A few weeks ago, I bought Butterfly Super Anti, Yasaka Anti Power, and Nittaku Best Anti. So far, I have only been able to try the Anti Power and the Super Anti. I will update this blog entry as I play more with the anti rubbers. So far, I am not impressed. First, I have a relatively good BH with which I can put pressure or attack. I feel I give that up when I use anti rubber. I can only block and flat hit and hope the opponent screws up and dumps a ball inside the net. The good thing about playing with anti is that it can block high-speed drives and loops and the anti rubber takes a lot of pace off the ball. Also, once the opponent realizes that they are dumping balls in the net, they become more cautious, giving me more opportunities to attack with my FH. Also, I have found that my BH is avoided.
I have the Super Anti mounted on my TBS with Tenergy 05 on the FH. The Anti Power is on my Samsonov Alpha with Mark V max on the FH.
You can get this Anti Power rubber from Megaspin.
Different between Super Anti & Anti Power
Super Anti and Anti Power’s primary difference is the Super Anti’s top sheet has less friction compared to the Anti Power. However, both rubbers have friction and but neither are close to Pogo 0X LP in that regard.
The other difference is the speed or how bouncy the rubbers are. The Anti Power seems to do better though the Super Anti is faster.
I prefer the Super Anti because it does slip the balls a little more and allows a little more ‘spin reversal’ even though it doesn’t do quite as well at blocking fast drives and loops because it is more lively. If I do get the ball back the ‘spin reversal’ will be a bigger problem for the opponent.
I would rather play with the Pogo LP 0X than anti. LPs cause much more fear, uncertainty, and doubt than the anti. The LP is harder to play with as it does not block the hard shots better than anti. I can attack with topspin with LPs which is something I give up with anti.
Playing with my Samsonov Alpha+H2 Neo+Anti Power
I played against an experienced player who had played with anti before but currently uses SP on his BH. He was an excellent looper too. We just hit balls, but he was doing slightly better until I tried chopping with the anti. That seems to be the weak spot as he had great difficulty with my chops.
Meanwhile, the H2 Neo played well. No big adjustment was needed, and it seemed natural. I don’t think H2 Neo is all the hype it is made to be, but it is good rubber.
When hitting backhands, I switched the H2 Neo to the BH, and it played well. The consensus I get from almost everybody is I shouldn’t be using anti. My BH is relatively good to be screwing around with anti or LPs.
I still have to watch out for spinny serves but they didn’t affect the anti as much. I can put topspin on the ball, but it takes a more open or vertical stroke to do so, and as I said, the chopping seemed to work well.
I played the best with my Instinct+2xReflectoid. I beat a young looper that I had not win before. My Favorite Table Tennis Video
I watched many times the Henzel video. I liked his tomahawk serve. Monkey see monkey do. I now have a wicked tomahawk serve. It keeps me in games that I would otherwise lose. I serve them fast, low, long, at all angles, and very spinny.
Loopers have many problems trying to make opening loops on these serves, and I don’t give them time to react. I have learned from the videos on this site. I see what is possible and then I do my monkey see monkey imitation.
Tomorrow, I take the Samsonov Alpha with H2 Neo and Anti Power and my TBS+T05+Super Anti to the club along with my favorite Instinct+2xReflectoid.
Read Also: Some Quality Butterfly Rubbers For Your Consideration
All 3 Anti Rubbers Being Tested
I have now played with all three anti rubbers I bought. They are Butterfly Super Anti, Yasaka Anti Power, Nittaku Best Anti.
The difference is not much. If someone asks me which one to try first, I would say the Nittaku Best Anti. Best Anti is as good as the Super Anti at absorbing fastballs and returning balls without modifying the spin or what most call spin reversal.
The big difference is that Best Anti is cheaper, almost as cheap as some CN rubbers. I didn’t test all the rubbers on the same paddle. The Super Anti is on a TBS, the Best Anti is on a BalsaCarbo X5, and the Anti Power was on my Samsonov Alpha.
My first impression when trying anti rubbers is that they were not as anti as I expected. You can’t just put the paddle in the way of a fastball and expect it to go back.
The paddle must be angled or closed correctly as anti does have some friction. When blocking loops, one must estimate the speed and topspin of the incoming ball accurately to complete the paddle correctly. There is no magic here.
I played with Pogo 0X before, and the anti-rubbers responded more to the spin than the LP. The anti rubbers do a better job of absorbing energy than the 0X LP but the anti ‘spin reversal’ is not as great.
Easy Chop With All Rubbers
I found that I can chop with all the anti rubbers. It is relatively easy. I have this drill where I loop one and then chop one. I found this to be the best/safest option if caught back from the table, and the ball is low. You can’t loop with Anti.
You can get some topspin and notice a little drop, but it isn’t like what you get from an offensive inverted. Hitting with a topspin back from the table takes a little getting used to because the paddle must be very open compared to other offensive inverted rubbers. There isn’t the same tangential impulse ( geek speak ) with anti rubber.
I spent a few hours with Newgy with up to 5 paddles in front of me right there at the table to quickly switch between the paddles.
I also compared my Toxic 5+Peacekeeper and my 729 Bomb+Reflectoid+Pogo LP 0X. I set the Newgy up to shoot balls at different speeds, but I didn’t change the angle.
I wanted to hold the paddles in one place and see how the ball bounced back. When I set the Newgy up to shoot balls at different speeds, I was interested in how the balls return.
For instance, the LP paddle was much more sensitive to how the paddle was closed than anti-rubbers. I could hold the paddles with Anti at one angle and the different speedballs would all land.
Early on when playing against people, I found I couldn’t be passive with Anti. You still have to win points. It took me a while to realize this. At first, I was blocking balls back, waiting for the opponent to dump the ball into the net.
It happened but not enough. What is also strange is that some people don’t hit balls with many topspins and seem to be almost immune.
I found it interesting that people would overreact to my attempts at putting a spin on the ball and overcompensate. I also found that if I hit the ball harder with a topspin motion, I can get enough topspin at times to get the balls to drop.
With my Pogo LP 0X, I get much more spin reversal, many more floating or wobbly balls and balls that seem to stop and drop. To compensate, the anti rubbers are much easier to learn how to play with, but I lose a lot of attacking ability.
I can flat hit, but mostly I use the anti to set up my FH. Simply blocking and pushing balls back like PushBlocker does with his LP doesn’t work or perhaps PushBlocker isn’t merely pushing and blocking.
I have found that I can block exceptionally well with almost any inverted rubber. If you block with Tenergy 05 close of the bounce the ball’s speed will be killed. The paddle will need to be closed correctly, but it works.
The balls return very quickly to the opponent but with topspin. If I do the same with anti, the ball returns with much less speed but with backspin. Now if one learns to twiddle between shots, this will confuse the opponent. I am convinced that one of the keys to playing with anti is twiddling.
I need to take a paddle home and sit in front of the TV and twiddle paddle so I can do it quickly and without thinking about it. Then I always have the right side available. I will keep the anti rubbers on my paddle for a while to see if I get better at using them.
I like the fact that they are light. If I can keep the FUD ( fear uncertainty doubt ) factor high with anti, I may keep them on. Best Anti is now my anti of choice.
One of the things I need to learn is to twiddle. There is always something to learn.
Read also: How To Play Against Anti Spin?
Warren Davies
Editorial Team
Hi, I’m Warren Davies, a table tennis addict who loves sharing tips, reviews, and everything you need to level up your game. I’ve spent years playing, testing gear, and geeking out over the sport, and I’m here to make things simple and fun for players of all levels. When I’m not writing, you’ll probably find me perfecting my forehand or trying out the latest paddle.
