Heavy back spin against long pimples

Christopher Parker Asked 3 months ago

Hi Alois

myself and a a team mate who I practice with have been looking at his heavy back skin against my long pimples 

ive used feint long like Matthew Syed did for the last 2-3 years 

it worked well initially for me as I’ve always been defensive & chopped well 

but a friend has been putting heavy backspin on the ball in practice lately

hes very good at it using DHS hurricane 3, the same forehand I actually use 

he generates a lot back spin from it 

the ball often seems to fly off for me at the moment or is filling into the net as I can’t get quite enough lift to get it back over when formerly I could 

but his back spin is very heavy now 

It’s like he can grip the ball well with his  dhs rubber whereas I can’t seem to grip so well with it (on my forehand) - especially in humid and sweat conditions 

Another friend seems to be able to tilt his bat so it’s more facing forward than it being flat like I tend to have and manages it with it fine

this other friend also uses long pimples like me 

why does his more upright angle seem to work better than a typical push / chop against heavy back spin

and why does the DHS rubber on someone's forehand  produce so much backspin whereas for another person eg myself it doesn’t seem to grip so well 

Alois Rosario Answered 3 months ago

Hi Christopher,

When dealing with heavy backspin, especially against long pimples, a few adjustments and an understanding of the equipment and its interaction can be crucial.

1. Effect of Long Pimples Against Heavy Backspin: Long pimples, like the Feint Long you mentioned, handle spins differently compared to smooth rubbers. When your opponent produces heavy backspin, the pips can invert the spin somewhat, creating a different return than expected. This can result in the ball either popping up or sinking quickly depending on your stroke adjustment. Initially, as you observed, without a huge amount of spin from your opponent, you could chop well. However, as the spin increases (like with your friend's DHS Hurricane 3), the difficulty in controlling and adjusting to the return spin also increases.

2. Challenges with Heavy Backspin and Pimple Rubber: When facing heavy backspin, using a flat bat angle (which is common with chopping) with long pimples might not always offer the best control. This is because it might not provide enough opposing force to lift the ball over the net due to the grip and inversion effect of the pimples. Your other friend’s technique of tilting the bat more forward helps in this scenario as it changes the angle at which the ball contacts the pimples, thus altering the return trajectory and potentially adding a bit more lift or speed to counteract the backspin.

3. Equipment Differences (DHS Hurricane 3): The DHS Hurricane 3 is known for its tacky surface and high potential for generating spin. The difference in performance when both using the same rubber could be due to several factors including technique, bat angle, and even individual physical strength (which influences how much force and spin one can impart on the ball). The tackiness helps in gripping the ball to generate spin, but controlling it requires practice and precise adjustments to your stroke technique, especially in varying conditions such as humidity.

4. Adjustments You Can Make: Stroke Adjustment: Consider altering the angle of your racket slightly forward, not too much, to actively engage with the spin rather than just chopping passively. This can help in transmitting some of the incoming energy back over the net. Try practicing with different degrees of bat angles and stroke speeds to see what best neutralises or utilises the incoming spin to your advantage.  Work on your footwork and positioning, as getting to the optimal position can drastically improve your control over heavy spins. I hope these insights help you adjust your game against heavy backspin. It's a challenging scenario but one that can significantly improve with the right strategies and practice! Keep experimenting and consulting with your team mate during practice sessions to refine what works best for you.