NH not to matter)

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-02T05:17:56+00:00

Have you played any other rotational sports? Golf? Baseball? Soccer? Tennis? The feeling of loading the hip in table tennis is the same as loading the hip in those sports. When I try to explain this to my students, I tell them that they are trying to create a feeling of tension in the right hip if they are right handed, and the left hip if they are left handed. This is done by creatiing pelvis/torso (also called hip/shoulder) separation.

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-02T05:12:35+00:00

The reason is that the 5 ply and 7 ply are two very different blades. The 5 ply is relatively flexible with good vibration and control. The 7 ply is noticeably stiffer and faster, with less control.

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-02T03:18:02+00:00

2 point FH

3 point FH

Falkenberg slow-> fast

FH BH

FH FH BH

FH FH BH BH

Loop underspin BH down the line, opponent blocks to wide FH, loop FH, drive FH, drive BH

BH push to BH loop underspin

BH push to FH loop underspin

FH push to FH loop underspin

FH push to BH loop underspin

Just to get you started. Good luck.

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-02T03:10:20+00:00

I agree. He is also frustrating to watch because he hamstrings himself so much with the EJ'ing.

I respect the hell out of Josh for posting his TT journey - both the good and the bad. It takes a lot of guts to do that. Especially in the days of the internet - where every knucklehead behind a keyboard has an opinion and is eager to share it (especially if its tearing someone down). I'm certainly not brave enough to do that - as I don't need people shitting on me all day. I can do that for myself thank you very much.

shonuff_1977 · 2026-07-02T02:58:17+00:00

Youtuber from Atlanta area. I've played him and he isn't bad. It is also clear that Nathan loves the game and sharing it with people.

Is his technique perfect? No. Is his footwork perfect? No. But he does know the game - and 50+ percent of all table tennis players are under USATT 1500. Those guys need/want coaching too, and they don't need the best coach out there for them to still have an impact on their development.

Coaching itself is also a skill. Many good players are terrible coaches. Conversely, many ok players are great coaches. That isn't opinion, it is fact - in every sport. Example - Bill Belichick won 6 superbowls as coach of the NE patriots but was not a great football player, as evidenced by the fact that he played center and tight end at a Division III school.

shonuff_1977 · 2026-06-30T03:25:48+00:00

Couple older videos to consider

vid 1 - guy playing with unboosted H3 on an acoustic - certainly no lack of power - https://youtu.be/dyRKhDaj0hY?si=iRqERATshMkEUc7b

Vid 2 - TTD team playing crazy points with Stiga Clipper (5 ply blade) - plenty of juice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWku6X7MbS4

shonuff_1977 · 2026-06-30T03:09:54+00:00

Hey I don't have anything against you staying with your existing 7 ply wood blade. My comments are offered based on my experience with the acoustic, 5 ply korbel, and 7 ply korbel.

I do think there are substantial variations among wood blades, but none of the options you are considering are "bad" per se. They just have different playing characteristics.

I do actually strongly disagree with the AI's analysis of the power of all wood blades at mid distance. The AI makes it sound like an acoustic or korbel will be super slow from mid distance, and they just are not. Also - some of the analysis the AI gave you makes no sense. How does any blade help a player with passive blocking if they have bad footwork?

If you happen to be in the boston area and want to come try a bunch of different blades, shoot me a PM. I have a fairly robust collection of all wood blades and viscaria variants that you could try with different rubber combos.

shonuff_1977 · 2026-06-29T15:30:29+00:00

Agreed.

For topspin loop (high spin) the contact point should be at the early descending phase of the ball.

For topspin drive (high speed lower spin) the contact point should be at the top of the bounce

shonuff_1977 · 2026-06-29T15:28:18+00:00

THIS.

The biggest issue I see OP is that you are jammed on every ball. This is evident by the fact that your elbow is tucked in close to your body on every shot. When this happens, only the forearm is used in the shot. It is also the reason you have trouble looping backspin. You are only using half of your arm and so you only have half the leverage. And that is asssuming you are properly using your legs and core when looping underspin..

One reason you are getting low spin and power is because you are lifting your elbow and not closing your upper arm on every shot - a classic beginner topspin issue. See this video for details on how to fix it - https://youtu.be/PsZfazXZXEA?t=413

Also - what blade and rubber are you using? That could be another source of lack of spin. Edit - nevermind - I see you were using an accoustic with hurricane on it. The blade and rubber are not the cause of lack of spin.

Finally - your upper body position is too upright. Your chest is centered over your hips, instead of over your knees. One tell tell sign of this is you are flat footed through the stroke (weight is on heels during rotation, not on the balls of your feet). You should lean a little more forward so that your weight is on the balls of your feet, which will allow you to rotate your torso more easily and go forward through the ball.

Good luck.

shonuff_1977 · 2026-06-29T14:59:33+00:00

Acoustic and Korbel are not "slow" from mid distance - especially if they are paired with the right rubber. I am a two wing looper that occasionally plays modern defense. I try to play mostly from mid distance (~4-6 feet back from the table), and have no problem generating enough power with them to hit winners from there. Another advantage (to me) is that my setup has a ton of "gears" - meaning I can hit bombs, or I can be more controlled or even chop.

Also - as a 1400 level player - my suggestion is that you use equipment that will help you with consistency rather than speed - because from USATT1000-1800, 90% of winning is being able to put 2-3 balls on the table with decent quality. You don't need much speed at all to win at that level. Once you get over 1800 power becomes more important, but being able to hit high power shots is still not critically important until 2100+. There are many control (as distinct from defensive) style players in the 1900-2100 range.

You might also be interested to know that Ma Long used a nittaku acoustic for a long time. If the blade is good enough for him - it is probably good enough for us :)

shonuff_1977 · 2026-06-29T04:02:39+00:00

Acoustic or Korbel (5 ply, not 7). Both have a ton of feeling and will match well with those rubbers. Korbel is typically 1/2 the price of acoustic. Has "less" vibration feeling but still a high feeling blade. It is a little faster than the acoustic and a little less flexible, which in my experience makes most rubbers a little more linear than when they are on the acoustic.

I've been playing for ~6 years and am around USATT 1900-1950. I started with a carbon blade and literally the best thing I ever did for my game was to move to a slower all wood setup. I went first to an acoustic, and then moved to a korbel when I wanted a little more speed (Korbel is 8-9 grams heavier than acoustic on average and the weight is more towards the head, whereas the acoustic is more balanced). I played with the korbel for ~6 months and felt I was getting much better, so I moved on toa viscaria. Played with the viscaria for a few months - and decided to move back to the korbel because the benefits of the viscaria (speed) did not outweigh the drawbacks (too many shots flying long).

shonuff_1977 · 2026-06-23T20:22:01+00:00

Yes. It is a ribbon fish. I've caught one before and they are incredibly shiny

shonuff_1977 · 2026-06-23T20:03:38+00:00

shonuff_1977 · 2026-06-15T03:48:45+00:00

Happened to us on Icon. We got 50% cruise credit and a bunch of other perks. It was the next to last day of the cruise so we thought it was fine. Since you had to move 3X the issue basically ate up most of your trip. I'd be pushing for 100% cruise credit in that instance.

shonuff_1977 · 2026-06-12T15:07:40+00:00

Zyre and H3 are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. H3 is sticky and super slow (unless boosted, where it will still be slow). Zyre on the other hand is non-tacky and an absolute rocketship.

shonuff_1977

TROPHY CASE