OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Hi Everyone,

Many players have been advising me recently to switch to short pips on my backhand to enable me to be more aggressive.

I play up to the table and block until I get the opportunity to use my forehand which I hit pretty flat and very hard.

I need a rubber to enable me to block passively and aggressively and will help me to return spin serves. I now want to be able to attack backspin too as a surprise tactic.

Can I have your recommendations please? Killer?

Bulldog.

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

Hi Bulldog. long pips to short pips is a big difference. I know this as I play both and twiddling doesn't come easy. If you want to block, negate spin serves, attack chop you already have the right rubber in dtecs.

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Tango Ultra 2mm black, DMS Storkraft 1.6mm red, DMS Invictus
Well done bat!

I've just done exactly that. I initially went with pimple mini ox as the thin pips meant the angles were similar to dtecs. Now put on 652 1.8, which suits me better. Giving that a try, other things on the list are leggy, diamant, and 563 (all med pips), - I've tried 801.1 which was fine, tornado (too spinny), ultra express (ditto). I'm taking a year out from league play just so that I can do the move without having to win games.

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Yasaka Dynamix 17
Tibhar Q 50
Butterfly Raystorm

You are almost describing medium pips rather than short pips or a grippy long pip like DHS Cloud & Fog 3 which is a very good attacking pip long. I certainly would not spend on Killer until I tried a more classic short pips with a more modest price like Friendship 802 (not 802-40 big difference). Short pips are not for passive blocking-they are for active punch blocking and hitting. Chop blocking is very difficult to impossible even medium pips do not do this nearly as well as long pips nor do they have the funk. Double Happiness Cloud and Fog 3 is like $12-15 usd-but it too is not like Dtecs-much more grippy but capable of adding its own spin. As far as returning spin serves you probably have the best now in Dtecs.

Ian

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Blade: Giant Dragon Kris: FH: Friengship 729 Judo (red) 2.0 BH: Feint Long 3 (black) 1.3
Blade: Alfa Pro : FH: Friendship Judo (red) 2.0 BH TSP Curl P-1r (black) 1.4

Thanks guys,

I am having a very inconsistent season having changed blades and many players are giving me a diet of very short spinless serves to the backhand which I am having to push back with my forehand and which gets me out of position. I am also getting long spinless serves to my backhand which I have difficulty keeping on the table. Tonight I lost to a guy who always gives me trouble with a flat backhand hit.

Something has to give. Perhaps a spinny short pip on the forehand and learn to twiddle?

Bulldog.

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

Long spinless serves to the backhand are the staple of playing against lps. Unless you are careful you will send a high slow non spin ball back for them to hit down the line. IMO your options are to a) learn to hit it parallel b) take a step back and chop it - adding backspin b) drop it short parallel or c) expect the attack to your fh and block the return diagonally. Of course with sp or lp with sponge, this isn't a problem, just hit it where you want it. Twiddling IMO adds complexity and I am a strong believer in keeping it simple - you can get a way with sloppy footwork more on the lp, when you twiddle, you will need to be hitting from the centre of your body. Very few people twiddle successfully.

The new ball makes lps even more vulnerable to this IMO. I curse the day I put LPs on my blade. Every rule change makes them less effective, and it is so hard to go back to other rubbers. If I thought i could cope with it, I'd put inverted on. Unless you are a chopper, my advice to anyone these days is not to go near them.

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Yasaka Dynamix 17
Tibhar Q 50
Butterfly Raystorm

Also some long pips are spinny Feint Long 3 and Curl P-4 put heavy under spin push on long no spin serves, of coure they have sponge. Curl P-1r and DHS Cloud and Fog 3 also do well and there are a good list of others. the more grippy means the more inverted like though, long dead serves are easier but now short spin serves are much more problem- the pips being more reactive.

Short pips are a whole new ball game and even medium pips will require great modification and a change of game. Twiddling might be a good alternative if you can develop some new strokes for your inverted side and maybe even vary the Dtecs some?

Ian

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Blade: Giant Dragon Kris: FH: Friengship 729 Judo (red) 2.0 BH: Feint Long 3 (black) 1.3
Blade: Alfa Pro : FH: Friendship Judo (red) 2.0 BH TSP Curl P-1r (black) 1.4

Dr evil

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Blade Ulmo Duality| FH Tibhar mx-p Black, Dawei 388D-1 red OX
NZ table tennis selector, ask a question
My Blog here..How table tennis objects are made
Table Tennis abbreviations, and acronyms

With sponge or ox?

Bulldog.

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

DTecs 0x can handle that. Setup a robot or get a training buddy, pretend its a light underspin ball and learn to use a mudflap stroke to attack them with your pips to either corner till you can do it consistently. Give them a taste of their own medicine.

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--- Push/Chop or Attack ---
USATT 1684 left, Lost it all by playing sick and hurt.
No legs left, no more backing up, just smash it!
Blade: TTPiet OFF-/ALL custom
FH: Spinlord Waran Short Pips
BH: Joola Badman Reloaded 0X

By that do you mean the stroke where you hold the blade with the the end pointing at the table and sweep through the ball in that position? I call it chicken wing if I do it with my backhand from the forehand side. If so I will start practising it tomorrow night as my friend who is a coach has arranged a practice session.

I might switch back to my Tibhar Stratus Superdefense blade which brought me so much success last season.

Bulldog.

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

I start hitting the ball with the paddle open and as I hit it, the paddle goes from open to closed. The effect is that it lifts the ball higher, then angles it down over the net. The serves are typically too low to just hit, so you need to get it up higher first. If I recall the Dr Neubauer video showed it. Typically its used against underspin balls, but it will also work against nospin if you can get it up a bit higher and get a little topspin on it enough to get it to arc down a bit and land. It needs to be practiced and you need to read the incoming spin for it to work reliably. Obviously, the harder you are able to hit it and still get it to land, the more difficult it will be to return. Don't forget to force them to move to return it, too.

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--- Push/Chop or Attack ---
USATT 1684 left, Lost it all by playing sick and hurt.
No legs left, no more backing up, just smash it!
Blade: TTPiet OFF-/ALL custom
FH: Spinlord Waran Short Pips
BH: Joola Badman Reloaded 0X

Yes. I have the Neubauer DVD so I am sure I know the stroke. Thank you very much for reminding me of the technique.

Bulldog

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

Long practice session tonight. Hit the mudflap shot well in a robot session against backspin. More work needed against no spin balls.

Bulldog.

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

Have you tried a cushioned return? Or a sideswipe? I find both relatively effective against no spin serves.

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My blog: "Learning to play: as a modern defender": http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=22254
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[Other gear I've used]
Blades: Butterfly Defence 3, Butterfly Defence Pro, Butterfly Innerforce ZLC, Butterfly Innershield, DHS Power G7, Stiga Offensive Classic Carbon
SPs: Friendship 802 (1.5), TSP Spectol (1.3, 1.8, 2.1), TSP Spectol Speed (1.3), TSP Super Spinpips Chop Sponge 2 (0.5, 1.3)
LPs: Butterfly Feint Long II (1), Butterfly Feint Long III (0.5, 1.3), Tibhar Grass D.TecS (OX), TSP Curl P1-R (0.5, 1, 1.3), TSP Curl P4 (1.3)