| Wide pips are IKA(incorrectly known as) “short pips” & referred even more incorrectly as
“out” in ITTF LARC. The definitions
of rubber types in ITTF LARC is deliberately misleading because so called
“long” pips in ITTF LARC & rubbers called ”out” “are both pips “out”
& both “In” & “anti” pips
in. ITTF refers to slim flex pips as
“long” pips on ITTF LARC to deliberately mislead the pips players into
thinking that “long” pips still exist in table tennis, while the truth
remains that “long” pips were banned at the Birmingham 1977 BGM when ITTF
limited the length of ALL pips to 2.00 mm.
This was slightly increased to 2.05 mm at the 2024 AGM but for purely
political reasons related to increasing the total rubber thickness of rubbers
from 4.00 mm to 4.05 (Reasons won’t be discussed here). What you need to remember for now is that the correct name phrase for so called “short” pips are “wide pips” or “wide stiff” pips or “hitting” pips . And the correct name phrases for so called “long” pips on ITTF LARC are “slim” pips or “slim flex” pips . This is because the primary difference between thee two pip type is NOT length , as it was before 1977. Currently it is 2.05 mm for all pips whatever you want to call the pips slim or wide in ITTF LARC & Long for non-ITTF pips. You need to take a look at the following webpage to understand this clearly https://tacticaltabletennis.blogspot.com/p/ar.html Wide pips has very limited scope in modern inverted rubber oriented competitive (not exercise or fun mode) table tennis. Wide pips is theoretically the best rubber for your strong side (forehand for most humans) if you are talented enough to use it (or have used it from youth or for anatomical reasons easier for penholders than shakehanders as there had been many penhold wide pips world champions). However for weakside (usually backhand for most humans) wide pips is the absolute worst weakside rubber of all 6 rubber types (spinverted, anti, wide pips, medium pips, ITTF slim pips & non-ITTF actual long pips). Backhand being weakside is not some diabolical plot but is just the nature of human body functions. This spreadsheet below explains why wide pips is absolute worst backhand rubber especially for amateur competitive players (who get seduced by few top pros being able to “seemingly” use them on the weakside & few even in the absolute worst wrong mode such as for chopping) . |
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| Strong Side is usually forehand & Weak Side is usually backhand | Slim pips | Medium pips | Wide pips | Anti inverted | Spinny Inverted | Comments / Remarks | |
| Forehand (Strong Side) Flat Hitting - Professional Athlete | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | Only area where wide pips is absolute best but unfortunately only 5% of even the pros have the skills to be able to use wide pips at the highest levels because the error margins are so low using wide pips, though wide pips is theoretically the best rubber there is. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. So, if you can deliver the ball consistently across the net at highest speeds as is best possible with wide pips, then we don't need spins at all and other 4 rubber types but this is not reality since humans need spin in table-tennis to keep the ball on the table lot more than in any other racket sport due to the small size of the table. | |
| Forehand Flat Hitting (Effectiveness) - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Flat hits using non-ITTF actual long pips (especially OX) or eben ITTF slim pips are far more effective at amateur levels (but usually with twiddling only) | |
| Backhand Flat Hitting - Professional Athlete | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | Pros are much better in flat hitting with wide pips from weakside but most amateurs who live in fantasyland think they they can do it also but the success % is very low for an amateur. Flat hitting from weakside is harder even for a pro.and they may be better off using medium pips. | |
| Backhand Flat Hitting (Effectiveness) - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Flat hits using wide pips from weakside are most ineffective at amateur levels. Only inveretd is worse because most of the playing population opponents know how to handle retruns from inverted better | |
| forehand Spin Variation Capability - Professional Athlete | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| forehand Spin Variation Capability - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| backhand Spin Variation Capability - Professional Athlete | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| backhand Spin Variation Capability - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | This is the biggest problem area for amateurs because amateurs are under the delusion tha they can vary spins (or flat hit) using wide pips like a pro | |
| forehand Top Spin (Loop) - Professional Athlete | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | ||
| forehand Top Spin (Loop) - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | ||
| backhand Top Spin (Loop) - Professional Athlete | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | Pros can generate tremendous top spins using even wide pips or anti because of their perfect feel & stroke mechanics | |
| backhand Top Spin (Loop) - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Most amateurs probably can generate more spin using anti than wide pips unless trained from youth to use wide pips | |
| forehand Blocking - Professional Athlete | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | ||
| forehand Blocking - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | For an amateur non-ITTF long pipsor even ITTF slim pips is the most effective for blocking even from the strong side | |
| backhand Blocking (Effectiveness) - Professional Athlete | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||
| backhand Blocking (Effectiveness) - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ||
| forehand Lob - Professional Athlete | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| forehand Lob - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | Wide pips is the least effective for pro or amateur from strong side or weakside | |
| backhand Lob - Professional Athlete | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| backhand Lob (Efectiveness) - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| forehand Push (Effectiveness) - Professional Athlete | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| forehand Push (Effectiveness) - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | Non-ITTF long pips or even slim pipsare best due to built-in variations due to the design of long pips. Wide pips are the absolute worst for an amateur | |
| backhand Push (Effectiveness) - Professional Athlete | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| backhand Push (Effectiveness) - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| forehand Back Spin (Chop) - Professional Athlete | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| forehand Back Spin (Chop) - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| backhand Back Spin (Chop) - Professional Athlete | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| backhand Back Spin (Chop) - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | Hackers & Cult groupis live in fantasyland & think they can chop like pros using wide pips. Most amateurs are also under the delusion that they can gemerate more back spin using short pips or vary spins like a pro | |
| forehand Serving - Professional Athlete | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ||
| forehand Serving - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | Wide pips are the absolute worst for serving for an amatuer especially from wekside but an amateur can serve the best from either strongside weakside using long pips | |
| backhand Serving - Professional Athlete | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ||
| backhand Serving - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| forehand Return of Serve - Professional Athlete | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| forehand Return of Serve - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | Serve return is so much easier from either side for amateur uisng actual long pips or ITTF slim pips due to buil-in variations by design of long pips but wide pips is the absolute worst for serve return for an amateur. | |
| backhand Return of Serve - Professional Athlete | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| backhand Return of Serve - Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | This is where wide pips is the biggest problem for an amateur | |
| forehand- Overall best Rubber for a Professional Athlete | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | ||
| forehand- Overall best Rubber for an Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||
| backhand- Overall best Rubber for a Professional Athlete | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | Actual long pips or ITTF slim pips is best also for pro players on weakside unless they are 2 winged loopers. Wide pips is the worst even for pro players on the weakside | |
| backhand- Overall best Rubber for an Amateur Hacker / Groupie | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | Actual long pips or ITTF slim pips is hands down the absolute best weakside rubber for an amateur & wide pips is the absolute worst weakside rubber for an amateur, unless of course the amateur is under the delusion that they have no weakside or they think they can play as well as a pro using wide pips on the weakside.. Use long pips OX with frictionless (glassy top & widely spaced pips) type for close to the table blocking style or high friction (ribbed top & closely spaced pips) type for away from the table chopping style or with long pips with sponge and medium pip friction for all around style | |