Defensive rubbers advice required

Maverick Teo Asked 13 years ago

Hey Pingskills,

I plan to get a new table tennis bat soon, but I am really unsure of what rubber to use.I am a defensive player, and I often chop, apply downspin and sidespin and return smashes.What rubber type should I use?

Alois Rosario Answered 13 years ago

Hi Maverick,

I would go for a slower rubber. If you chop a lot you can try a long pimple rubber. You could also try a thinner inverted rubber. Perhaps a 1.5mm sponge. This will allow you better control to be able to chop more effectively. You could try a Mark V thinner sponge.

Some of our defensive players may have other suggestions for you.

← Low Sidespin Serve Playing styles →

Leslie Yin Posted 13 years ago

Like Alois suggested a thin inverted rubber will do but if you want to specialise in defensive play you could use a long pips rubber on your backhand.

I don't want to completely take this off topic but Alois, what is your opinion on when someone should start playing with long pips? If they want to play defensively should they learn how to play the basic strokes first with inverted rubbers first or start to learn how to play with long pips straight away?

Anton Tamminen Posted 13 years ago

One good defensive rubber is Super defense 40, and one another Yanus DF, if it suits your style.

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 13 years ago

Hi Leslie,

I think you should learn the strokes with an inverted rubber. This will ensure that you are also understanding spin properly before moving on to long pimples. This may mean playing with inverted rubber for at least a year.

andrew brand Posted 13 years ago

i agree, a good rubber would be mark v in 1.5mm. maybe one side this and one side long pips if you chop mostly on the backhand. one question is that most defenders have one good attacking side, either forehand smash or backhand smash/punch whatever. worth bearing in mind which side you prefer to attack with. if you mainly attack with your backhand its probably not a good idea to use long pips. the safest bet would probably be mark v 1.5mm on both sides, especially if you are just learning the game.

ricky winata Posted 13 years ago

rubber like mark v will never went wrong. i think tackiness chop will be a good defensive rubber as they are pretty slow rubber