How to Spin a Table Tennis Ball

In order to excel at table tennis you must know how to put spin on the ball. Topspin forces the ball to drop faster, allowing you to hit the ball harder and faster, bringing up your game an extra notch. Backspin slows down the shot, changing the angle of drop and Sidespin changes the flight of the ball in a lateral direction.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• table tennis paddles
• table tennis ball
• table tennis table with net

1. Topspin is the most commonly usage of spin in the game. The concept is simple. If your stroke is even, striking the ball directly and flat against the surface of the paddle, no spin will be generated, but if you change the angle of the paddle and type of stroke, you can create topspin, causing the ball to drop faster.

2. If you strike the ball with the paddle moving upward, the friction of the paddle will not only propel it forward, but will cause it do rotate forward, creating topspin. Experiment with the angle of the paddle and the upward stroke (paddle moving from low to high) and see how this affects the ball's flight.

3. Backspin takes off some of the speed, often giving the ball a higher arc. If you strike the ball with the paddle moving downward, the ball will rotate backward, creating backspin. Practice this, striking the ball from high to low and watch how the ball can actuallyspin so much that it returns to you. Expermient to find your best stroke.

4. Sidespin works in much the same manner, changing to direction of the ball, not only in it's path through the air, but also as it strikes the table. Experiment with a stoke that moves right to left and left to right and see how the spin changes the flight of the ball.