So why did you continue using spinny inverted on your backhand then ?Larry Hodges wrote:on Tuesday 05 May 2026, 07:09
I mostly block, though I also can quick-hit short serves pretty well. I often chop-block with it, and I use a similar motion chop-blocking with long pips. I’ve blocked with long pips ox many times as a coach so my students can practice against it, and am pretty comfortable with it. Against backspin, I can both quick-hit and quick-block aggressively. I tested it out this week and felt pretty comfortable with it. (In my peak years, I probably would have been better with one of these surfaces – it fits my game.)
So you expect to pickup a smart racket with OX slim pips one side & expect to be a master at it within few sessions ?Larry Hodges wrote:on Tuesday 05 May 2026, 07:09
The problem is that the thinness of the rubber completely throws off my grip, and my forehand falls apart.
As far me I quit slim pips with OX on backhand with thick spinny inverted on forehand in my first 3 or 4 tries before I realized the power of slim pips (in the 38 mm ball era....of course I use non-ITTF actual long pips now)
Anti is a gimmick rubber for the most part. It is the rage now because Sabine Winter switched.
Keep in mind that even Jonyer switched to anti on backhand. (Long pips were banned in 1977 & given that Jonyer is not a chopper, the frictionless anti slim pips were still developing in early to mid 1980s when he switched . Otherwise would have been better off with frictionless slim pips).
It takes months if not years to adjust to OX slim pips after using spinny inverted for so long (like 30 to 40 years in your case).
OX slim or long pips are far superior to anti for chop blocking because of the weight of the anti. Much faster chop blocking movements are possible with OX slim or long pips than anti because of the lower weight of the racket. That is only one of many advantages of slim or long pips over anti
Lot of players go with anti because they think like you . They want instant gratification & anti can provide it over slim or long pips
Yes long pips are harder to learn to use than anti but principle of duality dictates that anything that is easy for you use is also easy for your opponent to play against
Yes blocking slim pips lost some of their edge over anti after the 2008 frictionless pips ban and it got worse for slim pips with additional rule changes like the arrival of the plastic ball etc. Also there are no COF limits on anti but there is minimum limit of 0.5 for slim pips in ITTF after the 2008 regulation change