Thanks for this interesting video. We have a player in my team who plays with long pips and he is a total nightmare for opponents. He's been doing it for years and has it down to a fine art, chopping and pushing then waiting for his chance to backhand drive the winner. If his opponents watched your video they'd probably have more luck against him lol
Depends on the player using them. If they are covering a bad backhand and you have a solid game plan and keep your cool you will win. But if they are genuinely skilled with the long pimples they can be a real challenge. Long Pimples are the hardest rubbers to masters
Thanks for the video. Having played against long pimples over many years (and still get annoyed when they force an error - lol) I have learned to treat pimples as a handicap for the player using them (bourne from having tried pimples and found how difficult some shots are to play against). 1. Never serve a backspin ball to their pimples, a good player will simply drive/lift that ball straight down the line and due to the lack of topspin and flatness of the shot my return will either go too long or go into the net. 2. Try to place all your shots to their pimples. It gives you confidence the longer the rally goes on and means you don't have to worry about adjustment should a ball be hit with reverse rubber. Ok, a good twiddler can make this difficult. 3. Serve fast topspin into the pimples, expect heavy backspin back and then follow up with a strong loop (Ok, you need a strong loop but that is my game) - you cover this in the video. 4. Minimise the amount of sidespin you place on the ball. Sidespin is also reversed by pimples and the resultant return can be, shall we say, 'disruptive'! 5. Try to float some of your serves / returns, pimples work best when there is a lot of spin on the ball. 6. The alternating topspin then chop routine is how I started to learn the play against pimples and will give those starting out a good focus point. 7. Remember your mindset for the game... Using pimples is a HANDICAP for them! Hope this helps anyone frustrated by pimples...
Thanks Tom, that was helpful. The catch, though, is that playing against long pimples requires even more concentration than it already does. Especially for those who don't have the opportunity to practice playing against pimples.
Great Video, both for learning to beat long pimples as well as teaching long pimple players why variation and turning the racket is very important. Good Job!
So I’m kinda a noob and was wandering does long pimples make more spin then normal rackets when there is little to no topspin (like can it make more backspin in this scenario)I know it’s a noob question
Very practical strategies to play aganist long pips. Since I play with medium pips (similar moderate responses as long pips but with more control and also able to attack as short pips), understanding these approaches will allow me counter-strategies to antiscipate these long pips strategies.
I second The Jayser. Problem playing with LPs is going to resolve after watching your video. I can not forget the finishing shots of the LP players and their smiling face on my wrong return. Thanks
You know ehat's beautiful about Koji Matsushita, the way he was able to fake a chop so that there was no spin in it, other player pushes back but very high and from there it's easy for Koji. Koji was master at that, I'm learning from that footage. Anyway good video on tactics, you should've probably addressed twiddling too, because that's what makes pushing with a defensive paddle so effective
No that is not my case...i myself use TSP spectol(SP) backhand. I struggle in blade angles against incoming loop ,topspins, smash, counter hit and push..hence i need to understand blade angles to defend incoming shot...
I'm getting lots of requests for a short pips video. I will add to my list. I have plans to do some filming with a very good short pips player. Not finalised yet, but if I can make it happen it will be good!
@@TomLodziak that would b very very great!!!! And very very helpful...i specially struggle in backhand strokes.(TSP spectol in backhand-righthanded player)
I used to play with short pimples on my backhand and now I switched back to inverted rubber on my backhand.. players using short pimples can be countered with heavy back/top spin.. the key to playing as a short pimples player is to tap the ball at a much faster pace back to the opponent.. this makes it difficult for the other player to return back because these short pimple returns are usually very deceptive and come at an angle very close to the net.. so they will look for balls which are floated back to them which they will just tap on top of the ball and this makes it extremely difficult to play the incoming ball.. short pimple users will always look for opportunities to hit the ball back to you with flat shots rather than add spin to their shots.. these flat shots are very unpredictable and come in with a lot of deception which will in turn mess up their opponents rhythm.. One thing short pimple players don’t want to do is to chop the ball or play a lot of top spin shots.. returns with either backspin and top spin come in with less to no spin whatsoever and this puts them at a massive disadvantage because you can top spin the ball back to them with ease.. blocking with short pimple rubbers is also a difficult skill to master because as a short pimple player you need to learn to tap the ball at the top of its bounce with precise timing else your blocks will either hit the net or go out most of the time.. When you play against a short pips player.. don’t give them any opportunity to hit the ball back at you flat.. they will return no spin serves with ease and don’t try to go toe to toe with them in rallies because the longer you go at them, the more deceptive each ball will be to return back.. try serving long/short to them with heavy side/back spin most of the time.. your serves need to be spinny against these rubbers so that the next ball you receive will be to your advantage.. flat serves and even serves which are floated up a bit will put you at a disadvantage.. The reason why I changed back to Inverted rubber on my BH is that it just offers more variety to your game.. short pip rubbers have a very one dimensional game style and against good opponents who know how to play against them, you will never be able to use the rubber well and have to force yourself to setup opportunities to tap the ball back which will result in errors.. In the end, playing against short pimple rubbers is a lot more difficult compared to playing against long pimpled rubbers.. but don’t give up.. try to incorporate more spin to your game and play slow instead of forcing fast attacking shots.. you will find more success.. cheers and sorry for the long post
Tom Thanks a lot for explaining how to play against long pimples. Your way of explaining is simply marvelous. I am a big fan of you. Daily minimum your one video I do watch and implement the techniques while playing. My game has improved a lot because of you. God Bless You dear.
Speaking as a LP player with pips on forehand most of the time: for me the most difficult balls are very fast and LOW topspin balls. I have trouble to make a fast return as the ball tends to float and tends to fly over the table. However if the topspin ball is a bit higher I will try to counterhit with a straight, slightly downward aimed ball.
You have a great site and I enjoy it very much, however being a Long pip player there are some proviso's. 1) if you push a ball to me, if it is over the net height, I am going to hit through it with the long pimples giving you a very difficult shot to handle. 2) Some long pips rubbers can put some good back spin on a received push i. e. Feint Long 3, Curl p-4, Finally most good long pips players twiddle. This is very hard to react to even with the 2 color rule...
45 years ago almost 50% of TT players would use long pimples. Some soft with lots of padding, some harder without padding. Most players would constantly push the ball waiting for an opening to attack with top spin. It was standard and not used for annoying opponents. Nobody thought "oh, I'm playing against a long pimples dude, I`d better watch out". I would recommend that you don't pay much attention if your opponent is playing with a long pimples bat. Play your own game and let the other worry about it.
Tom, surely the tactics depend on which long pimple rubber your opponent is using, for example the long pimple rubber called Hellfire imparts almost zero spin on the ball and so I think your advice would not work playing against that, do you agree?
I feel like these approaches only work against long pips players of lesser skill. A well rounded defender will want you to push the ball or receive a ball on his inverted side, so that he can initiate a counterattack. I feel like this video doesn't do modern defenders justice and depicts them as very one-dimensional, when in reality they are all about variety.
It's true but often yt vids are oriented to higher skill players. Tom's advice is good for competitive beginners who are often up against these lower skilled long pips players. As you move up the ranks, there are other videos to learn from.
Great video!!. Some players use long pimple on the backhand to block close to table and occasionally attack. I find these players the most difficult, especially if they have a good forehand. Maybe you could make a video about playing these type of players?
As a long-pimple play i would say that the most effective way to beat me would make a short, low sidespin-ball in my pimple side, so that i had to either puch or make a bat-twidle. If i make a puch: then just smash me, because I’m out of position. If i bat-twidle and smashes: then you should make block to
So yeah. I'm a long pimple player. In 3:04 we don't 'drive' to attack, but we do something between block and light smash. That creates a slight (or no) backspin, and sidespin if wanted. Also, when we block, we don't block like normal players. We either do a small chop or make sidespin to it. Pimples work because of the lack of spin and lack of speed. Therfore we usually don't create spins cuz it's useless. Usually we change the rhythms while playing to trick people.
In my club there is only one pimples player, but in the local league, long pimples dominate. Thank you for this tutorial, I'll know what to do next time I face these racquets.
some of this is not correct depends on the type of long pimples like the chinese style long pimples ritc 755 with 1mm sponge dosent really give a wobble ball much even when pushing return of service it a very easy long pimple to play againt but it does produce a lot of back spin against loop and easy to block and hit with cause the pimples are not as tall as japanese and european long pimples the 755 is a bit fatter pimples this is why it a easy rubber to play with and against.the tsp curl is a treated rubber they put a solution on the top of the rubber and put it in the microwave it makes the top of the pimples hard and bottom of the pimples its only effective close to the table play it does 90 degrese turn like down the edge of the table it looks like its going to mis table by about 3-6 inches then it makes a turn back on the table.remember one thing the wobble must stop and alway attack on the top of the bounce not when the ball is on the way down after the top of the bounce.i can go on for hours talking about different ling pimple rubbers cause i have used a lot of different long pimple .
Yes it does depends. But if I went into this much detail in one video, it would probably be 2 hours long and confuse people more than educate! So the approach of this video is a 'general' guide to playing long pimples.
thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu my night mare is long pips .. when I play against a long pimple player... I already surrender ... but now I know the strategy .. thanks to you .. please more lesson on long pimple
In my experience, a player whose opponent is a long pips user will not risk playing against the user’s non-pips side. That’s going to be an easy win for the long pips guy since he’ll know where the ball will eventually land. And usually, a pips guy has a dominant forehand topspin and drive. My suggestion is that hit the ball as hard as you can to the long pips side. After a few strong flat shots, try to swing a corner topspin to the non-pips side. In short, always surprise the opponent - change the pace and tempo of your play regularly. Give this opponent a hard time!
It depends on the player I guess. I have played some LP players with great FHs. Others who have terrible FHs. Different tactics are needed for different opponents.
Tactic to play against long pips from my experience (90% players using long pips will use long pips as their backhand rubber): 1. Services: serve short with back spin, top spin, no spin, or small side spin to their right forehand corner (the conner that closest to you but furthest to them). This will force them to use their normal rubber to return, thus it's your turn to set up your attack first. On the other hand, if you want to serve to their backhand (long pips side), remember to keep it simple with no spin or small top spin cause long pips will vary your ball 's trajectory unpredictable if you serve with spinny ball. Moreover serve long to their backhand, long pips players hate long ball. Change your service placement and spin continuously, this will make them feel difficult to guess your serve then force them to make more errors 2. Top spin all the way: There is no chance for you if you push, chop, drop shot.....against long pips player. With their pips rubber, your life may be harder because they control every ball easily with their long pips. The game is different when you use top spin, for me top spin is one of the hardest spin for controlling rather than back spin. If you use top spin, the ball return always goes long with back spin, it is easy for you to kill the ball with your forehand loop, moreover long pips player can only block your stroke but they cannot control the position of the ball when returning, you can put them into your pocket. Moreover, long pips play cannot easily counter attack because of their long pips rubber 3. Dont rush and keep calm: Your must be calm and loop the ball with your forehand carefully. Do not think that you can win long pips with just one stroke, make them feel difficult and then kill the game. 4. Last but not least: Long pips players know all of above things, they always find the way to counter. For you, just play with long pips players with my suggestion as much as possible. The more you play, the more you control them. 5. Thank you very much if you read all of my tips :)
Great video, my tactic against long pimples is to give them no spin, long pips seem to be terrible at making anything out of nothing. When they have nothing, you have everything, they'll be expecting you to avoid their pips, did the opposite, coz those pips are crap. Probably not advice for high level opponents but who is actually playing one of those...
Pretty good advice. As you said, The best way is to practice and practice with a LP player until the spin variations become familiar. LP players have the advantage since they are continuously practicing with players with inverted rubbers. I would say, similar to the advantage a left hand player has.
Plus one more thing, I have found that it is safer to go with mild side spin serve (back hand) and continue with side spin pushes until I get an opening. have to mix it up with no spin serves, long serves etc to keep the opponent off balance.
Yes, that's right. If you only play against long pips occasionally, it's hard to get used to the change of speed and spin. And thanks for your tips for playing against long pips.
One more thing, the best way to understand long pimples, is to play it yourself. There are 2 LP players in my club and i was suffered from them, i've been watched lots of videos like this one, and actually cannot really understand it. Because i am very good at chopping, so some of club mumbers ask me to play chop to practice with, and then i suddenly relize i can try LP for chopping, than i get ready a spare blade, put on LP on one side, and I've just use that blade to play one section (
Another strategy is to play all topspin to the pimple side. Pimples return predictable spin (player can't affect spin much). Just loop everything with forehand, with some variation between shorter/spinnier versus longer/faster loops.
Thank you very much for that easy understanding of the four ways choppers going to play the ball in the beginning of the video. It is very helpful for beginners in chopping, also for people with lousy school-english, so in both ways me! :-) Best regards!
1:05 "BUT they (long pips) are predictable!" NO, NO, NO! They are very unpredictable and you'd better be afraid playing me using long pips. Fear me... please! ;)
lousyfication There is a reason why none of the top players is using long pimples, the reason I believe is LPSs are pretty predictable for good players
Yes, sure. But the top players using long pips do _not rely on disruptive effects._ They return opponent's heavy topspin using long pips mixed up with inverted rubber. So they give more or less backspin back to the attacker. But this kind of spin variation is not at all unpredictable. If allowed, top (pips) players might go for the attack on their own. That could deal damage much more than just using the long pips.
Ma te, filus ruwen, gionis panagiontis, manika batra, fabian akerstrom, Chen quing and zhou xintong are some of the top of my head who play currently with long pips. I believe that joo se hyuk cracked the top ten using long pimples.
The hard thing to play vs long pimples is at most players push or block slow near the table. Then your time is very limited. Do you have any tactic vs long pimles pusher. Play against a chopper is easy compared to that. Pushers also tend to play long pimple al over the table.
I'm a long pimples user from philippines i actually do when i match a long pimples i only do when the ball comes to the right side i can spin and spin it because it turns into a chop (For Spinners Only) reply for more question
i always loved beat long pimples.......I was a big top spinner, i can play easly with top spin speed or not. and my strong point was to be able to hit balls flat on both sides, forehand AND backhand but when it was with Curl P1 special.....it's was more difficult. it was not necessary to put spin in the balls
@0:24: "Very -- annoying -- long -- pimple -- players" (your emphasis), well, thanks a lot! I have met some annoying players: Full of themselves, commenting on everything you do, bending every rule to suit their own game, etc., you get the drift. Thanks for putting me (well, the previous me, to be exact) in that category. Playing with long pimples is a skill. You don't have to be a disagreeable person to develop the skill. Also, the skills don't develop magically as you grab the pimpled racket. So, you don't beat (or lose to) the pimples, but rather the player using that racket with pimples on one side (usually). That said, the video provides a good starting point for understanding what happens (also a few useful links in the description which add to that), and it may be useful also for players who use (or consider using) LP. For me, LP was a way to continue playing table tennis for a few years when my mobility was reduced (a series of leg injuries initiated by an ankle fracture). After developing decent mobility again, I'm back to more traditional rubbers (inverted, grippy SP) What the LP does mostly is to take away the energy from the ball by reducing spin and, to some degree, speed. You are only able to add small amounts of spin. When playing against someone using LP, the spin you receive is mostly the spin you gave the ball in the first place. Obviously, the reduced bounce and reduced ability to add spin also translate to a reduced sensitivity to incoming speed/spin. This possibility to handle high energy while remaining at the table was what saved my playing during the "years of immobility". Granted: the variation, where your opponent sometimes uses inverted, sometimes LP, may be difficult to play against. It is also difficult to play with. Trust me! There is a reason why I changed back when I was able. To play well with LP requires a lot of training, and I don't have the time to spare. Bottom line: Traditional inverted conserves most of the incoming energy, and in theory gives complete control (or nearly so) of what spin you put on the ball. LP adds nothing, it only takes away or reduces some properties of the racket. The "LP magic" (reversal, disruption, sink) is just a trick your brain plays on you, because it expects the spin and speed you are used to getting from players using inverted.
Completely agree that playing with long pimples to a high level is a real skill and requires lots of practice. I would like to switch to LP one day and see if I can get really good at it.
Susanto Gozali isn’t it similar, but short pips act slightly more ‘normal’ and with less spin? I think it’s the middle, with long and normal being the extremes.
Short pips are actually very 'normal', as in they don't have effects thst dissimilar from inverted. They just have a lower flight path, hit flatter, and don't kick off the table, which can cause some deception regarding judging speed of shot. Short pip choppers can vary the spin like with inverted (less of a spin range though) and don't get spin reversal. Mid pips basically do whst thru say on the can. Fall between short pips and long pips.
I am an long pimple player I am having Problem because when the oppenent with the inverted rubber pushes / cuts I just do Push in phantom and then they hit so hard that I can not be able to see the ball please make a video regarding this just type it in your title ( as an pimple player ) It would be easy for us Yeah your videos are so helpful and also I am a state player from India and went for nationals
I've watched a ton of these videos on how to play against long pips, and not once did the coach talk about playing against someone who actually knows how to use pips. His description here of how long pips players play is accurate only up to intermediate lvl, and even then it's a little deceiving. Most GOOD pips players I've played ATTACK. Tom said pips players tend to want to play w/ their pips. Not so. The good players will ruthlessly attack w/ their inverted on their forehand once they have the opportunity. Also, there's a pips player at my club (Medford, MA) who's known for being difficult even for top players. He gives problems to players at 2300 USATT rating, and even once almost beat a 2500 lvl player. Both sides of his racket are pips: 1 is long and the other side is short. Against me he'll block, chop, drop ball at extreme angles right in front of the net, etc., but against better players he'll use his pips as if they were inverted and attack almost every ball - with both long AND short pips. He rarely twiddles, though he sometimes does. There's also a long-pips Chinese player well-known in the NY area who's rated just above 2700 and will top-spin the ball w/ his inverted FH side often with more power and better form than traditional top-spin players. So, if the pips player is 2100 or 2200 or better, beware of pushing the ball, because much of the time you'll get attacked, even w/ the pips side.
Actually, I agree with your comment. My video was aimed at intermediate level players, where use of long pimples is more defensive and predictable. At higher levels, players can use long pimples / inverted rubber in so many different (and horrible ways). At some point I may make a video about how to deal with an attacking long pimples player. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@TomLodziak : Thank you, Tom. Some day I may record a partial match w/ the pips player I mentioned. It's very frustrating to play him, but once in a while I try and even almost get a game off him, lol.
Guys, as a OX LP chopper I can tell you that if you push the ball to us and we don't twiddle then we might know how to LP 'BUMP' the ball. That will come back with top spin depending on how much back spin was on your push. IF this bump is a bit high then slap the hell out of it (you're welcome). If its low over the net then respect the shot and top spin it back.
Any good tactic vs ling pimple close table blockers? Choppers is easy but blockers are hard as hell. When i hit the ball to short im basicly out due to flute.
I play with long pimples, when he spins and i chop the ball and he push then i attack with normal side.. this a good tutorial but works against a few person with pimples
Ok, Tom. Lets be fair here. I certainly understand the purpose of this video, but I am waiting for you to put out a video (anything, at all) on this, " How a defender can win against an offensive player". I think if I saw a video, just one video, with that topic I would probably pass out. Tons of videos on the offensive style of play, and even videos on how to defeat defenders, but nothing for defenders??? When you think of it, it is amazing how well defenders do considering the minimal amount of training that is available for that style of play. Are you going to be the first to break this trend?
Hi Tom. I have some suggestions for the ''Unusual Strokes with Craig Bryant''- Playlist. Could you do a video about the forehand chop block, Kenta Matsudaira's Sidespin Block and the Tomahawk Smash?
me: im gonna have a good sleep today
also me at 3 am: HOW TO BEAT LONG PIMPLES
me too - and I'm a tennis player, so the chances of meeting a long pimple player any time soon aren't high.
I used to be a chopper but now im not
This is so true
6:30am here,I'm wondering what is the purpose of my life
Same
I thought he will talk about *Acne*
That requires a different technique - more of a squeezing and popping action.
Lmao
LOL same
Not sure what long pimpels means physicly but sure
Lol
The question I ask when I look in the mirror every morning
Thanks for this interesting video. We have a player in my team who plays with long pips and he is a total nightmare for opponents. He's been doing it for years and has it down to a fine art, chopping and pushing then waiting for his chance to backhand drive the winner. If his opponents watched your video they'd probably have more luck against him lol
Using long pimples are not a good player
@@eo7770 ...but they are winning, and not rarely... sure, just in a lower level , but are a lot of Player who struggle with they
long pimple so ez to counter. I have one in my team and he is the weakest link!
Depends on the player using them. If they are covering a bad backhand and you have a solid game plan and keep your cool you will win. But if they are genuinely skilled with the long pimples they can be a real challenge. Long Pimples are the hardest rubbers to masters
@@eo7770 what a ridiculous thing to say
Thanks for the video. Having played against long pimples over many years (and still get annoyed when they force an error - lol) I have learned to treat pimples as a handicap for the player using them (bourne from having tried pimples and found how difficult some shots are to play against).
1. Never serve a backspin ball to their pimples, a good player will simply drive/lift that ball straight down the line and due to the lack of topspin and flatness of the shot my return will either go too long or go into the net.
2. Try to place all your shots to their pimples. It gives you confidence the longer the rally goes on and means you don't have to worry about adjustment should a ball be hit with reverse rubber. Ok, a good twiddler can make this difficult.
3. Serve fast topspin into the pimples, expect heavy backspin back and then follow up with a strong loop (Ok, you need a strong loop but that is my game) - you cover this in the video.
4. Minimise the amount of sidespin you place on the ball. Sidespin is also reversed by pimples and the resultant return can be, shall we say, 'disruptive'!
5. Try to float some of your serves / returns, pimples work best when there is a lot of spin on the ball.
6. The alternating topspin then chop routine is how I started to learn the play against pimples and will give those starting out a good focus point.
7. Remember your mindset for the game... Using pimples is a HANDICAP for them!
Hope this helps anyone frustrated by pimples...
Thanks for sharing your tips. Some great advice and always interested to hear how other players approach playing against long pimples.
I will try some of this thank u
This is the best table tennis channel on UA-cam. Gongrats from Brazil
Very handy, I’m playing against a team tonight with pimples. Look forward to trying this out, appreciate I could do with practice.
your best video yet. Well done!
Thanks for solving this puzzle. Keep the great videos coming.
Thanks for this video Tom ❤. With your tips i won my first match in competition vs long pimples 🎉
Thanks Tom, that was helpful. The catch, though, is that playing against long pimples requires even more concentration than it already does. Especially for those who don't have the opportunity to practice playing against pimples.
great tips! my coach gave me the exact same tips last year when i got destroyed by a long pimple player.
Lmao who else got an ad for acne treatment because pimples is in the title name lmao
You made that up
@@you.got.gapped.racing44 I mean no but okay
Excellent video, good tactics to employ against LP, especially good to practise against them to build confidence.
Great Video, both for learning to beat long pimples as well as teaching long pimple players why variation and turning the racket is very important. Good Job!
So I’m kinda a noob and was wandering does long pimples make more spin then normal rackets when there is little to no topspin (like can it make more backspin in this scenario)I know it’s a noob question
Very practical strategies to play aganist long pips. Since I play with medium pips (similar moderate responses as long pips but with more control and also able to attack as short pips), understanding these approaches will allow me counter-strategies to antiscipate these long pips strategies.
I second The Jayser. Problem playing with LPs is going to resolve after watching your video. I can not forget the finishing shots of the LP players and their smiling face on my wrong return. Thanks
You know ehat's beautiful about Koji Matsushita, the way he was able to fake a chop so that there was no spin in it, other player pushes back but very high and from there it's easy for Koji. Koji was master at that, I'm learning from that footage. Anyway good video on tactics, you should've probably addressed twiddling too, because that's what makes pushing with a defensive paddle so effective
easily the best video on this topic
Thanks Dieter! Nice to hear from you.
Now am desperately waiting for short pips...Please Tom...kindly guide for short pips
YES! short pips guide please! half of the club players where I live use short pips and it is mad annoying...
No that is not my case...i myself use TSP spectol(SP) backhand. I struggle in blade angles against incoming loop ,topspins, smash, counter hit and push..hence i need to understand blade angles to defend incoming shot...
I'm getting lots of requests for a short pips video. I will add to my list. I have plans to do some filming with a very good short pips player. Not finalised yet, but if I can make it happen it will be good!
@@TomLodziak that would b very very great!!!! And very very helpful...i specially struggle in backhand strokes.(TSP spectol in backhand-righthanded player)
I used to play with short pimples on my backhand and now I switched back to inverted rubber on my backhand.. players using short pimples can be countered with heavy back/top spin.. the key to playing as a short pimples player is to tap the ball at a much faster pace back to the opponent.. this makes it difficult for the other player to return back because these short pimple returns are usually very deceptive and come at an angle very close to the net.. so they will look for balls which are floated back to them which they will just tap on top of the ball and this makes it extremely difficult to play the incoming ball.. short pimple users will always look for opportunities to hit the ball back to you with flat shots rather than add spin to their shots.. these flat shots are very unpredictable and come in with a lot of deception which will in turn mess up their opponents rhythm..
One thing short pimple players don’t want to do is to chop the ball or play a lot of top spin shots.. returns with either backspin and top spin come in with less to no spin whatsoever and this puts them at a massive disadvantage because you can top spin the ball back to them with ease.. blocking with short pimple rubbers is also a difficult skill to master because as a short pimple player you need to learn to tap the ball at the top of its bounce with precise timing else your blocks will either hit the net or go out most of the time..
When you play against a short pips player.. don’t give them any opportunity to hit the ball back at you flat.. they will return no spin serves with ease and don’t try to go toe to toe with them in rallies because the longer you go at them, the more deceptive each ball will be to return back.. try serving long/short to them with heavy side/back spin most of the time.. your serves need to be spinny against these rubbers so that the next ball you receive will be to your advantage.. flat serves and even serves which are floated up a bit will put you at a disadvantage..
The reason why I changed back to Inverted rubber on my BH is that it just offers more variety to your game.. short pip rubbers have a very one dimensional game style and against good opponents who know how to play against them, you will never be able to use the rubber well and have to force yourself to setup opportunities to tap the ball back which will result in errors..
In the end, playing against short pimple rubbers is a lot more difficult compared to playing against long pimpled rubbers.. but don’t give up.. try to incorporate more spin to your game and play slow instead of forcing fast attacking shots.. you will find more success.. cheers and sorry for the long post
Pimples and rubbers. This will catch the attention of many interested teenagers 😂
And they are going to be very disappointed!
Tom Thanks a lot for explaining how to play against long pimples. Your way of explaining is simply marvelous. I am a big fan of you. Daily minimum your one video I do watch and implement the techniques while playing. My game has improved a lot because of you. God Bless You dear.
Thank you Tom for these very useful advice ! I'll let you know when I improve and defeat one of those LP players !
Speaking as a LP player with pips on forehand most of the time: for me the most difficult balls are very fast and LOW topspin balls. I have trouble to make a fast return as the ball tends to float and tends to fly over the table. However if the topspin ball is a bit higher I will try to counterhit with a straight, slightly downward aimed ball.
You have a great site and I enjoy it very much, however being a Long pip player there are some proviso's. 1) if you push a ball to me, if it is over the net height, I am going to hit through it with the long pimples giving you a very difficult shot to handle. 2) Some long pips rubbers can put some good back spin on a received push i. e. Feint Long 3, Curl p-4, Finally most good long pips players twiddle. This is very hard to react to even with the 2 color rule...
In high level , Long pimple can create back spin when push .
Hello Tom, thank you very much for this video too! Can you also make one for playing with pimples?
45 years ago almost 50% of TT players would use long pimples. Some soft with lots of padding, some harder without padding. Most players would constantly push the ball waiting for an opening to attack with top spin. It was standard and not used for annoying opponents. Nobody thought "oh, I'm playing against a long pimples dude, I`d better watch out". I would recommend that you don't pay much attention if your opponent is playing with a long pimples bat. Play your own game and let the other worry about it.
I found that keeping the skin clean and getting some sun every day helps a lot.
great link in the description, and good video as well.
Instructions unclear, got hit by table tennis ball in my full of acne face
Tom, surely the tactics depend on which long pimple rubber your opponent is using, for example the long pimple rubber called Hellfire imparts almost zero spin on the ball and so I think your advice would not work playing against that, do you agree?
excellent video - very practical
I feel like these approaches only work against long pips players of lesser skill. A well rounded defender will want you to push the ball or receive a ball on his inverted side, so that he can initiate a counterattack. I feel like this video doesn't do modern defenders justice and depicts them as very one-dimensional, when in reality they are all about variety.
zappy boi true!
It's true but often yt vids are oriented to higher skill players. Tom's advice is good for competitive beginners who are often up against these lower skilled long pips players. As you move up the ranks, there are other videos to learn from.
Thank you for video!!
Danke Tom.
Nice video!
Greetings from Berlin
Jannis
Thanks! I always watch your videos😍😍
Great video!!. Some players use long pimple on the backhand to block close to table and occasionally attack. I find these players the most difficult, especially if they have a good forehand. Maybe you could make a video about playing these type of players?
great video!
i am personally a lp player myself, hope you could make a video for playing with lp rubbers!
thx!
Yes, I do plan to do this. It's on the list.
great! Thank you so much!
As a long-pimple play i would say that the most effective way to beat me would make a short, low sidespin-ball in my pimple side, so that i had to either puch or make a bat-twidle. If i make a puch: then just smash me, because I’m out of position. If i bat-twidle and smashes: then you should make block to
So yeah. I'm a long pimple player. In 3:04 we don't 'drive' to attack, but we do something between block and light smash. That creates a slight (or no) backspin, and sidespin if wanted. Also, when we block, we don't block like normal players. We either do a small chop or make sidespin to it. Pimples work because of the lack of spin and lack of speed. Therfore we usually don't create spins cuz it's useless. Usually we change the rhythms while playing to trick people.
Some useful tips: don't bother attacking with crazy spin, because it'll become your nightmare after a matter of milliseconds.
In my club there is only one pimples player, but in the local league, long pimples dominate. Thank you for this tutorial, I'll know what to do next time I face these racquets.
Thanks for this great video. Really like your training guides
Lost to someone with long pimples last night, wish I'd seen this video first!
GREAT CONTENT FOR BEGINERS LIKE ME!!! Cheers from Brazil
Hi Tom! What about a video "how to play against a short pimple player (blocker and offensive player) ?" Thanks for your videos! I´ve learned a lot
some of this is not correct depends on the type of long pimples like the chinese style long pimples ritc 755 with 1mm sponge dosent really give a wobble ball much even when pushing return of service it a very easy long pimple to play againt but it does produce a lot of back spin against loop and easy to block and hit with cause the pimples are not as tall as japanese and european long pimples the 755 is a bit fatter pimples this is why it a easy rubber to play with and against.the tsp curl is a treated rubber they put a solution on the top of the rubber and put it in the microwave it makes the top of the pimples hard and bottom of the pimples its only effective close to the table play it does 90 degrese turn like down the edge of the table it looks like its going to mis table by about 3-6 inches then it makes a turn back on the table.remember one thing the wobble must stop and alway attack on the top of the bounce not when the ball is on the way down after the top of the bounce.i can go on for hours talking about different ling pimple rubbers cause i have used a lot of different long pimple .
Yes it does depends. But if I went into this much detail in one video, it would probably be 2 hours long and confuse people more than educate! So the approach of this video is a 'general' guide to playing long pimples.
thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu my night mare is long pips .. when I play against a long pimple player... I already surrender ... but now I know the strategy .. thanks to you .. please more lesson on long pimple
You're the best Tom!!!!
Atleast i learned the basics for playing with long pimple players, now i jst need to make sure the continue practise with them.
Hi Tom, thanks again for your teaching videos, I has been learning a lot from you. Very helpful videos 🤓🤓🙏
In my experience, a player whose opponent is a long pips user will not risk playing against the user’s non-pips side. That’s going to be an easy win for the long pips guy since he’ll know where the ball will eventually land. And usually, a pips guy has a dominant forehand topspin and drive. My suggestion is that hit the ball as hard as you can to the long pips side. After a few strong flat shots, try to swing a corner topspin to the non-pips side. In short, always surprise the opponent - change the pace and tempo of your play regularly. Give this opponent a hard time!
It depends on the player I guess. I have played some LP players with great FHs. Others who have terrible FHs. Different tactics are needed for different opponents.
Thank you soooooo much! It was a great help! You are a great coach! Hope you do well in the future!
The new ABS ball kill the long pimple game. Less backspin less spin variation so thats why now more easy to play against this kind of rubbers
Consistency is more valuable to a chopper than pure backspin
Thanks a lot Coach for this very detailed video about on how to play long pipz..
Tactic to play against long pips from my experience (90% players using long pips will use long pips as their backhand rubber):
1. Services: serve short with back spin, top spin, no spin, or small side spin to their right forehand corner (the conner that closest to you but furthest to them). This will force them to use their normal rubber to return, thus it's your turn to set up your attack first. On the other hand, if you want to serve to their backhand (long pips side), remember to keep it simple with no spin or small top spin cause long pips will vary your ball 's trajectory unpredictable if you serve with spinny ball. Moreover serve long to their backhand, long pips players hate long ball. Change your service placement and spin continuously, this will make them feel difficult to guess your serve then force them to make more errors
2. Top spin all the way: There is no chance for you if you push, chop, drop shot.....against long pips player. With their pips rubber, your life may be harder because they control every ball easily with their long pips. The game is different when you use top spin, for me top spin is one of the hardest spin for controlling rather than back spin. If you use top spin, the ball return always goes long with back spin, it is easy for you to kill the ball with your forehand loop, moreover long pips player can only block your stroke but they cannot control the position of the ball when returning, you can put them into your pocket. Moreover, long pips play cannot easily counter attack because of their long pips rubber
3. Dont rush and keep calm: Your must be calm and loop the ball with your forehand carefully. Do not think that you can win long pips with just one stroke, make them feel difficult and then kill the game.
4. Last but not least: Long pips players know all of above things, they always find the way to counter. For you, just play with long pips players with my suggestion as much as possible. The more you play, the more you control them.
5. Thank you very much if you read all of my tips :)
Great video, my tactic against long pimples is to give them no spin, long pips seem to be terrible at making anything out of nothing. When they have nothing, you have everything, they'll be expecting you to avoid their pips, did the opposite, coz those pips are crap. Probably not advice for high level opponents but who is actually playing one of those...
Pretty good advice. As you said, The best way is to practice and practice with a LP player until the spin variations become familiar. LP players have the advantage since they are continuously practicing with players with inverted rubbers. I would say, similar to the advantage a left hand player has.
Plus one more thing, I have found that it is safer to go with mild side spin serve (back hand) and continue with side spin pushes until I get an opening. have to mix it up with no spin serves, long serves etc to keep the opponent off balance.
Yes, that's right. If you only play against long pips occasionally, it's hard to get used to the change of speed and spin. And thanks for your tips for playing against long pips.
Sorry Tom... I beg to disagree with what you said... Long pips ain't predictable...
One more thing, the best way to understand long pimples, is to play it yourself.
There are 2 LP players in my club and i was suffered from them, i've been watched lots of videos like this one, and actually cannot really understand it.
Because i am very good at chopping, so some of club mumbers ask me to play chop to practice with, and then i suddenly relize i can try LP for chopping, than i get ready a spare blade, put on LP on one side, and I've just use that blade to play one section (
Good tip. Players can try using long pimples to help understand how they work.
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Another strategy is to play all topspin to the pimple side. Pimples return predictable spin (player can't affect spin much). Just loop everything with forehand, with some variation between shorter/spinnier versus longer/faster loops.
If you can? I could do 3, sometimes 4 but it's really difficult
Thank you very much for that easy understanding of the four ways choppers going to play the ball in the beginning of the video. It is very helpful for beginners in chopping, also for people with lousy school-english, so in both ways me! :-) Best regards!
I don’t even know how to hit like they do but I still watch these vids
1:05 "BUT they (long pips) are predictable!"
NO, NO, NO! They are very unpredictable and you'd better be afraid playing me using long pips. Fear me... please! ;)
lousyfication There is a reason why none of the top players is using long pimples, the reason I believe is LPSs are pretty predictable for good players
Quite a few top players use long pimples
Yes, sure. But the top players using long pips do _not rely on disruptive effects._ They return opponent's heavy topspin using long pips mixed up with inverted rubber. So they give more or less backspin back to the attacker. But this kind of spin variation is not at all unpredictable.
If allowed, top (pips) players might go for the attack on their own. That could deal damage much more than just using the long pips.
Callum Love Could you please name a few top players who use long pimples? I can think of none.
Ma te, filus ruwen, gionis panagiontis, manika batra, fabian akerstrom, Chen quing and zhou xintong are some of the top of my head who play currently with long pips. I believe that joo se hyuk cracked the top ten using long pimples.
THANK SO MUCH! I NEEDED SO MUCH HELP WITH THIS
Yes... short pip video pls! thx TOM!
Would you PLEASE make a video on an antispin player who plays back spin and to what is the best strategy against it?
Hi Tom, thank you for your tips.
The hard thing to play vs long pimples is at most players push or block slow near the table. Then your time is very limited. Do you have any tactic vs long pimles pusher. Play against a chopper is easy compared to that. Pushers also tend to play long pimple al over the table.
I'm a long pimples user from philippines i actually do when i match a long pimples i only do when the ball comes to the right side i can spin and spin it because it turns into a chop (For Spinners Only) reply for more question
Nice one Tom. How about short pips next?
Thank your inform about long pimples..
May you inform when opponent use side spin with long pimples,?what can i do? Thanks😊
i always loved beat long pimples.......I was a big top spinner, i can play easly with top spin speed or not.
and my strong point was to be able to hit balls flat on both sides, forehand AND backhand
but when it was with Curl P1 special.....it's was more difficult. it was not necessary to put spin in the balls
very helpful video, thank you.
Players hate LP, My racket has BH LP but I don't know how to use it properly in a match. :(
just chop and push
Hi Tom. Great video. Do non spin rubbers play similar to long pips? Thanks again.
@0:24: "Very -- annoying -- long -- pimple -- players" (your emphasis), well, thanks a lot!
I have met some annoying players: Full of themselves, commenting on everything you do, bending every rule to suit their own game, etc., you get the drift. Thanks for putting me (well, the previous me, to be exact) in that category.
Playing with long pimples is a skill. You don't have to be a disagreeable person to develop the skill. Also, the skills don't develop magically as you grab the pimpled racket. So, you don't beat (or lose to) the pimples, but rather the player using that racket with pimples on one side (usually).
That said, the video provides a good starting point for understanding what happens (also a few useful links in the description which add to that), and it may be useful also for players who use (or consider using) LP. For me, LP was a way to continue playing table tennis for a few years when my mobility was reduced (a series of leg injuries initiated by an ankle fracture). After developing decent mobility again, I'm back to more traditional rubbers (inverted, grippy SP)
What the LP does mostly is to take away the energy from the ball by reducing spin and, to some degree, speed. You are only able to add small amounts of spin. When playing against someone using LP, the spin you receive is mostly the spin you gave the ball in the first place. Obviously, the reduced bounce and reduced ability to add spin also translate to a reduced sensitivity to incoming speed/spin. This possibility to handle high energy while remaining at the table was what saved my playing during the "years of immobility".
Granted: the variation, where your opponent sometimes uses inverted, sometimes LP, may be difficult to play against. It is also difficult to play with. Trust me! There is a reason why I changed back when I was able. To play well with LP requires a lot of training, and I don't have the time to spare.
Bottom line: Traditional inverted conserves most of the incoming energy, and in theory gives complete control (or nearly so) of what spin you put on the ball. LP adds nothing, it only takes away or reduces some properties of the racket. The "LP magic" (reversal, disruption, sink) is just a trick your brain plays on you, because it expects the spin and speed you are used to getting from players using inverted.
Completely agree that playing with long pimples to a high level is a real skill and requires lots of practice. I would like to switch to LP one day and see if I can get really good at it.
Thank you soo much! It was a great help!
I hope my friends don’t find this... I have an advantage playing with long pips.
shame on you
Chris Chan shame on u
Shame on you
:)) nice.. smart in you :d
The idea is to study how to beat long pimples yourself, so that you know what they will do. Then it will be easier to counter their attack.
Excellent video!
Thanks very much, i need your explanation on middle and short pimples.
Susanto Gozali isn’t it similar, but short pips act slightly more ‘normal’ and with less spin? I think it’s the middle, with long and normal being the extremes.
Short pips are actually very 'normal', as in they don't have effects thst dissimilar from inverted. They just have a lower flight path, hit flatter, and don't kick off the table, which can cause some deception regarding judging speed of shot. Short pip choppers can vary the spin like with inverted (less of a spin range though) and don't get spin reversal.
Mid pips basically do whst thru say on the can. Fall between short pips and long pips.
Great video. Can we have also have a video for short pimples and anti-spin rubbers too?
Yes. I have these on my long list of videos to make.
Loving the technique 😂 nah I can see you don’t use long pips. I’m a long pimple player I watch videos to know what people do.
I am an long pimple player I am having Problem because when the oppenent with the inverted rubber pushes / cuts I just do Push in phantom and then they hit so hard that I can not be able to see the ball please make a video regarding this just type it in your title ( as an pimple player ) It would be easy for us Yeah your videos are so helpful and also I am a state player from India and went for nationals
I've watched a ton of these videos on how to play against long pips, and not once did the coach talk about playing against someone who actually knows how to use pips. His description here of how long pips players play is accurate only up to intermediate lvl, and even then it's a little deceiving. Most GOOD pips players I've played ATTACK. Tom said pips players tend to want to play w/ their pips. Not so. The good players will ruthlessly attack w/ their inverted on their forehand once they have the opportunity. Also, there's a pips player at my club (Medford, MA) who's known for being difficult even for top players. He gives problems to players at 2300 USATT rating, and even once almost beat a 2500 lvl player. Both sides of his racket are pips: 1 is long and the other side is short. Against me he'll block, chop, drop ball at extreme angles right in front of the net, etc., but against better players he'll use his pips as if they were inverted and attack almost every ball - with both long AND short pips. He rarely twiddles, though he sometimes does.
There's also a long-pips Chinese player well-known in the NY area who's rated just above 2700 and will top-spin the ball w/ his inverted FH side often with more power and better form than traditional top-spin players.
So, if the pips player is 2100 or 2200 or better, beware of pushing the ball, because much of the time you'll get attacked, even w/ the pips side.
Actually, I agree with your comment. My video was aimed at intermediate level players, where use of long pimples is more defensive and predictable. At higher levels, players can use long pimples / inverted rubber in so many different (and horrible ways). At some point I may make a video about how to deal with an attacking long pimples player. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@TomLodziak : Thank you, Tom. Some day I may record a partial match w/ the pips player I mentioned. It's very frustrating to play him, but once in a while I try and even almost get a game off him, lol.
The best!
Guys, as a OX LP chopper I can tell you that if you push the ball to us and we don't twiddle then we might know how to LP 'BUMP' the ball. That will come back with top spin depending on how much back spin was on your push. IF this bump is a bit high then slap the hell out of it (you're welcome). If its low over the net then respect the shot and top spin it back.
Danke!
Thank you! That is very kind.
Wonderful thank u so much
Any good tactic vs ling pimple close table blockers? Choppers is easy but blockers are hard as hell. When i hit the ball to short im basicly out due to flute.
I play with long pimples, when he spins and i chop the ball and he push then i attack with normal side.. this a good tutorial but works against a few person with pimples
Those are some of the most spotty chops I have seen from an experienced player
Thank you🙏💕
Right lesson!
Ok, Tom. Lets be fair here. I certainly understand the purpose of this video, but I am waiting for you to put out a video (anything, at all) on this, " How a defender can win against an offensive player". I think if I saw a video, just one video, with that topic I would probably pass out. Tons of videos on the offensive style of play, and even videos on how to defeat defenders, but nothing for defenders???
When you think of it, it is amazing how well defenders do considering the minimal amount of training that is available for that style of play. Are you going to be the first to break this trend?
I will definitely, definitely do this. I promise. I want to get a high quality defender to share his/her tips. I'm working on it.
@@TomLodziak And tactics to beat other players. That would be helpful and you will be a first to do so. Thanks.
Hi Tom. I have some suggestions for the ''Unusual Strokes with Craig Bryant''- Playlist. Could you do a video about the forehand chop block, Kenta Matsudaira's Sidespin Block and the Tomahawk Smash?
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll discuss with Craig.
I'm a LP-player (on the backhand side), and I love your advice to aim for the FH-inverted rubber... so I can use my top spin attack! ;-)
Ha! Yes, strong loop on the FH and long pips on BH can be a deadly combination!
Need some advise.. i am using penhold & & not good with my backhand.. is it recommended to use long pips for my back rubber.