Recommendation for medium pips rubber or a setup

[pingpongforlife]

Background Information:

I consider myself as an upper beginner or lower intermediate (don't know what is the USATT for USA readers but it's 1200 German TTR) who majorly plays in tournaments (especially swiss system). Initially, I was an offensive player with both wings. I always try to initiate attack however, after playing for a while, I didn't enjoy pure offense as a style for me (both wings being interved). So, I switched to long pips (half long --> using friendship 755) to make play style as modern defense. However, my main strength is taking the ball off the bounce or at the highest point for a counter attack is gone while trying to play defense.

So, my current idea is to attack with medium pips (like punching through backspin or quick counterattack my opponents weak topspin or block to corners if it's faster. Occasionally chop as an emergency to survive the point. However, with the rubber I have, it's quite difficult to find the right angle to hit through backspin or top spins even though occasionally they land like with 30% consistency. (Most of the time they fly out or hit the net ) As far as I know it's a skill issue which needs to be learned with proper technique and become consistent. However, I m looking a rubber that is specifically designed for such kind of game. Shortly, offensive medium pips that has decent disruptive effects.

Any suggestions regarding the medium pips rubber is welcome.

Current Blade: Stiga Cybershape Wood CWT (9 gram weight)

Forehand Rubber: Sun flex Sun control (Max Thickness) - started with DNA platinum H switched to this so I can twiddle and attack with inverted backhand. Probably will change to the nittaku fastarc G1, at some point.

Backhand: Friendship RITC 755 (1.0 mm organe sponge)

Any blade suggestions are also welcome since Cybershape Wood is a bit faster at least on backhand.

Thanks a lot in advance.

 

[Draycott old man]

My Blade is a Dr N Matador which is amazing with Pips or Anti , I'm using Dr N Aggressor Pro 1.5 mm I'm so happy with these Medium Pips as they are amazing to attack with and can produce a float or slight backspin or even slight topspin!! I believe this rubber is a brilliant all round rubber that will course your opponent's a lot of problems!!! Also an amazing rubber for returning serves !!!

 

[pingpongforlife]

My Blade is a Dr N Matador which is amazing with Pips or Anti , I'm using Dr N Aggressor Pro 1.5 mm I'm so happy with these Medium Pips as they are amazing to attack with and can produce a float or slight backspin or even slight topspin!! I believe this rubber is a brilliant all round rubber that will course your opponent's a lot of problems!!! Also an amazing rubber for returning serves !!!

Did you try some other ones before hanging to Dr. N Aggressor pro? Like spinlord keiler or flashback (for ex)? If so, what made you stick with Aggressor?. Can you attack serves with your medium pips? Especially to the far backhand?

 

[Draycott old man]

I have Stuck with the Aggressor Pro as it' seems to give my opponents the most trouble when you attack with it!! Plus plus it produces a slow ball when blocking your opponent's shots. Yes you can attack serves and also return very spinny service just by playing with soft hands. All my opponents comment on how hard it is to play against!!

 

[PoorPingPong&PianoPlayer]

Just a little warning. I'm at similar level like you and I believe that medium pips are a trap for us. I've tried a few LP/MP/SP rubbers. MP play similarly to SP, but they're slower and less spinny, i.e. less dangerous than LP or SP. I understood that MP need an advanced level of technique and strategy. Simple allround play without any clear and active game plan is not enough. I tried that 563-1 (2.0mm) and found out it's not for me. No speed, no spin, no wobbling effect, no problem for the opponent. In the future I would like to try DMS Flashback, Sauer & Tröger Hipster or that already mentioned Aggressor Pro, they got my attention for different reasons. But for now I concluded that my strategic and playing skills are not sufficient yet.

You're looking for decent disruptive effects. It's known that LP OX give the biggest disruption effect and any sponge version significantly decreases it. Any SP or MP with 2.0mm means not any meaningful disruption or wobbling, I'm afraid. So, at your level I would probably recommend you to stay with LP and try to increase your skills first and just upgrade your BH rubber. I have a good experience with Sternenfall Pro OX on Defplay Senso (with T05 on FH), it's easy to hit through backspin, playing characteristics are very unpleasant for the opponent, and chopping from the distance is easy, too. No worry if you haven't played any OX before.

Or you could try Kamikaze Long Green Grass Edition if placement and flying out is your main issue. It has some dampening effect, blocking is really great. Easy playable, too. Chopping from the distance is a pleasure. It's not so unpleasant and aggresive like Sternenfall Pro, flat hitting is more challenging, but is very safe. Sometimes I'm very late, ending in an artistic position back to the table, and still able to return the ball properly. No other rubber can do it for me. That's my current slowest setup Defplay Classic Senso/Kamikaze Grass Edition OX/Degu 2.0mm, it's optimized for my current healthy issues. It's good for twiddling and gives me a flexibility from classic defence to close to the table offence as Degu is good for attacking as well as for defensive FH chopping. In fact I can play and win almost effortlessly with this setup ;-) Hope it helps.

 

[pingpongforlife]

I have Stuck with the Aggressor Pro as it' seems to give my opponents the most trouble when you attack with it!! Plus plus it produces a slow ball when blocking your opponent's shots. Yes you can attack serves and also return very spinny service just by playing with soft hands. All my opponents comment on how hard it is to play against!!

Thank you for the help

 

[pingpongforlife]

Just a little warning. I'm at similar level like you and I believe that medium pips are a trap for us. I've tried a few LP/MP/SP rubbers. MP play similarly to SP, but they're slower and less spinny, i.e. less dangerous than LP or SP. I understood that MP need an advanced level of technique and strategy. Simple allround play without any clear and active game plan is not enough. I tried that 563-1 (2.0mm) and found out it's not for me. No speed, no spin, no wobbling effect, no problem for the opponent. In the future I would like to try DMS Flashback, Sauer & Tröger Hipster or that already mentioned Aggressor Pro, they got my attention for different reasons. But for now I concluded that my strategic and playing skills are not sufficient yet.

You're looking for decent disruptive effects. It's known that LP OX give the biggest disruption effect and any sponge version significantly decreases it. Any SP or MP with 2.0mm means not any meaningful disruption or wobbling, I'm afraid. So, at your level I would probably recommend you to stay with LP and try to increase your skills first and just upgrade your BH rubber. I have a good experience with Sternenfall Pro OX on Defplay Senso (with T05 on FH), it's easy to hit through backspin, playing characteristics are very unpleasant for the opponent, and chopping from the distance is easy, too. No worry if you haven't played any OX before.

Or you could try Kamikaze Long Green Grass Edition if placement and flying out is your main issue. It has some dampening effect, blocking is really great. Easy playable, too. Chopping from the distance is a pleasure. It's not so unpleasant and aggresive like Sternenfall Pro, flat hitting is more challenging, but is very safe. Sometimes I'm very late, ending in an artistic position back to the table, and still able to return the ball properly. No other rubber can do it for me. That's my current slowest setup Defplay Classic Senso/Kamikaze Grass Edition OX/Degu 2.0mm, it's optimized for my current healthy issues. It's good for twiddling and gives me a flexibility from classic defence to close to the table offence as Degu is good for attacking as well as for defensive FH chopping. In fact I can play and win almost effortlessly with this setup ;-) Hope it helps.

Thank you for the rubber suggestions. I will look into them.

"Simple allround play without any clear and active game plan is not enough"

Yes, you are right, it's not enough.
In my level or one level above me, the ideas against me are quite simple yet effective. After that, I don't know. Serve an empty serve or a less back/top spin serves and attack. Some opponents do attack after serving, some push those empty balls with backspin. If they push to forehand I can attack that, if they attack with soft topspin to forehand- I can attack that too. Some opponents push to backhand that's when I don't know what to do. I can twiddle and attack but I don't want to. Because of that, I have to learn backhand pips hit against backspin. Or the rubber that's capable or forgiving.

It's possible to flat kill those dead balls backhand attack though. That's when a little bit of speed is necessary to put more pressure so I can setup for the forehand attacks.

 

[PoorPingPong&PianoPlayer]

"I can twiddle and attack but I don't want to."

Why? With LP I twiddle mostly in two situations... when we fall into a boring backspin short push rally or when I lift up a ball almost from the ground. Especially that second situation is very unpleasant for my opponent as they can't see my blade.

With SP I twiddle mostly when it goes bad, but I can't recognize why. In these moments I just swap both sides and try to play somehow differently with Rakza Z EH on BH and Spinfire on FH. It helps me. But it's necessary to have some flexible SP rubber, just like Spinfire.


"Any blade suggestions are also welcome since Cybershape Wood is a bit faster at least on backhand."

Matador Texa Carbon, if you're looking for a normal size. Both sides are different, 'slow' Texalium on BH, 'fast' Carbon on FH, optimized for LP.