How to Beat Antispin in Table Tennis

Last Updated on April 24, 2024 by Alex Horscroft

Do you see that? That’s the sight of your fellow teammates quaking in fear. They’ve seen your opponents starting to knock up and something’s up with one of the players. You take a closer look. He hits a push, and the ball has… topspin?! Oh no. He’s got anti. You’re all doomed. 

Sound familiar? That’s the consensus when it comes to antispin in table tennis. Everyone is afraid, but you don’t need to be. Antispin is very beatable. It’s the reason barely any pros use it. You just need to know how it plays. In this guide, I’ve covered everything I know about antispin. You’ll learn what it is, what spin it produces, its strengths, and most importantly, its weaknesses.

What Is Antispin in Table Tennis?

Antispin is one of the four types of rubbers alongside inverted, short pips, and long pips. 

It is characterized by a smooth and frictionless top sheet. This contrasts normal inverted rubbers which are grippy, making their behavior atypical. If you roll a ball along the top sheet of an antispin rubber you will feel little, if any friction. As such, antispin rubbers have a poor ability to generate spin. This is why they are called antispin. 

That being said, antispin rubbers do not completely kill the spin on the ball. And their ability to generate spin varies greatly depending on the model of rubber used.   

What You Need to Know: Visualizing Spin With Antispin

Lots of players are scared to play against antispin because they lack experience and are not sure how it behaves. I was very much in this category for a long time, but through observation, I learned how antispin reacts.

My most important piece of advice is that antispin CONTINUES the spin that is already on the ball, but REDUCES the amount.  

With this information alone you can play effectively against antispin, but it certainly helps to see the spin visualized. It’s also important to understand exactly how spin works. You may think that standard topspin players hitting the ball back and forth are continuing the spin on the ball, but this is NOT the case.

When you hit a topspin shot with an inverted rubber against another topspin shot, you are actually producing the opposite kind of spin. Instead, it is topspin against backspin where the spin is traveling in the same direction. This can be difficult to get your head around, but it’s important for understanding how antispin works.  

As antispin is frictionless, it can’t produce any spin of its own (well, not a meaningful amount anyway). This means the ball comes back to you with the same type of spin you produced. To help you understand, I’ll explain how various antispin shots impact the spin on the ball.

Antispin Chop Against Topspin: Gives Backspin

When you hit a topspin shot the ball rotates forward, and when an antispin player chops the ball they are attempting to rotate the ball in the SAME direction. If it were an inverted rubber, the top sheet would grip the ball and increase the amount of spin on it.

However, as antispin is frictionless, it can’t grip the ball well. As a result, it does little to affect the amount of spin on the ball. If you hit a medium topspin loop, you can expect either a medium backspin chop or a light backspin chop. A chop from a long pips or inverted rubber would produce more backspin.

Antispin Push Against Backspin: Gives Topspin 

Listen up, because this is where people start to get lost. When you push the ball against an antispin player, their resulting push has topspin on it. This may seem to defy all logic, but remember what I mentioned earlier, antispin has almost no grip. This means the spin that YOU impart on the ball continues. 

Notice how the arrows are traveling in the same direction. I’ve also shortened the outbound arrow, as an antispin push will slightly diminish the spin on the ball. This gives you a light topspin ball, the perfect one to put away if you have the confidence!

Antispin Topspin Against Backspin: Gives Topspin

Just as when antispin players chop against topspin, their topspin strokes against backspin CONTINUE the rotation of the ball. This is because they are attempting to rotate the ball in the SAME direction as you hit it. 

Consequently, you can expect topspin on the ball, just as if you were playing a plain old inverted rubber. That being said, there is less spin on the ball than compared to inverted. This is because the frictionless nature of antispin prevents it from effectively gripping the rubber. For this reason, long pips players cannot execute heavy topspin shots such as loops. 

Antispin Topspin Against Topspin: Gives Backspin

Just as an antispin push will not reverse the spin on the ball against a push like a usual inverted rubber would, the same is true when it comes to topspin. Normally, topspin strikes CHANGE the rotation of the ball after every hit. However, antispin lacks the grip to do this. As a result, you get the SAME spin as you impart on the ball. 

Overall the spin will be reduced, giving a ball with medium to light backspin.  

Strengths of Antispin Players

1. Most Players Are Afraid of It

I think the strongest asset of antispin rubbers is that players don’t understand how to play against them. This is because they are just so damn rare. Even long pips players are a hell of a lot more common.

If players faced antispin rubbers on the regular, this fear would fizzle out as experience brings confidence.

2. Behaves Differently to Inverted Rubbers

This is the biggest reason that players struggle with antispin. These rubbers radically change the spin you receive compared to inverted rubbers which is tough to adapt to. 

You constantly have to make a note of the shot you just performed as this heavily shapes the type of spin you will receive. 

3. Slower Pace

Antispin rubbers are a lot slower than most which can slow the game down. However, they take this one step further. Sometimes you may notice the slower pace throws off your timing (e.g. the ball drops earlier than you anticipated). I’d partially attribute this to spin. Remember, antispin rubbers produce different spin from what you might naturally expect – this affects the trajectory of the ball.

4. Consistent

Antispin players are very consistent and rely on you to make mistakes. If you don’t have a solid grasp of how the rubber works, they can easily grind out a game by playing safe and just keeping the ball on the table.

5. Combination Setups

The scariest antispin players use a combination setup for extra trickiness! For example, a player may use antispin on their backhand and inverted on their forehand. This adds another factor to consider, as you have to note which rubber they use to strike the ball — both will require very different shots.

To make matters worse, these players will probably twiddle their paddle and punish weak balls with their more powerful forehand rubber. As such, passive play is usually not a good idea. 

6. Enables Older Slower Players to Compete at a High Level

While table tennis isn’t especially demanding, with age, our ability to play declines, especially if you’re an attacker. 

Yet antispin rubbers help older players to remain elite. They slow the game down and prevent most opponents from blasting the ball. This allows elderly folks to lean on their experience and technique. 

How to Beat Antispin Players in Table Tennis

1. Push One Loop One

One of my favorite strategies against antispin players is to push and then loop. Why do I recommend this? Simple. The push return will have light topspin, not backspin as usual. This makes the ball very easy to attack if you read it properly.

The main difficulty is having the confidence to go for the hit! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve chickened out on looping these easy balls because it goes against my muscle memory. You see a push, you expect backspin, but when playing anti, you have to force a shift in your mindset.

2. Long Backspin Serves

Similar to looping pushes, you should set yourself up for a light topspin ball that you can hit, the best way to do this is with a long backspin serve to their long pips rubber. 

As always, variation is the key, but these serves are my favorite. Most antispin players will not attack, and if they do, it’s an easy return. The ball with have light topspin which you can either drive, loop, or block. 

3. Don’t Push Twice in a Row

This is a mistake a lot of players make: myself included. When a push doesn’t feel quite right to attack, naturally, you’ll want to push and hope the next ball is better. However, against antispin, pushing consecutively isn’t a great strategy. 

This is because your antispin opponent will most likely play a push of their own which will give you a topspin ball — the perfect ball to hit. Playing a push is a bad idea as it is more difficult. You’ll likely hit it too high over the net, tempting a smash. 

4. Use Depth and Placement Effectively

Players who chop with antispin like to stand a good distance away from the table. Put their reactions and footwork to the test by bringing them in and out. Hit a loop, and then push the chop short. They’ll run in to play push, which as we know will have topspin, making it easy to hit the ball deep again with another loop.

Playing the ball wide is just as effective. And given how deep some antispin players stand, this strategy can be more effective than against most other players. 

5. Controlled Topspin

Many players swear by playing a controlled topspin style against antispin, only hitting heavy topspin against balls that they feel they can finish.

The more spin you put on the ball, the more spin that is going to come back at you, and this can be difficult if you are not super confident with how antispin plays. That’s why a controlled topspin game is so effective. It keeps the spin manageable and allows you to focus on placement rather than speed.

If you use this strategy well, eventually you should receive a sub-optimal ball that you can put away with a heavy loop.

6. Stick Mainly to One Side If They Are Using Combination Rubbers

If you’re up against an antispin player with combination rubbers, playing most balls to one side is a solid strategy. Sure it limits your placement and makes you more predictable, but is also safer.

Switching between inverted and antispin can really fry your brain and cause you to play passively. Therefore limiting your returns to one rubber makes it easier to get into a sense of rhythm.

However, I should note that this isn’t the best way to play antispin, it’s just a method you can use if things aren’t going your way. You also won’t be able to use this if your opponent twiddles.

7. Avoid Heavy Sidespin Serves

Where sidespin serves are very effective against inverted-style players, in my experience, they are not very effective against antispin.

First and foremost, antispin doesn’t react to spin like plain old inverted. The frictionless surface means sidespin doesn’t do all that much, therefore you likely won’t win many points from your serves.

In fact, it will probably lose you more overall. This is because the spin can get rather confusing. By introducing them you have to think about the backspin/topspin AND sidespin on the ball. Ultimately, you’re much better off using manageable backspin serves.

8. Exploit Their Poor Attacking Ability

A fundamental weakness of antispin is that this rubber can’t generate any meaningful spin — instead, it uses your own spin against you. 

This means that antispin players have very limited attacking options. While they can smash and drive, they can’t really loop. The rubber just isn’t able to grip the ball well enough. Therefore, if you keep the ball low, there’s no easy way for them to hit it past you. 

Analyzing the Characteristics of an Antispin Rubber

Before you begin a match, you are allowed to inspect your opponent’s racket to see what kind of rubber they are using. If your opponent is wielding anything other than inverted, this is always a good idea. When you know the type of rubber it is easier to strategize. Here are some characteristics to take note of

1. Top Sheet Grip

Most antispin rubbers are frictionless, however, some antispin rubber sheets do have some grip. Simply feeling the rubber will tell you all you need to know here. The more grip it has, the more the rubber can produce spin.

2. Hardness of the Sponge

As with inverted rubbers, a soft sponge allows more of the top sheet to be in contact with the ball. Consequently, it is easier to produce spin. By contrast, a harder sponge reduces the area of the top sheet touching the ball, thereby diminishing the spin.

3. Hardness of the Top Sheet

This is largely the same as my point above. A harder top sheet means less of it contacts the ball which means reduced spin. While a softer top sheet increases spin, it is not all that sizeable — we are leagues below the spin of an inverted rubber here.

The Antispin Player in Action

There’s a great YouTube channel run by Andrea Aschi that displays the utility of antispin. He uses a combination setup which is the best way to use the rubber. Any time a player misreads the ball he is quick to come around with a powerful forehand loop. 

Closing Thoughts

Antispin may be scary to play against, but remember its spin is easy to predict just like with inverted rubbers. Your hesitancy is simply a result of a lack of experience. By employing the strategies in this guide, you place yourself in a much better position to get the win.

My parting advice is to keep your cool. Too many players get frustrated against antispin because it feels like a cheat code. Instead, stay composed, and play methodically. If you start trying to kill every ball in frustration you’ll almost certainly lose. 

Next Lessons

Now that you know how to tackle antispin, I highly recommend you check out my strategy guide against long pips. The style is very similar so you won’t have to make many adjustments. 

You also might want to learn about playing against short pips too. They can be quite troublesome to play against if you don’t know what you are doing!