The thing that’s so interesting to me about his serve his how quickly he does his reverse sidespin serve. He also starts with a regular one, and then reverses it in the middle.

I can do a basic one, but he can get his sooo short.

Wicked. I can’t imagine how hard it is to return one. ::

After being dormant for many years in my favorite participation sport, I found my new Table Tennis club on the peninsula. It’s called the Peninsula Table Tennis Club (simple enough), and it’s located in Burlingame–right on the bay. I went this evening for the first time, and it was a stellar experience. The people were very inviting and happy to have a new player.

I purchased a new blade and new rubber for my return, and decided to go with the new Timo Boll ZLF offering (blade) combined with the new Tenergy 05 FX rubber. Wow is it fast. I mean…silly fast. It’s a new fiber that’s even lighter than carbon, but it’s wicked speedy. Combined with the Tenergy rubber it’s just brutal.

I’m finding that with the Timo Boll ZLF I’m having a similar issue as I had with the Timo Boll TriCarbon, which was a very high trajectory off the bat that I find difficult to control. My default blocks and hits shoot far higher than with my Timo Boll Spirit, which is also a carbon blade.

Anyway, I’m trying to adjust. I tried going back to my old bat halfway through my session today (the Spirit with some old Bryce on it) and it was jarringly slow. I figured I was already adjusting to the new speed so there’s no point in going back now. I just need to figure out how to handle that higher trajectory.

The speed of this setup makes my touch play very weak. It’s weak enough as it is, but my serve return was just horrendous today. The speed of the thing makes all your touch mistakes very costly ones, as in…immediately deadly. I kind of like that, though, as it forces me to commit entirely to everything. Doing anything halfway (or with poor technique/form) with this blade/rubber combination yields comically poor results.

Anyway, it was great to play today, and I’m enthused to have a new club and new equipment to work with. Also, my mind feels so quick right now, as a result of the workout; it’s like my mind finally got a bath. Table Tennis, for those who don’t know, has been shown to improve all sorts of cognitive functions. Anecdotally, I’m a believer.

So if anyone in the Bay Area plays Table Tennis, you should come join me sometime. Ping me via email and we’ll hook up. ::

P.S.: Speaking of Ping…I’ll be adding Golf into the rotation soon as well…

Table Tennis is my sport. It has been since the late 90′s. I’ll not go into my many reasons for loving it, but a good number of them are mentioned here in this post by James.

What I’ve enjoyed learning in recent months is the fact that Table Tennis is now being recognized as a cognitive-enhancing sport. This from this New York Times piece:

The strategic thinking and split-second reactions demanded by table tennis also present unique mental challenges. In his book “Making a Good Brain Great,” the psychiatrist Daniel G. Amen claims that playing table tennis can actually increase brain activity. As we warmed up for our challenge match, Will Shortz confided that he uses table tennis to clear his mind.

This is something I’ve always noticed. I just feel…crisper somehow with my thoughts and reactions when I play. Almost like I’m anticipating life rather than reacting to it. Sounds lame, but it’s happened consistently enough over the years that I believe it. Nice to see that there’s some science behind the feeling now.

Anyway, here’s another video from my favorite German player, Timo Boll (he’s the lefty):

Yeah, good stuff. ::

Damn, I wish Bruce Lee were alive. He would be the grandmaster of MMA.

Oh, and cool Nokia ad.

I did a large round robin Table Tennis tournament yesterday. Brutal. Everything I have, plus some other stuff, is sore.

I made third place in the B division — not too bad — and got a trophy for the eight hour effort and third place finish. Good times.

If I were just say…50 lbs. ligher, I’d be dangerous.

Table Tennis Top 10 Shots – The most amazing home videos are here

I went with seven others to Orlando, FL this weekend for a table tennis tournament. I’m currently rated at around 1300 or so and entered the under 1500, under 1800, and under 1900 singles events.

I won my division (under 1500) and got a trophy.  W00t.

I also gave an 1890 a lot of trouble. I lost at like 8, 8, and 9 (games are to 11). So overall a good showing.

Then we went and ate at Bubba Gump’s and saw Balls of Fury. The food was decent. The movie wasn’t.: