Ian ,ian demagi wrote:The purpose of this short treatise is to dispel confusion on the various types of pips out rubbers used in the modern standard TableTennis game. According to the ITTF there are only 2 major types of pips (or pimples) out rubbers divided into long and short pips out;
You make some good points in this post you made in 2011.
But the post is fundamentally flawed because the ITTF's definition is flawed by design.
To start with there are is no such thing as short pips on ITTF LARC .
ITTF's classification of rubbers on the LARC is flawed to start with.
Why ?
Let us talk about 4 ITTF rubber classifications in, anti, out & long
1. Do you agree that both in & anti are both inverted ?
2. Do you agree that both out & long are out ?
Now I know what they intended to imply but they assumed that everyone understands this.
They should have clearly defined these rubbers as spinny inverted, anti inverted & the so called short & long pips
I hope you understand the above clearly.
So now we come to the bigger problem > You and everyone called the two pips types or ITTF LARC as short pips & long pips.
You need to come out of being in denial and accept the fact that there are no actual long pips in ITTF's version of (Olympic) TableTennis .
Because ITTF banned all real long pips around 1977 .
ITTF's version of (Olympic) TableTennis is NOT real TableTennis . It is just a dumbed down version of real TableTennis with ITTF excessivelty enhancing top spin style of play using illegal chemicals (boosters & spein glues) but at the same time also severely limiting back spin & no spin styles of play by TOTALLY banning certain high back spin pips or no spin pips & limiting other existing pips over and over
And secondly, the maximum allowed pip length for the so called Out & Long rubbers is the same , which is 2.05 mm for sponged pips out rubbers (after 2024 and before 2024 it was 2.00 mm) & still the same 2.0 mm .
So difference between these two type of pips is not the length but rather the width. The so called short pips have higher allowed pip width as defined by the maximum allowed Aspect Ratio Limit for thee pips at 0.89 & so called long pips ITTF LARC has maximum allowed Aspect Ratio of 1.1 after 1998 (it was 1.3 before 1999).
So the bottom line is that there are no long pips ITTF's version of Olympic TableTennis. There are only wide pips &slim pips or if you like stiff pips & flex pips.
Actual long pips are available outside ITTF's version of Olympic TableTennis.
These are long pips rubbers such as Magic 77 or Reach C801 from China or many long pips from Indonesia
ITTF has continued to call the two types of pips as out & long to purposely deceive the defenders (especially choppers).
I hope this clears up things for you
An I suggest you rewrite your post for ITTF LARC rubbers such as useless social slim pips on ITTF LARC & truly functional REAL long pips outside ITTF's version of Olympic TableTennis.