DNA Badminton Shuttles / Birdies

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Hey All,

Recently, we’ve been focusing a little bit more on the badminton side of things. One of the things we’ve noticed is that playing badminton is a lot more expensive than playing ping pong.  For one thing, shuttlecocks or birdies are marginally more expensive than ping pong balls, and they don’t last as long neither…  One 3 star ping pong ball at approx $0.75 will last around 5-6 hours of play, versus a shuttle, which, depending on the skill of the player and the quality of the bird, can sometimes last only 1 match!  Enter DNA Suttles!

There are a myriad of shuttle brands out there, but one of the more notable ones, in our opinion, is DNA.  DNA has 4 different models of shuttles, Red (international grade), Yellow (tournament grade), Orange (tournament grade), and Black (training grade).

The Red series is comparable to Yonex Aerosensa 50.  The Yellow series is comaprable to Yonex Aerosensa 40.  The Orange series is comparable to Yonex Aerosensa 30/20.  The Black series is comparable to Yonex Aeroclub 5.

If you haven’t had a chance to try DNA shuttles, we DEFINITELY encourage you try the Yellow or Orange series.  Our experience with the Yellow series has been extremely satisfying.  The majority of the shuttles will last around 3 sets!

We’re offering a bulk discount right now that if you purchase more than 10, you will receive an additional discount on each additional tube.  All of our DNA shuttles include free shipping within the contiguous US.  Check it out!

LIVEPONG,

Nick

The MTAG Team

Adidas Tenzone & P5/P3 Rubbers Are IN

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Hi Guys,

It’s been a while since our last post, but the New Adidas Tenzone, Tenzone SF, and P5/P3 Professional Line Table Tennis Rubbers are now in and ready to ship.  We have VERY limited quantities of each so reserve yours today!

If this is your first time shopping at MTAG, don’t forget to use our 5% off coupon code during checkout

code: FIRSTTIMEATMTAG

What makes the Adidas rubbers so special, one might ask?  Well, we believe that these rubbers are Adidas’ response to Butterfly’s Tenergy line.  Adidas P5 is comparable to Butterfly’s Tenergy 05 and Adidas P3 is comparable to Tenergy 64.  The most notable differences is the weight and spin.  Adidas P5 and P3 are lighter than both Tenergy 05 and 64 and produce a bit more spin than their competitors!  And being that they are around 10% cheaper than Tenergy, who can pass that up?

Now let’s talk about the Tenzone line.  We carry 2 lines of Tenzone for the moment.  Tenzone and Tenzone SF.  The SF version is on the softer side compared to its counterpart.  Both produce AMAZING shots without sacrificing stability or control. The main differences between the Tenzone series and the P series is that the Tenzone seems to produce a more forceful shot, whereas the P series produces a spinnier shot.  Regardless, both lines are AWESOME!

LIVEPONG,

Nick

MTAG TEAM

 

Keeping your Pushes Short

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Hey Guys,

This is long overdue, but I wanted to emphasize the importance of keeping your pushes short against an attacker.  When playing higher level table tennis games and technique isn’t much of an issue anymore, victory usually comes down to who can attack first.  Keeping the ball short, especially on a serve return can open up new avenues of attack.

How short, you may ask?  As short as you can without sacrificing balance, position, and recovery.  Every shot executed shouldn’t be an ‘All-in’ unless your opponent pops it up and makes a mistake; even then, depending on the skill of your opponent, taking an advantage of a mistake may lead to your own mistake as well.  It’s also important to mix up the spin and placement of your short pushes.  You may have a great drop shot, but if your opponent gets used to it, an expected drop shot can be easily attacked because there is very little spin on it.  Keep your placements fresh and unpredictable! Make your opponent move and try to force a mistake or a misread, then seize the opportunity to open with the attack!

THINKPONG,

Nick

the MTAG Team

 

Backhand Pressure to Wide Forehand

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2010 World Cup: Wang Hao vs Timo Boll is a stellar example of when to switch up the backhand pressure to a wide forehand.  Although this may only be applicable for Lefties playing Right handers or vice versa, it’s still noteworthy to point out how these two players didn’t project their shot placements with their bodies.  Several rallies where the shot pressure was backhand to backhand, Wang or Boll would switch up the shot to pull a wide loop.

I also find it interesting on how little power they used in this match.  Almost 80% of this match was close proximity rallies with very little kills.  Something to think about for our next ping pong sessions..

LIVEPONG,

Nick

the MTAG Team

Chinese Table Tennis team has a Life?

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This is an out of the ordinary article about the table tennis team.

Looks like training all day and playing tournaments aren’t all they do.

The Chinese team actually eats, sleeps, and plays video games?

Chinese Team’s Favorite Games

  • Patrick Tan

Chinese Team's Favorite Games

Spread the love for Table Tennis!

Nowadays, people young or old are always seen playing with their gaming consoles. Who would know that these Chinese paddlers do like to play these games as well. Including the word champion Zhang Jike who is very good in playing Runaway Pengy aside from table tennis. In addition, Xu Xin, Liu Shiwen, Li Xiaoxia, Song Hongyuana nd Fang Bo also have their favorite games in their iPads and play them during their idle time.

All year round, the National Team is always busy with training and competition leaving entertainment and leisure with not much time. However, despite this kind of schedule, their players still find time to play.

The reigning world champion Zhang Jike, aside from playing table tennis and football, also plays Runaway Pengy. Zhang Jike is one of the earliest players to know how to play the game. In his weibo account, Zhang Jike usually posts the screen shots of his games, tagging his friend Xu Xin. This is for everyone to know who is better between the two. As of now, Zhang Jike’s score is 13 million. Dare to challenge that?

While Xu Xin lacks the skill in Runaway Pengy, the rising star has O’Sullivan’s Snooker under his belt. Although the Chinese team is always busy, they still always find time to play billiards. Whether coach or player, you can always find traces of their love for billiards in their Weibo accounts. The real game is not enough for Xu Xin that he still plays billiards on his iPad. Speaking of Xu Xin playing the billiards, Xu Xin is really keen on the sport.

Aside from Zhang Jike and Xu Xin, the younger players Fang Bo and Song Hongyuan also have their addictions. Zhang Jike’s teammate in the Shandong Team plays the ever popular Angry Birds while Song Hongyuan likes Fishing Daren (Fishing Joy).

Its not only the boys who excel in these types of games but the girls as well. The Pro Tour grand champion Liu Shiwen likes the Moore Park while Shandong’s team leader Li Xiaoxia excels in Veggie Samurai.

Probably the most common game they play is the Fruit Ninja and the person to beat here is not Ma Long nor Ding Ning but Wu Yang of the women team. Among the Chinese Team, Wu Yang represents this game. When the women team was asked who is the most powerful player in the game, they all exclaimed the name of Wu Yang. Her score in this game is legendary.

Well, its glad to know that these super powers in table tennis are humans after all who are just like most of us today who dig their eyes on their consoles while in their idle time. To our dear readers, what games do you like to play on your consoles?

Photo source: sports.nen.com.cn

http://tabletennista.com/2012/1/chinese-teams-favorite-games/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=fb-link&utm_term=chinese-team-favorite-games-table-tennis-zhang-jike-xu-xin-li-xiaoxia-liu-shiwen-wu-yang-song-hongyuan-fang-bo&utm_content=fb-page&utm_campaign=fb-links

Ping Pong Professional Salaries

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Hey Pongers,

It’s safe to say that the majority of us are of the working class who play ping pong as a hobby, exercise, or obsession; but I know everyone of us has thought, at one time or another, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to play ping pong all day as a job?’  Sadly, those dreams are short-lived when we realize that there’s no real money in professional table tennis unless you’re a coach.

I came across an interesting article about how much the top women players in China make.  Enjoy!

Ding Ning earned over $100,000 in 2011

It was a glorious 2011 season for the Chinese Women Team with their delegates winning every competition for the year. After checking on the prize money, Ding Ning tops the list of the highest earned Chinese female player in 2011. She is followed by Guo Yan, Liu Shiwen, Li Xiaoxia and Guo Yue.

The Chinese Women Team clearly dominated the 2011 season where they won every tournament they participated. Aside from the major competitions in the previous year, the Chinese delegates also stood victorious in the Pro Tours as well.

As the reigning world champion in the women division, Ding Ning really soared high in 2011 and earned a total of 108,000 US Dollars. Ding Ning occupies the top of the list of the highest earning female table tennis players for 2011 after winning in Austria, England, and in UAE. Aside from the Pro Tours, Ding Ning also won the Women World Cup and was a part of the Chinese victory in the World Team Cup. Lastly, Ding Ning also finished as runner up in Suzhou, Qatar, and in the Grand Finals.

Second on the list is the veteran Guo Yan with 97,050 US Dollars. In 2011, Guo Yan has won the Singles championship titles in Suzhou, Germany, and in Sweden. In addition, Guo Yan also finished as runner up in England and in UAE. In Qatar, Guo Yan finished as semifinalist and was one of the quarter finalists in the Grand Finals.

Although Liu Shiwen didn’t shine in the first half of 2011, the world’s fourth female player landed in the third spot in this list with 91,900 US Dollars. In 2011, Liu Shiwen stood victorious in Qatar and in the Grand Finals. In addition, she also finished as runner up in Austria and in Sweden. Liu Shiwen was a semifinalist in England and in China, and was one of the quarter finalists in UAE.

The former world’s number one Li Xiaoxia is in the fourth place with 53,375 US Dollars. In 2011, Li Xiaoxia failed to win a single championship title. She was only a runner up in Germany and in Slovenia. Meanwhile, Li Xiaoxia was a semifinalist in Suzhou, Austria, England, UAE, and in the Grand Finals. Lastly, she was also one of the quarter finalists in Qatar.

Guo Yue is in fifth spot with 36,725 US Dollars. Same as Li Xiaoxia, Guo Yue also failed to earn a single championship title in the Singles event. In fact, her highest achievement is to be one of the semifinalists in Suzhou, Germany, Slovenia, and in Shenzhen.

  Original Post

$$PONG,

Nick

the MTAG Team

Sport Injuries

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“No Pain, No Gain”

Very true for training, conditioning, and the many other sacrifices required to improve.

But I can’t agree with this similar quote:

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”

Regarding injuries at least.

I don’t like to post about negative subjects, but I felt this was important enough as it affects many people.

For those of you that don’t know me, I likely first hurt my back doing Judo.  But, as a brash youngster, I believed I had super healing powers and thought it would eventually go away.  The strain didn’t disappear, and I continued to do what I’d normally do trying to ignore the pain for years.

It was a dull pain that always lingered, and limited how long I could practice, play or exercise.  If I stopped for a little, even waiting for the next game, the muscles would become stiff, inflexible and limiting.  I thought it was just normal, nothing could be done about it, since you hear so many people complain about their aches and pains.  And believed I was just another one of those in that category.

It got so bad, I had to stop playing tournaments.  I wanted to train, but I felt my body told me I needed to retire.  So I took a long break, disappearing from the table tennis realm.  After about 6 months, the itch to play was too great, and I tried just hitting some serves at home.

This may be embarrassing to admit, but while picking up something as light as a ping pong ball, I felt a razor sharp knife like pain stab into my spine.  Immediately, my mind went blank and I dropped to the floor.  Any slight movement, even trying to change the angle of my fall, was like a dagger cutting deep into the bone.  It took about half an hour just to lay face down into a position where just the pressure from body weight would not cause the excruciating pain.

Unable to move, the only thought I had was wondering if I’d be paralyzed with pain forever.

With much help after being discovered, I got to a bed and was bedridden for about 3 weeks.  I didn’t eat much, but I can’t even remember how I got to the bathroom.  Eventually, I could at least sit up and hobble over to wherever I needed to go.  Sports were out of the question.  And exercise was impossible.  Another 6 months of being inactive.  I dreaded every sneeze that came about as it contracted the core muscles and would be another knife stab in the lower back.  A two month coughing bout really made me wish I would end and just be in Heaven instead.  And still, I was quite stupid, as I thought I could get better from the ordeal.  I never believed doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and rarely even took medicine.

After a year the muscles around the spine, began to heal, but incorrectly, and the bones weren’t even in the right place.  In school, we had the chance to start a club and team.  The chance wasn’t going to come around again, so we put together a club and team.  So I came out of seclusion, and for the first time in a year without as much as a rally, played in the College Regionals.

Though we won, that one day of play sent my whole year of recovery to waste, and I couldn’t move again.  And so I was stuck in bed again, trying to recover in time for the 2nd Regionals.  I couldn’t let the team down, so I played sparingly.  With my teammates, we won our way to the College Nationals.

Meanwhile, at the old ping pong club my family played at, the seniors asked my parents where I was and what happened to me.  They said I was mostly busy with school and made a small mention that I can’t play anymore because I was pretty much crippled.  Luckily, one of them knew one of those super martial arts joint doctors in Chinatown and everyone said he was the best around.

Fed up with the pain, I felt I had nothing to lose.  Most other chiropractors I had seen already could not fix or even find the problem, and just wanted me to go back for more visits.  The Chinatown doctor, was different.  He didn’t want to see you again, he always just fixed people’s problem and told them to not come back.  Very friendly, and truly interested in helping people.  He took one look and already saw one of the problems.  After, a closer check he found I had a slipped disc, and one of the main tendons were out of place.  After the first visit, the sharp pains were immediately gone.  A second visit, which involved herbs, alcohol, and fire, a technique he called Dragon’s breath, pretty much reset all the back muscles as well as they could be after over a year of damage.  (Yes, he lit my back on fire for about 15 minutes.)

So that one and only year, Cal State East Bay had organized table tennis and even placed 15th in the Nation.

So please, do not ignore your injuries.  Many problems that get the immediate attention they deserve can be fixed without any long term effects.  As soon as the doctor says you can, do stretches and exercises to strengthen and keep everything flexible in order to recover quickly.

Take Care,

LIVEPONG

Channing

The MTAG Team

3rd Ball Kill vs 3rd Ball Place

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Hey Guys,

Reminiscing to my early ping pong days, I remember trying to master that ’3rd Ball Kill’.  I must have read or heard somewhere that, in order to get better, you have to serve, wait for the opponent to return, and then end the point at the 3rd ball.  So for years, I struggled, going through various phases of training and logic, but at the end of it all, I’ve come to realize, for the most part, 3rd ball kills only work if your opponent makes a mistake and doesn’t return your serve properly.  Then I noticed that on many occasions, the pro’s don’t even 3rd ball kill as much as my friend’s and I did.  Sure their ‘control loops’ may seem to us as kills, but compared to their ACTUAL kills, the control loops are very safe, well placed, and as low as possible.

Take the match above for example.  Ma Long vs Wang Hao, two of the best table tennis players in the world.  Watch carefully their opening loops.  The majority of those openers are not all out kills, but controlled loops that lead to a fury of attacks.  They also know how NOT to attack.  If the ball is too short, they don’t try to kill it at all cost, they try to angle or place their opponent out of position to try to either force an error or wait for a better opening.

Something to think about during your next match.

LIVEPONG,

Nick

MTAG TEAM

Is Ping Pong not cool enough?

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The public may be starting to see that table tennis can be real exercise, but the overall image is still usually of basement nerds, and old people.
http://news.yahoo.com/video/health-15749655/the-ping-pong-workout-27426205.html

Even now, many people may not have heard of Spin NY, a lounge/bar that has ping pong as its drawing attraction, backed by Susan Sarandon and visited by many celebrities.

http://www.brandonsun.com/entertainment/breaking-news/susan-sarandon-hopes-to-make-ping-pong-cool-with-new-toronto-club-131812163.html?thx=y

At least in America, many top juniors hit college age and then find that they “don’t have time” to continue playing.  Most people don’t even recognize it as a sport, so if one declared “I play table tennis”, the respondent has to feign amusement or try to hold in his laughter.  Beer pong is actually much more popular among college circles, and there are probably more movies based on that than ping pong movies.

There is hope though, ping pong has been seeing rising popularity and a few table tennis companies are getting more sport superstars to bring light to our sport.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ANOn1GQSIrU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiryRTSYkC4&feature=share

 

Hopefully someday, our stars will be playing their sports in commercials.

LIVEPONG

Channing

The MTAG Team

Badminton as a Chess Game

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Power. Speed. Agility. These are the words that first come to mind when thinking about sports. However, one of the most important components in the sport of badminton is the mental aspect. Smart players can and do beat opponents who are stronger and faster. Almost all veteran players have experienced the humbling pain of losing to an opponent who is, well, just plain OLD. Why does this happen? Because experienced players know how to control the game, and therefore limit the effectiveness of their opponents.

In general, it is better to be offensive than defensive because the chances of winning a point by hitting downwards is higher than hitting upwards. Also, the offensive player is initiating, while the defensive player is reacting. One of the most basic ways of controlling the game is by dropping or pushing past the net so that the opponent must hit upwards. An opponent with a powerful smash is rendered useless if he/she cannot receive a clear.

Another way experienced players negate power is by moving the opponent around so that he/she is always off balance. This is usually accomplished with a combination of attacking clears and tight drops. In this case, the experienced player is usually very consistent, and simply waits for the opponent to commit an error. This type of slow game is frustrating for smash-and-run players who eventually run out of patience and force a bad shot.

Although it seems obvious, you want your opponent to play YOUR game, and not the other way around. First, you must evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses. Next, your must evaluate your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. If you’ve never played your opponent before, use the first set to get a feel for their skill sets, and remember how you won/lost points. Lastly, always try to have a plan, even if it is only one shot ahead. Thinking players have the advantage of controlling the game, instead of simply reacting to a shot.

Happy Badmintoning!

LIVEPONG

Michelle

The MTAG Team