Site Products
Coaching Tip of the Week: What to Do in the "Big Points"

Coaching Tip of the Week: How to Play a Player Who Attacks With Long Pips

(By Larry Hodges)

One of the most difficult shots to handle is a ball attacked by a player with long pips. You have little time to react to an attacked ball, and so have to rely on your reflexes – except your reflexes usually aren’t tuned to reacting to a ball attacked by long pips. But long pips isn’t designed for attacking, it’s designed for defense, and so its attack is limited. So the primary strength of a long pips attack is the novelty of it – you aren’t used to it. (If the opponent has thick sponge under his long pips, or is using medium-long pips, he may be able to attack a little more, but his attack is still limited.) So how do you handle this? Here are four ways.

  1. Don’t let them attack. Long pips can only attack effectively against backspin, or sometimes against a short and weak topspin or no-spin ball. (They can sometimes do a very “dead” counter with the long pips against a light topspin ball, but not with much pace.) So keep the ball deep, and usually either put no spin on the ball (and so get a no spin ball back) or give topspin (and so usually get a slower backspin ball return).
  2. Take a step off the table, and return with a topspin drive of some sort either offensively or defensively. By backing off the table, you have time to react. By putting topspin on the ball, the ball arcs onto the table, and stops the long-pipped player from attacking with the long pips. But be ready to get back to the table as you’ll likely get a dead, backspin return.
  3. Stay at the table, open your racket, and be willing to lose a number of points as you get used to countering their attacks. Once you get used to it, you have the advantage as your typical inverted sponge (as well as short pips) is better at counter-hitting than long pips.
  4. Play against players who attack with long pips in practice as often as possible until you get used to it.

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.

Latest News

Zyre 03: Redefining Power and Spin in Modern Table Tennis

October 13, 2025
(By Edgardo Vazquez/Bowmar Sports) In top-level table tennis, every detail counts. The choice of rubber can be the… Read More

Tip of the Week – Your Evolving Relationship With a Coach

October 13, 2025
By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame When you start out, the coach is… Read More

Rogelio Castro – Short Push vs Long Push

October 13, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Rogelio Castro is executing a touch drill that consist of… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Gold Coast Table Tennis Club

October 12, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) With their location on Main Street in Port Washington, the Gold Coast Table Tennis Club… Read More

ITTF Para Pan Am Championships: Van Emburgh, Seidenfeld, and Leibovitz Win Gold

October 12, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT) The 2025 ITTF Para Pan American Championships wrapped up this weekend in Sao… Read More

World Rankings: Chuqin Extends Lead, Lebrun Up 2 Spots

October 12, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The China Smash victory last year gives Wang Chuqin 10,900 ranking points, building… Read More

Kevin Doyle – Backhand Flip

October 12, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Kevin Doyle is working on his Backhand Flip from the… Read More

Arantxa Cossio Aceves – Backhand & Forehand Looping from Underspin

October 11, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips,  Arantxa Cossio Aceves is using multi-ball to polish off her Forehand… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.