Long pimple rubber

Hi,

I've been having trouble against players that have a bat with long pimple on one side and normal smooth rubber on the other, especially when they alternate the long pimple rubber between the forehand and backhand. Is it ok if i completely ignore which side of the bat the opponent's hit the ball with during a rally, and just focus on reading the spin of the ball alone? I find it difficult to think about too many things at once.

Cheers,

Hi Anthony,

Playing against combination bats is a challenge but really interesting as well.

Watching the ball and reading what is going on should always be your goal in a match situation. It is only possible to do one thing at a time.

You will read the spin and speed better if you have total focus on the ball. Let yourself make mistakes and learn. The biggest mistake we make with playing combination bats is getting frustrated because of the changes in spin and speed. The fact of the matter is most of us are underdeveloped against this play because we do not play against it as much as normal rubber.

Take every opportunity to play against combination bats and build up the experiences and memory in your brain. This is the quickest way to learn.  You will get better but it does take time like learning anything about table tennis.