Long pimples question
Table Tennis Equipment
Last updated 11 years ago
azhar bhabha Asked 11 years ago
I have heard you speak of long pimpled rubber on many occasions and u say it reverses spin. I am playing the modern chopper style as i have told you, and what i have experienced is that when my opponent topspins, my long pimples give them one float and one chop return alternately. My first return though, is always float, and as a result is becomes easy for them to flat hit-finish it. How does this happen, firstly, and secondly, what should i do about it?
Jeff Plumb Answered 11 years ago
Hi Azhar,
As the long pimples don't grip the ball, you can't generate your own spin with them. If your opponent serves a no spin serve, you won't be able to play a heavy backspin ball with the long pimples. Also if they play a backspin serve, you won't be able to play a backspin return with the long pimples.
You have a couple of options. You can work on getting your return lower and deeper to the corners to make it harder for your opponent even if you aren't playing a heavy backspin ball. You can also twiddle the bat and use the normal rubber which will allow you to generate your own spin. Lastly as you are playing the modern chopper style, you might consider attacking this ball with your forehand.
Let me know if this answers your question.
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azhar bhabha Posted 11 years ago
sorry im being so late in replying, the answer was perfect. your replies to questions on defence have generally been nicely detailed and elaborate. my training partners have now started to tire me out by playing one topspin and one drop alternately. even though it is predictable n i know they are following the same pattern everytime i find myself pretty helpless. can i use this against them in any way ?
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 11 years ago
Hi Azhar,
Try to keep the ball deep on their side on the chop. Then it will be difficult for them to keep the ball short on the drop shot. So when they make the drop shot ball you will know that it will be long and you will be able to come in and make a topspin attack. You don't have to do it on the first ball but wait for the right one to attack. This will make it more difficult for them to adjust.
Duncan Wraight Posted 11 years ago
It's also worth noting that different long pimple rubbers have different attributes, similar to inverted rubbers.
For instance, STIGA Destroyer has more of a disruptive (heavier) reversal effect than TSP Curl P1-R, but TSP Curl P1-R has more reversal than Butterfly Feint III Long. The latter, however, can almost generate its own topspin with a brushed loop shot. These effects also differ depending on the sponge thickness too - thicker sponge makes long pimples easier to control, but lessens the reversal effect.
The reason I mention it is because certain long pimples CAN generate reasonable amounts of backspin on a push, even against backspin. TSP Curl P1-R for instance, which is one of the two main long pimple rubbers used by the world's best defensive player Joo Saehyuk, can generate its own backspin if you really "dig" into the ball (a lot of elbow action; almost like an on-the-table chop).
Personally, I have moved to short pimples which have no reversal effect but allow you to generate near-inverted levels of backspin on pushes.
If attacking players are reading this post, there's a really keen point to make here - learning to read the ball by keeping your eye on it is the best way to play against pimples. You can take general rules like "serve no spin, get nothing back" and "serve backspin and get topspin to attack" but you'll win more points if you pay attention to the way the ball is moving and spinning.
Ji-Soo Woo Posted 11 years ago
Completely agree about different characteristics of LPs. Currently I am using TSP Curl P-H, and one of its selling points is that it's the best LP for pushing with backspin, even if the opponent hits the ball at you with no spin or backspin.
azhar bhabha Posted 11 years ago
joo se hyuk has changed from tsp p1r curl to tibhar dtecs grass. have you heard of it ? it seems that it has attributes of an inverted rubber as well in addition to the general spin reversal of a normal long pimple...
Ji-Soo Woo Posted 11 years ago
Apparently Joo uses TSP Curl p1r sometimes and Tibhar Grass Dtecs sometimes. I have never heard Grass Dtecs has properties of an inverted rubber. I've heard it is very fast. TSP Curl p1r is supposed to have the best deception and variation on your chops but is very hard to master. I plan to eventually change to Dtecs once I feel I have good control with my LP.