Playing Penhold double pimples
Match Strategy
Jasper Low Asked 2 years ago
Hi Alois, I happen to notice that there's a guy in my club who plays with a Chinese penhold racket but plays like traditional penhold. One side is long pimples ox and the other side is short pimples. The hard part is that this guy can twiddle anytime in the rally and he is good at using both pimple rubbers on forehand and backhand. How would you approach this kind of player and how to approach a style you've never seen before in general?
Alois Rosario Answered 2 years ago
Hi Jasper,
Sounds like an awkward customer. I would think about playing wide to their forehand side. They tend to be able to twiddle and do more on the backhand side but can't attack fast with either side on their forehand. Then force them into their backhand side when they are spread wide.
Thoughts on this question
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Jasper Low Posted 2 years ago
What's the weirdest style you have seen throughout your decades of experience?
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 2 years ago
There are a lot of challenging styles. Penhold chopper maybe…
D K Posted 2 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c66auvvEOx0
Tell us about weird styles
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 2 years ago
Carl Prean did have a different style and troubled a lot of very good players.
D K Posted 2 years ago
But surely his style was really weird.
And this is the weirdest style I have encountered :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZKbTjSbBjE
The blackwhite player :D
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 2 years ago
I write like the style. Something different and awkward to deal with.
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 2 years ago
*quite
Kenneth Tham Posted 2 years ago
Is the player using hardbat or antispin rubber? What prevents the opponent from playing fast attacking topspins that are harder to return?
D K Posted 2 years ago
The player I showed?
He uses OX LongPips from Palio. But do not underestimate him,this player is very proficient with hardbat,regularly trainign with hardbat and also attending higher level hardbat tournaments. He is also skilled with "blue bat" pingpong.
Kenneth Tham Posted 2 years ago
That's interesting. What is "blue bat" pingpong?
D K Posted 2 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2f9eDg8WHo
It is an alternate version of table tennis,played with slightly different rules,and most notably,all players must (by rule) play with the exactly same bat.
It used to be covered by blue sandpaper-like surface instead of rubber (that is why "blue bat pingpong"). Nowadays the surface is often grey or black.
These bats do not have spin,but are quite fast in comparison to hardbats.
Kenneth Tham Posted 2 years ago
It is interesting to watch. For the sandpaper ping pong, looks like the play is just slightly slower but similar to modern table tennis?
For hardbat, with the short pimples, it looks like there are more blocking styles of play?
D K Posted 2 years ago
Hardbat is rather hitting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkzuN9UyBG4
Sandpaper pingpong is something in between. The bat behavior is similar enough to normal table tennis to resemble it stroke-wise,but it is a game with lack of spin similar to hardbat.
Kenneth Tham Posted 2 years ago
I tried looking for sandpaper bat to try but was not able to find any online. Do you know where we could purchase them? Are there official bats approved for tournaments?
Kenneth Tham Posted 2 years ago
Found this link for sandpaper bat: https://sanweisport.com/english/product/bats/sandpaper-bat/
Will we need to change the sandpaper on the bat after a while? Will the balls be worn out playing them on the sandpaper surface?
D K Posted 2 years ago
Yes,there are standardized bats for sandpaper pingpong. originally they came from Dunlop,then from Carlton and Sanwei,just as the one you found.
I do not know what is the durability of the sandpaper,but I guess it cannot be easily removed and the entire bat has to be replaced. But being half price of a single normal rubber,it is not too much an issue. However,the balls are destroyed really quickly with these bats,logically,as sandpaper is a thing originally developed to brush surfaces down.
Kenneth Tham Posted 2 years ago
I see, then may need to replace balls more frequently when playing with sandpaper bats. Thanks for the information!