sp on forehand

I think that if your problem is footwork it is better to use inverted. Short pimple is not good if you can not move well and hit the ball at the highest point.

If your problem is the loop and to little spin because you flathit instead then short pimple could be an option. And if this is the problem, how have you Tried to correct it?

Try short pimple on your forehand if you think it is funny! Have fun is the most important! And if you have a naturally flathit Maybe short pimple would be the best option for you. But i think you need to practice more compared to using inverted and it Will be a long road before you become safe with the pimples But it can be effective and work good.

Maybe you can try rakza po. I think it is important that the short pimples have grip ans that the sponge is soft. The sponge is good on rakza, not sure about the grip.

I've only tried SP for a total of approx 20h but my (extremely limited) experience is that it's tricky to use them. You will need to time the shot very exactly or you will hit a lot of balls in the net. More modern SP rubbers like Rakza PO are easier to use for a player that's used to inverted compared to traditional SP rubbers like 729 802-40. Executing drives and loops with Rakza PO is quite easy but I don't get the point of this rubber as it behaves like inverted quite a lot and is spin sensitive.

Spinlord 2709 said:

Thanks for you answer Lula! My main problem is that when I start the topspin stroke from low to high, when I contact the ball, I think I'm pushing my hand forwards instead of continue brushing. And I can't stop that, I keep doing it every single time even though I know it's wrong.
My footwork, on the other hand, isn't that good, but it is getting better and better.
And I can't deal so easily with short backspin serves on FH, I often use my BH there, but I don't think a sp will help me with that, it's a matter of pracise I guess.

In terms of block and smash, using sp is the same as using inverted rubbers or it is quite different? I wouldn't like to throw away easy shots(OK, I will adjust, but till then I may struggle, that's why I am asking)

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Yepp, if you do it like that you will not get much spin since you take away the possibility to use forearm. Try thininkg like how would i throw away the racket as far as possible? then you would use the forearm, and not try to push it forward. You can also imagine golf swing or a discus throw.

Try to film yourself so you really see how you do. Try doing alot of shadow training, maybe in front of a mirror and see how it looks. I think many times it is to difficult to change something with the ball.

Why can you not use forehand for backspin serves? if you do not try to use forehand you will never learn.

With short pimple there are less grip compared to inverted so the ball will slip a little on the racket. this will cause the ball to go more down. so when you smash you will get almost nospin, backspin. When you smash you need to have an open racket angle and have short contact with the ball. It is also important to hit at the highest point And when you block you need to block more upwards or be more active and almost do a minismash. Personally i think it is easier to block with inverted since you get more help. It will be easier to return serves so it can help for your return issues.

I think that you should try to work on your forehandloop for a while and see how good you can become. Maybe you are great at forehandloop but you did not give it a chance. In either case if you use pips or inverted you need to use the forearm more and not push the ball forward, so you need to change that in either case i think.

Then if you feel that the forehandloop do not get better or not as good as you want you can try short pimples and see what you think. You need to try it for a long time and it need to be fast enough so can hit otherwise you do not get it a fair chance. so fast pimples, with thickes sponge possible and on a pretty fast stiff blade. I worked on my forehand loop for like everyday for years but then after like 7-8 years of playing i changed to short pimples because i did not think it was fun to loop anymore since i did not saw any progress, or atleast not the progess that i wanted.

You will definely have a harder time with the short pimple on the forehand in the beginning, or atlest i think so. It is important to really go for it and smash to get a good result. You can not do something half hearted that is easier with inverted. Easier to get the ball over the net if you do another shot with inverted. You also need to come correct to the ball so you can hit on the highest point. I think you will miss really much in the beginning since it is much timing and hard to hit the ball at the highest point. Difficult to know how to practice in the beginning, if you should go for it and miss alot or if you can do the correct stroke slow and then just do it faster later. I do not know really.

But try short pimple and see what you think. Good luck!

Spinlord 2709 said:

So if rakza po is not so spin insesitive and is more like an inverted rubber, wouldn't it just cause problems to me? I guess I could not create spin, but not play flat shots either, cause of the opponent's spin. If I'm wrong correct me please.

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It is still a big difference from an inverted. All short pimple have less grip and are therefore less spinsensitive compared to inverted. A short pimple with no grip and that is rockhard will be very difficult to play with, atleast in the beginning. More grip makes it easier if you come wrong to the ball since it is easier to lift and a softer sponge is always easier to play with since you get more help.

The biggest difference in technique in my opinion is that you have an open racket angle, tro to flathit instead of brush the ball and try to have a short fast explosive stroke, you want to stop the stroke after hitting the ball.

Try looking at short pimple players like Falck, Jonathan Thimon, Anton Andersson, Gouliang, wang zeng yi, johnny huang and more.

I also play with short pimple on the forehand, but i think it may be better to watch the players above. But i do think my stroke is okay, and you might see the different compared to inverted. I think i sometimes take the ball a little to early so i do not get the power i can get. I also think that i need to move the legs more so i can hit all the time. when i lift the ball and not hit it i feel that i have come wrong to the ball and have no option than lifting it, otherwise it will be a chance. Maybe i can use the forearm even more, sometimes it almost looks like a little like i am pushing the ball forward. Too bad the sound is off. Enjoy haha

Great consistency Mr. It's clear you've not missed many practice sessions

Lula said:

It is still a big difference from an inverted. All short pimple have less grip and are therefore less spinsensitive compared to inverted. A short pimple with no grip and that is rockhard will be very difficult to play with, atleast in the beginning. More grip makes it easier if you come wrong to the ball since it is easier to lift and a softer sponge is always easier to play with since you get more help.

The biggest difference in technique in my opinion is that you have an open racket angle, tro to flathit instead of brush the ball and try to have a short fast explosive stroke, you want to stop the stroke after hitting the ball.

Try looking at short pimple players like Falck, Jonathan Thimon, Anton Andersson, Gouliang, wang zeng yi, johnny huang and more.

I also play with short pimple on the forehand, but i think it may be better to watch the players above. But i do think my stroke is okay, and you might see the different compared to inverted. I think i sometimes take the ball a little to early so i do not get the power i can get. I also think that i need to move the legs more so i can hit all the time. when i lift the ball and not hit it i feel that i have come wrong to the ball and have no option than lifting it, otherwise it will be a chance. Maybe i can use the forearm even more, sometimes it almost looks like a little like i am pushing the ball forward. Too bad the sound is off. Enjoy haha

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Haha, thanks i do my best! but i do not practice so much anymore. I do think one of the biggest secrets of tabletennis is to try to move the legs and not the arm so you only have to practice one stroke and then try to do the same stroke over and over again. When you miss something have gone wrong, something is different. I think that is why players that played alot before and have not played much for years can go down and do not miss a loop at warm up and easy exercises. I always think this is very impressive and it is proably because they were so good at doing one kind of a stroke i think.

Yes the same motion over and over. You look like a tall guy (and I'm not), did you have to put extra focus and practice in covering your "bigger middle" since opponents will try to hit there? Out on the wings I guess you aren't very vulnerable.

Lula said:

Haha, thanks i do my best! but i do not practice so much anymore. I do think one of the biggest secrets of tabletennis is to try to move the legs and not the arm so you only have to practice one stroke and then try to do the same stroke over and over again. When you miss something have gone wrong, something is different. I think that is why players that played alot before and have not played much for years can go down and do not miss a loop at warm up and easy exercises. I always think this is very impressive and it is proably because they were so good at doing one kind of a stroke i think.

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Spinlord 2709 said:

Are you using rakza po there? I think I'll give it a try and see how it goes.
A last question I guess, with sp is it more difficult to deal with backspin than it is with inverted? I mean mostly out of the table, where you would normally topspin. That's what I think, but that's all in my mind, I need someone experienced to answer.

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Against backspin you do not get as much spin, but if you keep the ball low and with good placement it is okay. But it is proably the worse shot for short pimple players. Short pimple is in my opinion to slow to use far away from the table and then you can not smash since the ball is to low. So if you want to use pimples you need to stay close to the table. If i am forced really far back i often twiddle and loop with the inverted.

I am using haifu dolphin here. I think Rakza po is better to start with. Haifu is almost to hard if you do not boost it alot. I am thinking about trying something softer, much easier to play with.

RidTheKid said:

Yes the same motion over and over. You look like a tall guy (and I'm not), did you have to put extra focus and practice in covering your "bigger middle" since opponents will try to hit there? Out on the wings I guess you aren't very vulnerable.

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Yes, i am somewhat tall. Me and Falck are to tall to use short pimple on the forehand aswell according to the chinese. You are proably correct, i will reach balls in the corners well but need to move alot if they play it in the middle. I am even more vulnerable there since i do not play forehand so much from the backhand corner, or atleast not like a forehand player.

I have never focused on practicing it more than everything else. My playing style used to be alot of blocking and counterattacking so i focused on training the things i used the most in a match. I can imagine since i play pretty fast, close to the table and are rather good at placement it will be harder for the opponent to place the ball hard and with good placement in the pocket.

Lula said:

Against backspin you do not get as much spin, but if you keep the ball low and with good placement it is okay. But it is proably the worse shot for short pimple players. Short pimple is in my opinion to slow to use far away from the table and then you can not smash since the ball is to low. So if you want to use pimples you need to stay close to the table. If i am forced really far back i often twiddle and loop with the inverted.

I am using haifu dolphin here. I think Rakza po is better to start with. Haifu is almost to hard if you do not boost it alot. I am thinking about trying something softer, much easier to play with.

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Interesting. How do you normally deal with a long low aggressive push/chop wide into the forehand corner? Do you push it back or do you take a step back and twiddle?

mart1nandersson said:

Interesting. How do you normally deal with a long low aggressive push/chop wide into the forehand corner? Do you push it back or do you take a step back and twiddle?

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I never push it back, i always try to loop it with the short pimple rubber. But i try to avoid getting this shot against me, it is much better i think if the push to my backhand where i can open with more spin or if i can try to get more nospin or topspin against me so i maybe can hit the ball right away. I serve more sidetop, nospin and alot of long serves so i do not need to open against backspin. I base my game around alot of aggressive blocking and counterattack so i like to serve long so they can loop or sidetop so they flip. But the serve needs to be really fast so they can not loop to hard. I think my game look more like He zhi wens compared to Mattias Falck. My opening loop is not my best shot so try avoid to serve to much short with backspin so they push long.

I think you misunderstood me. I only twiddle and loop with the inverted if i am forced back and are far away from the table. The short pimple is to slow to play so far away from the table.

Nittaku Moristo SP is quite popular (and used by pros like Mima Ito). There's a new version called Moristo SP AX which is supposed to be faster.

As long as the short pimple rubber is pretty soft and have grip i think it will work out fine!