The Dark Side of Table Tennis | AntiSpin

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My 1k sub special video, a compilation of dirty blocks made with frictionless antispin! (90% of them have been made before the plastic ball era, nowdays achieving that spinreversal is impossible)
 
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ZFT

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You have great touch !

Interested to know what goes through your mental checklist to set yourself up to play these short blocks?

Thumb or index pressure?
Middle or tip of racket?
Stable or downward chop block motion?
Weight neutral or pulling back slightly?
 

NDH

says Spin to win!

I have mixed emotions on anti spin! 😂

Do I like watching it? Yes and no...... Once you've seen one shot, it feels like you've seen them all (certainly in a compilation like this), but it's good to see the longer rallies where people have to really think about what is happening.

At a "non pro" level, I find anti spin and any "pimples out" rubbers are "looked down" upon, by anyone who doesn't use them.

That being said, I think the primary reason for this is that a lot of people struggle to deal with that style of play, and look for excuses!

Losing to a player who happens to touch the ball at just the right angle, compared with conventional players who are looping on both wings doesn't feel as good!

Once upon a time, I would have been in the "I hate all rubbers that aren't "normal", camp", but I have come to appreciate their place! 😂

I think it's a skill in itself to be able to play that style. I also think it makes it harder for those players to get better and better, because you are often limiting the shot selection on the Forehand or Backhand (whichever side has the pimples/anti spin).

Andrea, love your videos - Great camera angles and it's a good level of play to watch.

Keep fighting the good fight for anti spin! 😂

 
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@Andrea_Aschi If it's not a secret how do you manage to alternate between heavy underspin and top spin returns to same type of opponents loops?
 
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Andrea makes some good short blocks but mostly the video shows people that don't know how to play against anti. You can Andrea's opponents make very good loops with lots of top spin but they under estimate the amount of back spin the ball has when it comes back. Playing against anti requires that you keep track of what kind of ball you hit the the anti in the previous shot. Many, like those in the video, didn't do that or they didn't have the experience of playing against anti. Playing against LP 0X push blockers is almost as bad. If Andrea showed the whole games you would see that it is really Andrea's FH that wins points.
 
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The Dark Side is back for this end of year. 😈
Here is a compilation of all the "best" block played in this 2022.
 
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Extremely boring, even choppers are more fun…

Cheers
L-zr
Yeah but third ball attacks by two winged boosted up loopers is the most fun & best way to attract more spectataors to the sport.
ITTF is doing an amazing job by limiting the capabilities of choppers & limiting access to the sport by veterans & I love it that it is ITTF's highest priority
But ideally I would love to see the ITTF ban all pips & anti completely & make tabletennis a truly homogeneous sport of boosted up loopers to attract even more spectators to the sport. It is not like pips & anti players will go and start their own association or something. They understand rules have to be changed to protect two winged loopers & pips / anti players understand they are athletically & intellectually inferior to two winged loopers

 
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I wouldn't like to see a lot of players like this but honestly ittf has more than enough two winged inverted loopers so there isn't really an issue and having some guys who mix it up is a cool thing.

And sure some matches between loopers are great but there are also a lot of matches with hardly any rallies, every style can produce great matches if you have the right match up
 
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BTW on topic what is the trick with those anti blocks?

It's always opponent loops, anti guy blocks and guy misses into the net. Is the anti returning backspin against loop? And how much control does the anti guy have over that? Can he vary the amount of spin on those blocks?
 
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BTW on topic what is the trick with those anti blocks?
No trick. All is predictable.

It's always opponent loops, anti guy blocks and guy misses into the net. Is the anti returning backspin against loop?
YES! The anti does not change the spin of the ball.

And how much control does the anti guy have over that?
None because the anti is near frictionless and can't change the spin.

Can he vary the amount of spin on those blocks?
Not really. Andrea plays with frictionless and anti and can't change the spin in any significant way. Sometimes Andrea looks like he is chopping the ball but in reality it is just a fake. He can't change the spin in any significant way but if the fake works, he gets a point.

I sometime play with LP 0X or Anti in pushblocker mode.
 
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So essentially with such a rubber you have to ignore the racket motion of the opponent and only consider the spin of the ball you have hit?

I would Assume that is pretty tough against a good player who can twiddle and hit fake loops and fake chops with anti.

Then you definitely have to watch the rubber side and think.
 
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I wouldn't like to see a lot of players like this but honestly ittf has more than enough two winged inverted loopers so there isn't really an issue and having some guys who mix it up is a cool thing.
Yeah but the problem is that the sport is getting more and more infested with dirty playing styles. I understand tabletennis is now fully controlled by two winged loopers & this is good. But if infestation by these dirty styles continues, then ITTF will no longer be able to control them by just changeing rules & regulations.
Eight rule changes have been made to limit choppers & defenders since 1983. But all that has not worked at all since the dirty rubbers are more & more ruining the purity of the sport. I understand the dilemma of ITTF regarding these players going and starting their own association. But I assure you that won't happen. These players have no self respect or self-esteem & they crave to be accepted by two winged loopers as normal players & humans. They will never leave even if all pips & anti are summarily banned.
What we need more third ball attacks & a homegenous society of two winged loopers to bring back the spectators (juniors we lost before the 1998 Aspect Ratio Change)
And sure some matches between loopers are great but there are also a lot of matches with hardly any rallies, every style can produce great matches if you have the right match up
But isn't what most players want is more important than attracting some stupid spectators in a democracy? If these spectators cannot understand the beauty of third ball attacks with boosted rubbers, who needs them. I agree with Lazer. Long rallies "using" choppers are so boring. While I fully applaud ITTF's great efforts to exterminate choppers & defenders (with 8 changes since 1983) that obviouslyis not enough as Lazer correctly points out. That is why I propose the only fair "final solution" which is to ban all pips & anti
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BTW Dominik, how do you say "extreme sarcasm" in German. Did you even notice my signature below ?
 
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How is anti different from 0X LP?
Anti is a social rubber (not anti social ? Pun intended) & no longer really a functional rubber in modern 40+ ONLY plastic ball era.
OX LP are the hardest to learn to use but functionally far superior to anti once you know how to use OX LP
Anti is mostly useless at all levels in modern 40+ ONLY plastic ball era.
OK LP is the only best choice for players upto 2200 level but not very useful for players over 2200
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PS :- Anti is mostly a social rubber (just like weakside short pips) because a player will use it more to mimimize social rejection in the world of two winged loopers rather than for its functional value
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And disclaimer :- I am not totally trshing short pips. In fact theoretically short pips is the best (strong side) rubber for tabletennis but only if you are good enough to be able to use it & even the most pros are not (& they know it). All I am saying is that short pips is the most horrible substitute as a weakside rubber (especiallywhen used in social mode)

 
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I find it most difficult to play against SP actually. With LP it's pretty predictable, but SP sometimes surprises me with how much spin it can generate, while sometimes gives me dead balls.
 
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I find it most difficult to play against SP actually. With LP it's pretty predictable, but SP sometimes surprises me with how much spin it can generate,

I am sorry but you are TOTALLY mistaken , more likely because you do not understand the design & operational mechanics and the chronological order of arrival of long pips & short pips.
Of all 5 rubber types, short pips can "generate" the least amount of spin, even the neo short pips designed to fake long pips behavior as marketing gimmicks
Yes short pips could "generate" more backspin against incoming dead balls but the back spin goes back with just enough backspin for the opponent to loop the crap out of it. Yes maybe Ding Song or Hou Yingchao cannot generate lots of backspin but most amateurs, even high level cannot do that..
Also keep in mind that Hou Yingchao switched because he wanted more attack on backhand but it does not not work against top 20 players. Even the huge advantage he developed with his vicious forehand hook loop has been largely negated by his weakside short pips.
And the most important fact > Even though the pip distribution density reduction (or pip Spacing increase) regulation of 2004 was primarily passed (in addition to other 8 changes since 1983 )to speed up the extermination of choppers (using long pips) , it also did significantly reduce the back spin capabilities of neo short pips as well
You are confusing the higher "speed" of delivery of chop with spin content. High aspect ratio super long pips are not even that slow compared to short pips but the back spin level & looper torture index is astronomical


while sometimes gives me dead balls.

Dead ball returns coming from a long pips are much harder to handle than a return from short pips.
If my opponent pushes & I push using my long pips, I have seen player after 2200 player loop the return long though I have even explained to them this a 100 times. They understand it but in the heat of a rally, one can forget. As a similar example when my opponent sends a hook loop with heavy top & side spin to my deep forehand (or a fade loop with heavy top & side spin to my deep backhand) , I know I should not return cross court but should go down the line if I want a safe return but more often than not I forget & go cross court (as it is normal human tendency because the entire table is to my left) & either put the ball to the bottom of the net or shoot wide out to my opponent's forehand. (There are also times I would send a super spinny hook loop to a clueless opponent & he would send it supr deep & short to my forehand by mistake & totally unreachable for me & he looks like a genius & I lok like an klutzy idiot LOL) .

Always remember .
As far as weakside pips (& back spin & versatility& overall effectiveness) goes
chickens (short pips) can fly a little, doves (medium pips) can fly a little higher and bar-headed geese (LARC long pips) can fly much higher but Ruppell’s vulture (High Aspect Ratio Super Long Pips) can soar the highest

 
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says [IMG]
OMG....again this nonsense about "no self-respect & social acceptance by two wing loopers" @james Z or whatever your name is.
Would be nice if you show the topic starter some respect by actually talk about the topic which is ANTI

@Andrea_Aschi, nice touch on the title of the clip, where you mention: "best" ;)
Because these aren't actually well played blocks at all, and you know it as well :). It's just that your opponent makes mistakes as they don't understand the ANTI rubber. Regardless, your gameplay is decent and you take advantage of the lack of understanding from your opponents.
I watched some clips and @brokenball is right: you make the most points with your FH, which is actually pretty strong.
 
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