Over the years, I have heard many disgruntled table tennis players mutter these words “pimples should be banned”.
I hear this mostly from players starting their competitive journey, having just suffered an incomprehensible defeat at the hands of a pimple player.
Learning how to play table tennis can be hard enough. Getting used to the different serves, the different shots, the different spins, the different playing styles and the different tactics is plenty hard enough.
Then you face a player with pimples (short, medium or long) and the ball is behaving in a completely different way. The spin is the opposite of what you expect and your shot ends up in the net, or flies off the end of the table. You suffer a heavy defeat. It feels like your opponent is winning with material, not skill. It’s confusing, demotivating and seems really unfair.
So, should pimples be banned? I’m going to look at both sides of the argument, before giving my verdict. But I’d like to hear from you too. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.
The case for banning pimples
The core complaint is simple … pimples give an unfair advantage.
- Players win matches with material, because the opponent is unfamiliar with the spin effects.
- The spin from pimples can feel random, which is immensely frustrating. What’s the point in playing if you have no idea what spin is on the ball?
- Pimples over-complicates table tennis for beginners. The learning curve is steep enough without having to become a physics expert just to return a chop, push or basic serve.
- Pimples reduces table tennis from a skill-based sport to a ‘trick’ or ‘disruption’ game.
- Other racket sports such as tennis, squash, pickleball and padel do not have rackets which radically change the spin of the ball.
- Table tennis would be much more enjoyable, and fairer, if we all played with the same type of material.
In support of pimples
Now let’s consider some counter-arguments…
- Historically, table tennis started with pimples-out. Sponge rubber is the ‘new’ invention.
- Pimples add more variety to the sport. It enables different playing styles and strategies to be used, which adds more challenge for all players.
- It actually takes a lot of skill to use pimples well, particularly at a higher level. It’s not cheating. It’s a different skill set.
- The spin isn’t random. Yes, it’s different to regular inverted rubbers, but it’s predictable once you understand how pimples work.
- Pimples can be a weakness, too. An experienced player knows how to exploit the limitations of the material.
- It allows older players to remain competitive. They can use pimples to slow down the game and cause some disruption to younger and faster attacking players.
Tom’s Verdict
I completely understand the frustration of lower level players or those new to the sport. Initially pimples seem really unfair.
And it is true that a player with pimples can win many matches, simply because the opponent is unfamiliar with the material. I still remember my first defeats against short pimples, medium pimples and long pimples. I really had no idea what was going on!
However, even though pimples are different, they are not random. They have their own predictable patterns, which can be learnt. If we take long pimples as an example. At first it feels like the spin is random, but it’s not. There is a set pattern. If I topspin and the long pimples player chops, the ball comes back with heavy backspin. If I then push and the long pimples player pushes, the ball comes back floaty or with a little topspin. Once this basic pattern is understood, then the game is fair again.
If I now lose to a player with long pimples, it’s simply because he is better at executing his game plan or has superior skills, not because I don’t understand how the material is changing the spin on the ball. This is fair.
Treat pimples as a problem-solving exercise. It forces you to adapt your game, use different tactics, and think your way through a rally. That’s a good thing for your overall development. If you view it this way, you start to accept the validity of pimples. You might even start to enjoy the challenge.
And as any experienced pimples player will tell you, it really isn’t that easy to play well with pimples. At a very low level, a player may get some instant success by using pimples. But to play at a higher level requires just as much practise and dedication as playing with inverted rubbers.
So, here’s my advice to those of you who hate pimples…
- Embrace the challenge. Yes, it’s hard, but not impossible. Players with pimples are beatable. Your goal is to overcome this challenge.
- Learn how pimples work. Speak to other players. Read / watch material online (there is a lot). Find a coach who can help. Information is available. You need to be open minded to understanding how the spin is changing.
- Find practice partners with pimples. This is crucial. You need to get used to the different speed and spin of their shots and how to adjust your own shots. If the only time you ever play someone with pimples is in a competitive match, it will always be really unfamiliar. But if you practice against pimples in your training sessions, you will feel much more in control in competitive matches.
It does take time to get used to short pimples, medium pimples and long pimples. And you’ll have plenty of defeats initially. But the more you play against pimples and get used to them, you will start winning. You’ll wonder what all the fuss was about. You will be a better, more complete player for having faced the pimples challenge.
Your views
But what do you think? Do you have a different perspective? Should pimples be banned? Or are they good for the sport? Let me know in the comments below.