This is the main problem I mentioned with a lot of pips/anti players and why they seem to have a ceiling - they're just lazy and never actually bothered to make their inverted side super strong to create a credible threat.
Absolutely correct. It's funny that when someone with 2x inverted rubbers reaches a ceiling, people comment that it's because that player hasn't put in the time / training / hard work. But when the player is using pimples on one side, it's the pimples' fault! They are holding them back / limiting their level! Not time / training / hard work, but the equipment.
Personally I love it when I face someone with anti or pimple, I just target that side and it's usually pretty easy to win. This is because the anti or pimples are usually covering a massive weakness. It's like a signpost that says 'play here' with a big bullseye. But it's not always the case, and I need to be careful not to assume they are low level and that I'm automatically better than they are.
But I have to be honest here, double inverted players (even pros like in the videos above) also have weaknesses and poor techniques (especially pushing). I think some people in this thread are looking at double inverted players like super humans when in fact they are very fallible and have lots of issues even at the top level. However a lot of people in this thread only choose to see the issues when the player is using pimples.
The biggest problem I see at my local clubs and even in international tournaments is over-specialisation. Players only enjoy looping, so they get good a good kinetic chain and great footwork. They train 4x+ per week and only really train that. Topspin against topspin. This is why they like to serve short topspin so often, to invite a weak flick that they can counter - no need to deal with a pesky boring table game. Their training is focused on making them 0.1% better than their peers at looping, to the detriment of all other skills. So when you introduce even a mid-level chopper or a half-decent pimple player, they are out of their element and can struggle.
I occasionally play the 'top juniors' in my country and they can't even handle a no-spin push, whether it's done with pimples or without. Their coaches train them to handle high weak underspin, popups from serve, weak blocked balls and that's it - hours on end. It's really just a money-making scheme. Just like what you see with a lot of tennis 'coaches' nowadays.
The problem with wanting to ban pips is poor mindset + over-specialisation. Players don't want to train the skills needed (because it's boring) + they put in a lot of effort training the things they like. When they come up against a 'skillless pimples player' they mentally explode after losing a few points. 'How dare someone with no skill and who puts in no effort defeat me? This is so unfair.' It's an entitlement mindset and it comes from a fragile ego.
When you (anyone readying this post, not specifically blahness) communicate the above during a match (vocally or through body language) you are showing your opponent very clearly your mental weakness. And you cant cover it up either - if you have this attitude, a good opponent will pick it up no matter how much you try to hide it. It only takes a few points not going your way, then you delusional reality will implode and you will completely lose self-belief and confidence. Look at Timo Boll - he never treats his opponents with disrespect, as if they are below him. He always treats them as an equal. This isn't just his personality - it's a required attitude for real mental toughness. If pimples are banned then guess what? The same mental self-destruction will occur when you face someone with great serves. 'He only wins because of his serves, has no other skills, it's not fair'. The next step is to ban spinny serves or limit where they can be placed, of course!
Instead realise that 1) Hard work guarantees you nothing. You are not entitled to win anything. You are not a king and the pimples player a peasant. 2) You have no idea how much work the other player puts into their game every week, you just assume it's 0 because they have pimples or because they are 'old'. 3) You think that pimples are a cop-out and easy to use (even though you have never used them yourself). 4) You assume that their technique is 'bad' (even though you have no reference point) and your technique is 'good' (because it superficially resembles 'standard technique'). 5) You over estimate your ability and underestimate the opponents ability. This is the delusional reality that was described above. When you treat your opponent with disrespect like this (and over inflate your ego), and then you lose a few points, your inner and outer critics will rear their ugly heads, then it's pretty much game over.
