Nittaku Goriki Kaisoku: An Inverted Rubber With Short-Pip Characteristics?

    It is very rare to encounter an inverted rubber that is purported to have short-pip-like characteristics. Nonetheless, that’s how the Japanese-made Nittaku Goriki Kaisoku (NGK) is described. This rubber is designed for smashing, flat hitting, and driving, making it suitable for an aggressive playing style close to the table. Nittaku recommends using the Kaisoku rubber on an all-wood blade with extended dwell time, as this is said to facilitate punchy play.

    The rubber is made using the “ACTIVE CHARGE” system, which allows the ball to bite firmly while keeping the rubber and sponge tense. Nittaku gives the Goriki Kaisoku speed/spin ratings of 15.25/11.75, respectively, thus purportedly rendering it slightly faster but less spinny than the popular Nittaku Fastarc G-1 (15.00/12.50).

    The NGK comes in a cardboard wrapper resembling the outer walnut ply of the Goriki blades. A brief description of the rubber’s characteristics, written in different languages, is provided on the back.

    The entirely non-tacky and matte topsheet feels reasonably grippy to the touch. The pimples, which appear to be very short and broad, are faintly visible below the surface. The sheet, which domes slightly, has a rubbery smell. The medium-hard yellow/cream-colored sponge is solid with no pores. The uncut sheet weighs 64 grams (length x width: 178 mm x 168 mm) and 44 grams when cut to the 158 mm x 151mm test blade. Thus, the NGK is a very lightweight rubber on par with the Nittaku Fastarc S-1 and 39-degree DHS Hurricane 2 or DHS Hurricane 3 rubbers.

Testing Procedure

    I evaluated the NGK (red, 2.0 mm) rubber using my standard reference blade, i.e., the popular Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition 7-ply all-wood blade with Spinlord Waran II short pips in my BH. I attached the brand-new rubber to the blade as received using two layers of the Revolution 3 normal viscosity glue. I tested the setup over several sessions, playing a mix of regular and match-like drills against my regular high-level practice partner (two-winged looper) and practice matches against intermediate-level club members, using Neottec Neoplast Pro 40+ training balls throughout this test.

Playing Impressions

Driving

     The first couple of forehand (FH) drives revealed that the NGK is a fairly slow, non-bouncy rubber (low OFF-) that produces short and flat shot trajectories. I had to lean more aggressively into the ball to ensure my FH drives didn’t catch the net. Even so, the shots landed close to the net. Once I adjusted, I was able to execute faster, longer, and more consistently FH drives.

    Given the claims that the NGK shares characteristics with short-pip rubbers, I tried a couple of backhand (BH) drives. Let me tell you, the NGK is not a short, pimpled rubber, as I struggled to keep any of my BH drives on the table! However, I can see where Nittaku is coming from. The throw angle is very low for an inverted rubber, but nowhere near as low as the Spinlord Waran II short pips that I normally use. The Waran II, with its grippy and soft topsheet and horizontal pip orientation, is far from being an extreme type of short-pimpled rubber. It is as close to an inverted rubber as you can get with short pips. (Reminder: I transitioned from inverted to short-pimpled rubbers on my BH approximately ten years ago.)

Looping

     I was able to play FH warm-up loops with excellent consistency. However, I had to use a more upward motion to account for the low throw angle. The spin level on my FH loops was low, so low that it occasionally confused my practice partner, who sent several of his blocks into the net. Clearly, when looping with the NGK, the focus is more on directness and speed rather than spin. The flat trajectory means that the shots tend to graze or go into the net unless a more upward motion is used.

    Third-ball attacks against long pushes followed a similar pattern. I had to use a more upward motion for the shots to clear the net, and I won points by placing direct shots in hard-to-reach places with good consistency, rather than overpowering my practice partner with high spin levels.

    To my surprise, the NGK worked quite well in FH loop-to-loop rallies far from the table. Once again, the shot trajectories were fairly flat with limited spin, necessitating a more upward motion, but I was able to land the direct and long FH loops with good consistency.

Blocking

     I expected the NGK to be a soft, mushy disaster on FH blocks, but its moderate speed, low throw angle, and lack of spin sensitivity meant that FH blocks against high-quality loops could be played with good consistency. Since the rubber is relatively slow, I could lean into the ball more, often resulting in very fast blocks and “burns”.

    To further evaluate the claim that the NGK behaves like a short, pimpled rubber, I tried to play a couple of BH blocks against high-quality topspins, but I could not keep the blocks on the table. This again shows that the NGK isn’t a direct replacement for short, pimpled rubbers.

Smashing

     The NGK’s flat throw angle lends itself to smashes and flat hits, even though the rubber isn’t supremely fast. However, since the sponge is relatively soft, the underlying blade’s characteristics shine through more clearly on these shot types, resulting in a cracking sensation and crisp response.

Flicking

     The modest speed, lack of spin sensitivity, and docile nature of the NGK work remarkably well for FH flicks. However, mini-loop style FH flicks must be timed well to curl the shots over the net to compensate for the low spin levels and absence of a catapult effect. Once mastered, controlled FH flickscan be executed. Pancake-style flicks can also be performed with good consistency, though they aren’t particularly fast.

Pushing

     Generally, long FH pushes against backspin serves worked fairly well, being flat and direct, albeit not particularly spinny. Occasionally, the pushes went too far, which I attributed to the low spin levels produced. Short pushes and touch shots were relatively easy to keep short and low, but had only moderate levels of spin, which invited my practice partner to attack them.

Serving

    In line with the above observations, I was able to keep my pendulum backspin serves short and low, but they did not seem to be particularly spinny. My long top/side-spin serves were consistent and had good length, but were only moderately spinny and fast.

Conclusion

    The Nittaku Goriki Kaisoku rubber is significantly slower, softer, lower-throwing, and less spinny and bouncy than the top-end rubbers I typically review. However, I found it quite fun and easy to play with. It reminded me of high-quality old school rubbers from the 1990s. In my opinion, the NGK is well-suited for intermediate-level and lower-end advanced players who have a direct playing style that focuses on drives, blocks, and smashes, and who enjoy low-throwing rubbers. I was one such player ten years ago, but opted to fully switch to short pips on my BH. More advanced players will likely feel the NGK lacks spin and speed. Along these lines, I believe the NGK differs far more from the Fastarc G1 than Nittaku’s ratings might suggest. The NGK is significantly slower and less spinny than the G1. Lastly, it is worth pointing out that the NGK also could be a rubber of choice for players who are currently using short pimpled rubbers and are contemplating a switch to inverted rubbers.