SANDPAPER RESURGENCE aka ‘LIHA’ FORWARD: By Mike Babuin – The following information has been provided by the Philippine Liha (Sandpaper) delegation. Liha is a neo-classic revival of classic table tennis in America prior to the advent of hard rubber. Sandpaper was used in the early part of the 20th Century following the initial use of battledores and wooden rackets. Sandpaper covered rackets provided a unique elevation in the development of the fledging sport with the classic skill sets still employed today – such as chopping, pushing, ‘chieseling’, and fast attacks when the balls were volleyed back even slightly high. Above is a photo of Mike with a banner that presents the history of Liha. Below is a slightly abridged version click here for LIHA PDF This PDF includes Full study and wonderful photos that illustrate LIHA in full
My family played table tennis until late into the morning July 4-5th. We have paddles that are so old that the rubber surface has dried and vulcanized over time. It made me think of the fine touch necessary to play with sandpaper paddles. A quick google search unearthed this essay which may be a treasure.