Backhand short pips hitters: A simple yet dominating playstyle?

[TenPercentWinRate]

From my first impressions of short pips in training, I found that with some conscious effort to open my racket face loosely, every ball that bounces above the net allows me to punch and send my opponent into oblivion. Doesn’t matter if it’s backspin or topspin.

In all honesty I can’t find any weakness from hitting (or just aggressively push when it’s too low) the ball. How do you counter these players? Or do you crash out when you see them?

 

[belllfador]

I stopped using SP on BH after some semipro destroyed me with fast and spiny services. I was unable to overcome the incoming spin with a push or loop. Only loose grip and adjusting of blade angle helped. But predicting incoming spin was 50/50... SP has too hard surface that makes them direct and dangerous in attack, but is weakness in service return (in my case). Probably the solution will be soft sponge and thinner/softer pips. The pips that I dropped from service are DMS Spinfire 1.8 and Degu 2 1.8.

 

[Ultravisitor]

Serve long and low backspin to the pips. Most will push it back, because its low. The resulting push is of low quality and you can easily loop it to the wide forehand.
If someone is good at placing to the white line, sp hitters are a lot less dangerous

 

[Matteones]

I am happy when I find an opponent with pimples (medium - long better, I think short are much trickier).
I mix mainly 4 serves: long serves with a lot of backspin and with no-spin to their short pimples, short serves with a lot of backspin or with no-spin to their short/wide forehand. I then proceed to try and close the point with the 3rd or 5th ball (which is admittedly my game anyway).
I am also a lefty, which helps a lot (I have one very high level club mate - paralympian class 11 - who is also a lefty and uses short pimple on backhand who is much more difficult to play for me).
If caught in a rally I loop deep with a lot of topspin into their backhand and then (if the ball comes back) quick switch to their wide forehand.
The trick is always to try and stay on the attack with aggressive short pimple hitters.
I think you should definitely explore this style if you like it and are an aggressive - close to the table player.

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

Spoiler: SP hitter will absolutely dominate:

Long pips push blocker

 

[andymagata]

From my first impressions of short pips in training, I found that with some conscious effort to open my racket face loosely, every ball that bounces above the net allows me to punch and send my opponent into oblivion. Doesn’t matter if it’s backspin or topspin.

In all honesty I can’t find any weakness from hitting (or just aggressively push when it’s too low) the ball. How do you counter these players? Or do you crash out when you see them?

Can we play like this with inverted rubbers also? This is the reason I am using smooth rubber with thin sponge on my bh, and I am exploring how high these balls need to be for me to clear the net and land them before the end line of the table. I think that on lower level play, punching and smashing everything is viable regardless of which rubbers we use?

 

[d3nium]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but i've been thinking about going to SPs on my backhand for a while now because i love flat hitting & punching on my BH rather than looping. What would be a good SP rubber to accomplish this?

 

[Ultravisitor]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but i've been thinking about going to SPs on my backhand for a while now because i love flat hitting & punching on my BH rather than looping. What would be a good SP rubber to accomplish this?

If you're on a budget friendship 802 and 802-40 are common recommendations, but are relatively slow/low catapult.
Spinlord Waran or Yinhe Uranus pro are more tensorish with softer sponges and more catapult, yet not too fast

 

[Lula]

Good players counter loop hard on opening loop.

 

[belllfador]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but i've been thinking about going to SPs on my backhand for a while now because i love flat hitting & punching on my BH rather than looping. What would be a good SP rubber to accomplish this?

SP plays better on stiff blades. Did you have any other than Acoustic?

 

[TenPercentWinRate]

SP plays better on stiff blades. Did you have any other than Acoustic?

I think a stiffer blade isn’t necessary. You have to control SP well before you think about adding more speed. Acoustic, although usually for inverted loopers, should still do pretty well for starters.

I found this post on OOAK to be pretty inspirational:

Verifying…

 

[d3nium]

SP plays better on stiff blades. Did you have any other than Acoustic?

Yeah I've got a Fextra 7, Innerforce ALC & Hugo HAL

 

[TenPercentWinRate]

Yeah I've got a Fextra 7, Innerforce ALC & Hugo HAL

Go for the Fextra 7.

 

[belllfador]

I think a stiffer blade isn’t necessary. You have to control SP well before you think about adding more speed. Acoustic, although usually for inverted loopers, should still do pretty well for starters.

I found this post on OOAK to be pretty inspirational:

Verifying…

I don't point to a faster blade, just stiffer. Such blade will also help with flat hitting accuracy.

Yeah I've got a Fextra 7, Innerforce ALC & Hugo HAL

Don't have personal expirience with any of them, but will guess that Innerforce ALC is the stiffest.

 

[MOG]

Yeah I've got a Fextra 7, Innerforce ALC & Hugo HAL

short pips will be awesome on fextra if your fh can cope with it!

I am currently using IF ALC with Waran 2 and that is an excellent combination!

 

[jkugin]

https://blog.tabletennis11.com/what-blades-should-short-pips-players-use

Here, on the contrary, a person recommends Nitakku Acoustic for short pips

 

[andymagata]

After some experimenting with short pips, I agree with YouTuber Table Tennis Philosophy. Short pips on bh is for short players. That looks to be viable both for amateur and professional scene. It is very hard to go down low enough for us slightly taller and stiffer guys on bh. Fh is a totally different experience. It is easy to do plane take off stroke with an open blade. Use the thumb correctly and it is an easy way of playing.

 

[d3nium]

My short pips are on the way from Ali Express.

I've ordered these, dunno if they're any good? But can't argue for £13.

Gonna glue them on to my Fextra when they arrive.

 

[ajtatosmano2]

Against other sp players for me the biggest trap is to overthink the incoming shots. If I treat them as an inverted rubber, I can automatically land my shots.
For short pips to be really effective you have to hit fast, like Mima Ito. There is a girl in our club who was playing regular topspins and blocks with her shortpips, but after changing her style to be more aggressive she got into womens top 10 in hungary, within a year. Now those hits, are a nightmare. I've had a couple of training sessions with her which helped me to go BH to BH against it, but she is a much stronger player anyway, so it didn't really matter in matches.

 

[Topspinslinger]

Absolutely love SP players, it can be tricky but in general increasing spin on the ball is VERY effective. Sadly very few national top in netherlands that play with Active SP but two defenders do!