Looking for short pimples for BH recommendations

[h3llary]

Hello everyone! I'm currently playing with Yinhe V14 Pro MX-S + Rakza 7. I'm looking to replace my rakza 7 with short pips as I want to have a more lightweight setup, less spin sensitivity, better blocking and better flat hitting (I rarely ever use BH topspin stoke so topspin capabilities of SP don't really bother me). What I look in for a short pimple passive/active block possibilities as I struggle with blocking slow, spinny topspin close to table due to reactive nature of Rakza 7 my blocks often times go out of the table. I considered uranus poly but don't know if they fit these criterias. I also don't know which sponge to choose since there are so many options and I don't understand what they affect.

So My BH strokes look like this (from most to least used): passive/active blocks, pushes over the table, flat hits/smashes, chops, topspins (rarely ever)

Thank you!

 

[Mionixxd]

Nittaku moristo sp is a great short pips backhand rubbers, I don't use short pips but my coaches do and they absolutely love it.

 

[h3llary]

Nittaku moristo sp is a great short pips backhand rubbers, I don't use short pips but my coaches do and they absolutely love it.

I've heard they are very spinny though, can you confirm this?

 

[DukeGaGa]

Tsp/Victas has some really good ones.

 

[lodro]

friendship 729 make good one if you want to save a bit of cash

 

[Scarfed Garchomp]

Look at 1.5 to 1.8 sponge

Victas Spectol S1, RITC 802 for a control style

Yinhe Pluto, Nittaku Express for a bit of funk/deadball action

Moristo SP, Victas VO>102 for rubbers that play more like smooth than the previously listed

 

[Mionixxd]

I've heard they are very spinny though, can you confirm this?

Yes I can, it is a spinny short pips rubber.

 

[Comodoensis]

From personal experience EJing around short pips with yinhe blades (v14 pro/pro 01), perhaps :

1. Spinlord degu. Soft sponge, good spin generation, yet not too sensitive towards incoming spin.

2. Spinlord waran. A bit harder than degu (still soft though. More solid feeling during active strokes), still good spin generation (tad lower than degu), but significantly faster than degu

3. Nittaku moristo SP. Prominent ESN/tensor feel, so-so spin generation. Typical classic japanese short pips on steroids, very speed-oriented. Anything goes boom once one starts hitting with it. Be ready to send knuckleballs with this one. Feels harder than waran by a slight margin

4. Nittaku moristo SP AX. Contrary to its predecessor, SP AX feels like 802-40/spinpips on steroids (yes, it's ESN-made), very spin-oriented. Feels hardest, but not in an uncomfortable way, perhaps can be said, solid.

Regarding thickness, it depends :

Thicker sponge (2.0mm - max) makes easier transition from inverted, thus more stable in strokes. More spin and speed can be generated. For optimum result, one may optimize the playstyle through outpowering opponent i.e. punch blocks, drives, smashes, flat hits), or spin variations i.e. 'fake' loop/topspin, sometimes spinny, sometimes not so spinny; or sometimes simply drive the ball when the ball bounces higher than the net. The only downside, minimum passive deception/disruption.

Thinner sponge (1.8mm - any thinnest options available) requires drastic adjustment (blade angle, type of strokes regarding types of incoming balls, etc). Less spin generation, resulting in what people call deception, disruption, funkballs, dead ball, etc. Speed depends on blade's capability, which may affect control, since the ball is easier to 'hit' the blade, rather than 'cushioned' on the sponge, resulting flatter trajectory the thinner the sponge is, or simply said, lower margin of error if compared with thicker sponge (this I must emphasize, since you're using pretty fast blade such as v14 pro)

Rule of thumb for short pips backhand :

1. Choosing hardness, make sure to choose the 'right' hardness. Not easily compressed when blocking heavy/fast topspin balls, but one can easily compress it when doing hits/drives

2. Choosing thickness, the more active one's stroke is, thicker sponge is preferable, and vice versa

P.S. : mileage may varies. Every pips user have their personal preference, especially blade-pips combination. And also, if one is looking for lighweight pips, do consider degu and waran.

 

[Gekko]

The above is a fantastic breakdown of moving to SP.
It's taken me at least 6 months to say I've regained my BH SP technique and improved upon it.

If you want a good starting option. Victas Spectol range is particularly stable without any standout attributes. S1 is a rite of passage, S3 is slightly faster, and S2 sends rockets.

Use this rubber to discover the style and figure out what it can and can't do.

Then you're ready to EJ your way to your own SP experience
Some might want more sink, and some will want more speed. Depends on how you're winning points and where you place your balance scale.