Short pimples sponge hardness

[James Livesey]

So I have a fairly good understanding of sponge hardness in regards to inverted rubber, but not for short pimples. I've seen things saying hard is slow and soft is faster, but in what circumstances? (Block, touch, counter drive, smash, topspin etc). In short, when does a softer sponge perform better, and when does a harder sponge, and how do they work with topsheets (spinny Vs classic)? Do you think it better to learn with a softer sponge or harder sponge?

 

[Lula]

Are mostly softer short pimple rubbers out There. Think you should Try a softer rubber with good grip. Easier if the rubber is not rockhard because you get help from the softer sponge.

 

[James Livesey]

What kind of help? More spin? Speed? Control? And for what shots?

 

[lasta]

A bit oversimplified, but generally softer ESN pips are bouncier ie block, touch, and some topspins are faster. When smashing or driving hard, I don't think rubbers make much difference (they all bottom out). On some medium effort shots, soft pips can feel a bit "mushy", but you will get used to it. Harder ones are more linear and feel cleaner on most strokes.

I think sponge hardness is not a good gauge, topsheet makes a bigger difference in feel. Ie a very hard topsheet on a soft sponge will feel much harder and more direct than a softish topsheet on a medium/hard sponge. As an example, the Palio Flying Dragon has a harder topsheet than Dolphin (which is probably the hardest pips overall you can get) but much softer sponge, in play, it feels every bit as hard.

If you are just starting, Lula is right about soft pips with good grip (Victas 102, Blowfish, Moristo SpAx etc). But be careful about matching it with your forehand rubber. Very soft pips with H3 for example would feel a bit unbalanced in the beginning.

 

[James Livesey]

This is interesting. I'm playing sp FH penhold, so balance isn't particularly an issue. I've ordered some softer pimples (was using 40 degree 802 40, moving to TSP spinpips). It seems that sponge hardness plays more of a role in spin generation for short pimples than inverted, and also I suspect that short pimples can operate more efficiently ie faster with softer sponges due to there being a flat rubber surface directly against the sponge as opposed to the pimples into the sponge with an inverted rubber. I've never heard of SP bottoming out at all regardless of hardness, and this kinda makes sense for this reason (pressure is more evenly distributed into the sponge). I found a really good post about topsheets, mostly in regard to alignment and geometry, but ultimately the takeaway was that horizontal conical was best for spin, and vertical cylindrical was best for speed hitting, which is kinda the generally accepted rule anyway.