When I stared playing the defensive style in 2007, I had so many weakness handling strokes with long pips. The opponents always exploited it. After some two years, any spin to my long pips is not a threat to me - under, top or dead. I use friction long pips though. To be honest, the extreme top spin from high level players (the unceasing loopers) are threat to me. Cutting heavy top spin is hard. I have a friend visiting from Hong Kong now. He is a high level Chinese style player in the 2400 to 2500 range. He uses Japanese penhold. He dropped me into my knees with his top spin few times. Fortunately, the players here can't generate that much top spin. If I play with frictionless long pips, my opponents can exploit me little because my strokes don't fit for frictionless pips style game.
As long as my opponent is not generating heavy top spin for me to defend, being a modern defender I should be able to attack. With friction long pips it is highly effective to attack. The trick is to find the right angle. With TSP Curl p1r, I punch the balls. With TSP Curl P-H I hit like a regular inverted with long arm swing hit.
Someone who knows the equipment and strokes can twidle the paddle and loop from BH with the inverted side. Chen Weixing does that occasionally.
I'm going to tell some weakness of long pips players. This is not to just help the attackers but to help the defenders to overcome their weakness.
1. Very spurious upward rotating underspin (close to 90 degree reverse rotation on the ball) is hard to handle for some pips players.
2. With the underspin you can control a frictionless long pips player and set up your attack.
3. Floating balls can trouble some pips players.
4. Long high speed knuckle ball can trouble the long pips players.
5. Heavy top spin can overcome defense. That's the point of offense though. If you are in a war fighting with an enemy, you use the extreme offensive equipment, power and strategy if your opponent is good at defending all the weapons you have used.
The smart long pips players have no problem to the above. A very well focused practice for 6 months with long pips can overcome all the above weakness. Yes, you should get the advise from the right coaches.
It is not fair to play defense against defense being an attacker. A game should be balanced with 50% defense (by defensive players) and 50% offense (by offensive players). If your opponent is a defender and you are an attacker, play the fair game of you attacking him and leave the defense to your opponent. When I play against some defenders in our club, I go offense all the time.
These are just my opinions, and not a forceful strategy. You guys know I talk stupid things sometimes
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