Table Tennis Dayton presents the first of a series of "special guest" articles concerning a topic selected and written by the guest writer. The following article is written by Nick Snider, one of the top-rated mid-western players, playing out of the Cincinnatti TTC and the Northern Kentucky TTC. This article is in some respects a rebuttal to a recent Table Tennis Dayton article, Why Hardbat? You be the judge.

Nobody Likes Pimples!

By Nick Snider

For new people just being introduced to the sport or still undeveloped players, I hope you hear my call. In table tennis, nobody likes pimples!

It seems to me that every player I talk to under the 2000 rating level wants to rip the heads off of people who play with pimples/pips. The "Knuckle Ball" effect seems to throw everyone's game off. No matter how good a loop an inverted rubber player may hit, it seems to come back deader than a doornail and difficult to play on the table again.

Unfortunately table tennis players in the United States tend to put a high emphasis on rating. While it is fun to come home after a good tournament and try to figure out what your new rating will be, you'll find in the end it's irrelevant.

I am willing to listen to any backlash that may come of this opinion article. Don't get me wrong - I think there is a place in this sport for pips players. It really depends on the personality and the goals of a particular player. If someone starting out wants to increase their rating as quick as possible and is looking more at a short term goal, then pips may be a good choice. However I must say I admire people who dedicate themselves to learning the technique involved in playing with inverted rubber. With inverted rubber it takes time and experience to understand the different spins that can be imparted on the ball. Pips take away this learning curve and just place whatever balls come back at you dead back to your opponent. At the lower levels this often is an "easy" way to win matches. However as your rating goes up you will find yourself winning fewer and fewer matches. However, the inverted player will find themselves winning more and more matches as their rating goes up. In the end, if you never take the time in really understanding the spins of the ball, how can you possibly take down someone who does understand?

2000 seems to be a benchmark and a target for tournament players in the United States. I remember coming up and wishing I could be 2000. If that is your case, I recommend you slap on two sheets of inverted rubber and start learning. How many pips players do you know over 2000? Not many. How many inverted players over 2000 do you know? It's probably safe to say 95% of the players out there over 2000 are inverted rubber players.

Granted, I have put a lot of time into this great sport over the past years and not everyone may have the time available to them I have had. Even so, if you are playing in tournaments then you are probably putting in enough time necessary to learn enough with inverted to sit all of those pips players down.

Separated at birth? Nick and Amadeus'     Tom Hulce.

In closing, I'd like to say what it's like for me playing against pips players. When I play pips players I seem to have more time to get off my shots. I worry less about being pressed for time to perform my shots. Where an inverted loop coming at me may seem like a major league 90 m.p.h. fastball a pip ball coming at me seems like a 20 m.p.h. grapefruit-sized softball. It took a lot of time for me to get where I am but trust me, I still remember the battles I used to have with the pips players when I was coming up and it is still ever so sweet beating up on them now!

So I call to all of you beginners out there and even intermediate players who find themselves still under 2000. Don't give up! There is light at the end of the tunnel. Just keep working on your game with inverted rubber. There is nothing sweeter than seeing a pips player who used to junk you down walk away after being looped killed by your ever improving shots! HA!

Sidenote: Sorry to all you pips players I know, I still love you all!