January 23, 2020 Ask The Experts: Junya Chen No. 312 Butterfly Table Tennis Question and Answer Question: Hi there! I’m a semi-seasoned table tennis player who’s been playing TT for a little over a decade now. Despite this lengthy time I’ve invested into the sport, my technique’s improvement has slowed drastically over the years. I’m a penholder who only plays with one side of the racket (i.e. No RPB), though I’ve also tried and found out to not be too big of a fan of the J-pen. I’ve played with C-pens growing up and was never coached. I simply tried mimicking whoever I was playing with, at least in the first few years. Now, I play with a rather unconventional technique where I’m most often close to the table, push and block with my backhand 90% of the time (and chop with my forehand on rare occasions), and do my best to hit/place balls in ways to force my opponents to make errors. I’ve also got a rather unreliable signature move where (it’s hard to describe but) I essentially raise my racket-holding hand when the ball comes to the right hand side (I’m right-handed) and flick the racket upwards in an instant starting with the head of the blade pointing almost straight at the table, hence achieving an effect similar to a smash that is often speedy and takes my opponents by surprise. I’ve purchased quite a bit of products from Butterfly in the past, but now I’m looking into some professional advice in terms of which kind of blade and rubber would fit my style. I hardly ever loop, I play close to the table, and I’d like to score points by either attacking my opponents in sudden “ambushes” (albeit I don’t really attack often) or forcing them to make errors (or simply, as it most often happens, blocking/deflecting their attacks right back at them). I’ve looked into the Tenergy series and found the not-so-popular 25 rubber to have some of the attributes I’m looking for, though I’m honestly unsure and am open to playing with any rubber and any blade, so long as the latter isn’t a shakehand or a J-pen. I’d say I’ve been a relatively casual player, but it also wouldn’t hurt to bump my skills up a notch or two, especially since my club now contains quite a handful of very serious and powerful players. Thank you for your time! Answer: 

This Ask the Experts question was answered by Junya Chen. Coach Chen is the head coach at the Canadian Elite Table Tennis Training Centre in Mississauga. Coach Chen’s response is as follows: