How to Return Service With Spin in Table Tennis

Once you can read your opponent's spin on the serve, it's time to start sending some spin back. It's not as hard as it sounds, and it will make your opponent think twice about those tricky serves.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Athletic Gear
• Table Tennis Balls
• Table Tennis Nets
• Table Tennis Paddles
• Table Tennis Playing Tables
• Table Tennis Video

1. Await service in a good ready position, with your shoulders square to your opponent, your feet shoulder width apart and your paddle up and ready.

2. Watch your opponent's paddle as he or she serves.

3. Recognize an upward swing with a forward-tilted paddle as a sign that topspin is coming and a downward swing with a backward-tilted paddle as a sign that backspin is coming.

4. Return a topspin serve with backspin by hitting a chop (similar to the chop serve described in "Hit a Chop Serve in Table Tennis," under Related eHows). Your chop swing spins the ball in the same direction so that the ball returns to your opponent with double the spin, but topspin instead of backspin.

5. Return a backspin serve by hitting it with a forward-tilted paddle. This returns the ball with plenty of topspin.

6. Understand that when returning with spin, you are only changing the direction the ball is flying.

Tips & Warnings

• Sidespin can also be dealt with in the same way as topspin and backspin, but be sure to play "outside" the ball, as it will move away from you.
• Try not to get so carried away with thinking about spin that you are hitting bad shots. A solid service return is better than a poor on that spins.

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on 1/13/2006 Do not follow the ball during the service of your opponent. Some players have a very long throw-up. Instead, look at their paddle to see the spin. The keyword of the return of service is - wait! Then, watch the ball to make sure what spin it has. Try to look at the mark in the ball (Stiga, Butterfly) to see if it's no spin or under spin. Then, always be ready to do a forehand topspin and get outside the table for a better position if necessary. Attack middle-distance serves with the flip (flick) and only use the chop for short under spin services.