How Do You Use Long Pips In Table Tennis?
Long pip paddles are excellent defensive table tennis paddles than can be very challenging to use, but they can also be challenging to play against in the right hands. Learning how to use long pips is critical for any player who wants to use these paddles to win matches.
Long pips do not alter the rotation of the ball during a strike. The best way to use the paddles is to use this rotation to your advantage. Topspin becomes backspin with regular returns, and chop attacking can cause the ball to bounce in unpredictable ways, making the ball very difficult to hit.
There are several techniques that make using long pip paddles far more effective, and can be differences between winning and losing matches in table tennis. Let’s explore some of the best ways to use long pips and find out whether or not these paddles are worthwhile learning to use.
How Do You Use Long Pips?
Long pip paddles can be the worst nightmare of some players, as players who use these paddles can be very difficult to beat if you do not know how. This is simply due to the way these paddles work when striking a ball.
Conversely, they can be a joy to use, as they can be used to catch your opponents off guard and create some truly interesting matches.
Learning to use these paddles well is critical for players who want to use long pips to their advantage, as they do not respond in the same way as regular rubber paddles do.
Without learning good techniques for using long pips, you will not gain any advantage over your opponents, and you are likely to become a very predictable player that is easy to defeat.
Let’s explore some of the very best techniques and methods for using long pip paddles in order to achieve the best performance on the table.
Topspin Defense
The topspin defense with long pip paddles is the first and most basic technique to learn when using these paddles. This technique utilizes the natural characteristics of long pips and turns them into an advantage on the table without much effort.
Long pips do not change the rotation of the ball when striking. This means that a ball that is sent as topspin will return as backspin, as the rotation of the ball does not change.
This causes the ball to react very differently on the table, and if the opposing player is not used to playing against long pips, they will not know how to return the ball.
To take full advantage of this characteristic, simply push your strikes directly into the ball. Try to return the ball directly from where it came from without any rotation or angle of the paddle. This will cause the ball to lose as little momentum as possible, maintaining the speed of the ball and allowing the ball to retain its rotation.
This will cause the ball to slow down when it bounces and may even cause the ball to bounce backward, as the top spin on the send has become backspin on the return, which can be very confusing to opponents.
Backspin Defense
Using a long pip paddle against the backspin can be tricky, but using the backspin to your advantage is an excellent way to score points.
Players using normal rubber will use backspin to confuse opponents, but backspin works in favor of long pips. When an opponent sends a ball with backspin, strike the ball harder and try to push through the shot.
Try not to alter the spin of the ball, as this will allow it to keep its momentum and cause the ball to bounce faster than your opponent expects.
The backspin will become topspin, which is not challenging to hit, but the speed of the ball is unexpected, and the backspin is not difficult to defend against with long pips.
Backspin Attack
The backspin attack is a good way to capitalize on the nature of the long pip paddle.
This technique is executed with a quick flick of the elbow and an aggressive strike. Push into the ball with the paddle tilted slightly down, and flick through the strike with the elbow while slightly rotating the paddle up.
This will generate a very fast backspin and a high-speed return, especially when played close to the net.
This attack is very chellenging to defend against, as it makes the ball bounce in unpredictable ways and can be done with immense speed and power as well.
Chop Block Technique
The chop block technique is a favorite among long pip players, and it is very difficult to counter.
To execute this block, when the ball is moving relatively slowly, perform a backhand chop outward and away from your body. Move the paddle quickly, and return the ball with a flick from the elbow.
This cross-flick motion will set the ball into a backspin or sidespin, which will cause it to behave in unpredictable ways when bouncing. This makes the ball exceedingly difficult to hit, and can even slow the ball down, which is not what the opponent will be expecting from such a hard strike.
This technique is highly effective, but it is best used against slow balls close to the net, as this maximizes the effectiveness of the technique.
Is It Worthwhile Learning To Use Long Pips?
If you seek a new table tennis challenge in table tennis, or if you are a naturally more defensive player, then learning to play the game with a long pip paddle may be ideal for you.
The techniques used with this paddle are not the same as those used with regular rubber paddles, and there is much to learn with long pips, but there are some significant advantages that come with these paddles.
Long pip paddles provide significantly more control than regular rubber paddles, and they are excellent paddles for defensive playing for this reason.
Using a long pip paddle with defensive techniques is almost unstoppable, and learning to use this paddle for attacking is a great way to easily throw your opponent off guard and score easy points.
Is it worthwhile learning to play with long pips if this is the style of playing that you are looking for; but they can be very slow, which opens new players up to defeat by experienced players.
Conclusion
Long pips are a challenge for those using them and for those playing against them, but learning to use long pips well can be a significant advantage in table tennis.
Learn to use these paddles well, and there will be very few players who can effectively defend against you. Take your time to master long pips, and you will gain access to styles of playing and techniques that are highly effective and difficult to play against.
