Tip 10 - Be Able to Chop with the Normal Side
A warning to those modern defenders who plan to speed glue the normal side of their bat and attack with it - make sure you can control the ball when chopping with the inverted rubber. You need to be able to provide some spin variation as well - only being able to float the ball back is going to get you in a lot of trouble very fast. Have a look at the best modern defenders - even they have to chop the ball sometimes with their speed glued rubber - and I'm willing to bet that they are quite a bit faster around the table tennis court than you are!Tip 11 - Be Realistic
Many players watch Joo Se Hyuk or Chen Weixing playing and decide that they want to play the same way. Be aware that these players took years to master these styles. If you have been a speed gluing attacker, don't expect that slapping a sheet of long pimples on your backhand will make you a world-beater. These a reason that there is only a few modern defenders in the top 100 - it's an incredibly difficult style to master. You can have a lot of fun trying though!Tip 12 - Know Where You Are
Using long pimples will allow you to stay closer to the table and still control the ball - but be careful not to get caught too close to the table when using your normal side of the bat. Watch the best modern defenders and you will notice that they go back a step or two when chopping with the normal side.Tip 13 - Hang 'em High
Don't be afraid to to throw in the odd high chop ball that is heavily spun. Many attackers have good power loops from low balls, but find it difficult to change their stroke when attacking the high chop ball instead. Find out how your opponent plays the high heavy chop and topspin lob early on - if he keeps looping then you know you have a safety margin since he will not be likely to smash the ball past you, so you can put you chops up safer and higher. If your opponent can smash the high ball with ease, try the occasional floated high ball and see whether he picks the change in spin.Tip 14 - Pick a Side for Your Attacks
At the advanced level , once you have gained control of the rally and are attacking your opponent, stick to attacking with your forehand. If your opponent places the ball on your backhand side, either use your footwork to play a forehand, or chop the ball with the long pimples on your backhand. Trying to twiddle the bat and keep the attack going with your backhand loop is a recipe for disaster - it's very doubtful that you will be able to get the bat angle correct in time.At the lower levels, smart use of the twiddle can allow you to use your long pimples on the third or fourth attack for variation. Don't twiddle too early - have a couple of tries at putting the ball past your opponent with your normal side first. But if you have hit a couple of attacks and your opponent is comfortably returning them, a quick twiddle and hit with the long pimples will throw most lower level opponents off. Twiddle back to the smooth rubber for the next attack though - or else you will be asking for trouble.
Tip 15 - Open Up and Say Ahh!
Up to the intermediate level, it is possible to win a lot of points by hitting with the long pimples, simply due to your opponent's unfamiliarity with them. So make the most of it and hit every now and again.At the advanced level, you had better know what you are doing when you try to open up with the long pimples - some opponents will handle it better than others. Give it a try and see. Try from both the backhand and forehand at least once. At the pro level, watch the top defenders and count how many times they open up with their long pimples - you can probably count it on the fingers of one finger. By the time you get to that level you will know why as well!
Next: Classic Defender Tactics for Playing With Long Pimples
