Struggling Against Anti-Spin? Here’s Proven Tactics to Win • Racket Insight

Picture this: you’re in the middle of a tournament, confident and in rhythm, when suddenly you face an opponent with a peculiar rubber that seems to defy the laws of physics. Every spin you generate comes back completely differently than expected.

Welcome to the challenging world of anti-spin.

Less than 1% of table tennis players use anti-spin rubber, making these encounters rare but potentially tournament-ending. While some players mistake it for long pips, anti-spin presents its own unique set of challenges that can frustrate even experienced players.

But here’s the good news: with the right knowledge and tactics, anti-spin players become far less mysterious and much more beatable.

This comprehensive guide will break down everything you need to know – from understanding the rubber’s properties to mastering specific strategies that will help you maintain control and win more matches against anti-spin players.

Page Contents (Quick Links)

Toggle

Understanding Anti-Spin Rubber: Basic Principles and Types

To understand how to beat anti-spin players, we should first define what anti-spin is.

Anti rubbers are basically extremely non-grippy inverted rubbers. They’re slick, and they don’t react to incoming spin. Check out our grippy vs tacky rubber comparison guide if you want to understand the different rubber surface types better.

However, just as not all inverted rubbers are the same, no two antis are the same.

Antispin rubbers can be classified into two categories: classic antis and modern antis.

Classic antis have little grip but more than modern antis. They reverse spin to a certain degree but not too much, and they have enough grip for the anti user to attack and put a bit of their own spin.

These are the kind that will return “dead” or slight backspin balls if you play a topspin and the player blocks it back.

Modern antis are the ones that the top pro players are using. They are almost completely non-grippy, and they reverse spin to an extreme degree. The most notable of these antis is the Dr. Neubauer ABS antispin family.

These are the kind that will return extreme backspin if you play a topspin and the player blocks it back. However, they severely limit the player to just pushing and blocking; it’s extremely hard to attack with these.

Also, the sponge thickness of your opponent’s anti will also affect how it plays: less thickness usually means more reversal but less dampening effect.

You don’t need to know what antispin your opponent is using, but do pay attention to how much they reverse spin.

If the opponent’s anti returns float balls, you’ll have to hit more forward and close your racket angle.

If the opponent’s anti returns heavy backspin balls, you’ll have to play safer open-ups, pushes, and other shots we’ll talk about next.

Common Mistakes When Facing Anti-Spin Players

If you tend to lose against anti players, you’re probably making some of the mistakes we’ll talk about now:

Misreading Float vs Backspin Returns

This one is, in my opinion, the most common mistake when playing against anti.

Against antispin, it’s extremely important to read spin properly. If you can’t read the spin the ball is carrying and adjust accordingly, you won’t be able to win.

But how can I get better at reading spin?

Focus and Bend Your Knees

To read the spin the ball is carrying properly, you should focus and bend your knees.

You should look at the ball as if you had laser eyes and you wanted to disintegrate it.

Another way to think about it is, you should try to look through the ball, as if you were trying to see what’s inside of it. I’m aware these tips sound funny, but cues like these make you focus on a higher level.

And, bending your knees is also crucial to reading spin properly. If you’re standing up straight, it’s almost impossible to read spin properly because you’re looking down at the ball from afar.

If you bend your knees properly, the ball will be much closer to eye level, so you’ll be able to watch exactly how much the ball is spinning each and every time.

Rushing Attacks

If you’re playing against antispin, the other player won’t be able to attack you with their anti side, at least not to an extent where their attack is too hard to return.

So, make sure to take your time. You don’t have to finish the point with your first attack. Anti players will have to block your attacks close to the table because the rubber is not that effective away from the table. If you attack them a few times, you should be able to win the point.

It’s like playing against a chopper, in this respect (playing patiently).

Proven Tactics to Defeat Anti-Spin Opponents

Now that we’ve talked about what not to do to avoid losing points, we’ll give you our top tips to actually win the match.

Read Their Game as Fast as Possible

This is the most important tip. You should first identify what kind of anti players they are.

Some anti players base their game around the anti rubber. Against these players, chances are that you’ll win by playing to their wide forehand and then their wide backhand.

If they feel confident with their anti-rubber, play to their inverted one.

Others use anti because they want to set up easy balls to their forehand. A good number of these players had a weak backhand with inverted but a strong forehand, so they use anti to enable their forehands, but they don’t use their anti as well.

Against these players, you should direct your attacks to their anti.

Table tennis is a game of percentages. You should recognize where you’re winning your points and put your eggs in that basket.

Play with Spin to Their Forehand, and With Speed to Their Backhand

This is a key tip against anti.

Anti works wonders when receiving spinny balls. But it’s quite hard to block fast balls with it.

So, something you can do is play your spinny shots to your opponent’s forehand, and your fast shots to their backhand.

Your opponent will struggle to block your spinny shots with their inverted rubber, and they’ll struggle to block your fast shots with their anti.

Many times, opening up with tons of spin to an anti rubber is like shooting yourself in the foot.

The best strategy is to open up with tons of spin to their inverted rubber, and, when they block it back, finish the point targeting their backhand or elbow.

Flat Hit when Possible

Because anti rubber thrives when you give it spin to work with, if you get the chance, make sure to flat hit the ball towards their anti side.

It’s extremely difficult to return these shots for the anti player.

Serve Either Topspin, No-Spin, or Backspin

Against anti players, never serve sidespin. You’ll receive extremely awkward balls.

Serve backspin or no-spin if you want to receive a no-spin ball back to attack. And, serve topspin if you want to get a backspin ball to open up.

I would serve a combination of short serves to their forehand and long serves to their backhand.

Mental Game: Staying Focused Against Anti-Spin

When playing against anti, the mental side is just as important as the technical and tactical sides, so we have prepared 2 tips for you.

Expect Mistakes and Adapt Quickly

This is the most important tip: be prepared to make mistakes.

Anti is a weird rubber to play against, so it’ll force errors out of you. It’s why players use it, to get the other player to make mistakes.

We can’t control exactly how many mistakes we make. We can reduce mistakes by playing high-percentage shots and trying our best to read the spin of the ball, but we aren’t robots. We are going to make mistakes, and that’s completely fine.

What we can control is how we react to these mistakes. If you let mistakes undermine your confidence, or you get angry or frustrated at them, then chances are, you will lose the match.

If you manage to stay positive throughout the match, chances are you’ll win. It’s that simple.

Be Patient, It’s Often a Game of Attrition

Related to our last tip: playing against anti is, many times, a game of outlasting your opponent. This includes your mental game.

If you lose your cool or you start rushing, you’ll enter a vicious cycle of making mistakes, getting frustrated, and then making more mistakes. If you enter that loop, it’ll be nearly impossible to get out, so take your time, get the ball on the table as much as possible, and stay positive.

Essential Training Drills to Master Beating Anti-Spin

We’ll now recommend 2 drills you can do to get better at playing against antispin.

Short Backspin Serve, Long Push, Open up Towards Antispin, Free

This exercise will get you better at playing the anti game.

You will serve backspin, your opponent will play a long push wherever they want, you open up to their anti side, and then you’ll have to react to the incoming ball and play the best shot you can.

2 Loops, 1 Push

You will play towards the anti side, 2 loops and 1 push. You can choose whether you hit all forehands, all backhands, the important part is that you play 2 loops and 1 push.

This will make you get used to all the different balls anti rubbers can give you.

Key Takeaways

Success against anti-spin players comes down to mastering these essential elements:

Spin Recognition: Learn to read the ball’s rotation carefully, especially distinguishing between float and backspin returns. Getting low and focusing intently on the ball is crucial.

Strategic Adaptability: Direct spinny shots to your opponent’s normal rubber and fast shots to their anti-spin side. Avoid serving sidespin, and utilize flat hits when possible.

Mental Discipline: Accept that mistakes will happen and maintain your composure. The player who stays patient and positive usually wins these matches.

Technical Approach: Use a combination of short serves to the forehand and long serves to the backhand. Don’t rush your attacks, but build points methodically.

Game Analysis: Quickly identify if your opponent is anti-spin dependent or using it to set up their stronger side, then adjust your strategy accordingly.

With these tips in mind, you’ll be way better prepared next time you face an anti player.

Don’t worry if you can’t nail all these strategies right away, that’s totally normal. Pick one or two things to focus on first (I’d suggest getting good at reading spin and staying patient), and build from there.

Here’s what I always tell people I coach: anti isn’t some magical rubber that makes players unbeatable. It’s just different.

Once you understand how it works and what to do against it, it becomes much more manageable. I’ve seen tons of players go from hating to play against anti to actually enjoying these matches because they know exactly what to do.

So next time you see someone pull out an anti rubber, don’t stress. Take a deep breath, remember what we covered here, and trust your game. Win or lose, each match against anti makes you a better player.

Alvaro’s a qualified ITTF Level 1 Coach who’s been playing Table Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked within the top 50 in his native Argentina. He loves to compete in provincial tournaments and is always looking for ways to improve. Alvaro made his favorite memories with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight team to share his passion with other players!

Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 09c | Backhand: Butterfly Tenergy 19
Playstyle: The Controller