Expert Table Tennis Table Use: The Effect of Spin

There's one main difference between the table tennis, or ping pong that's played competitively in tournaments and at the Olympics and that which is played on many a table tennis table in homes, youth groups and gardens all around the world. That difference is spin. The ability of players to put extreme levels of spin onto the table tennis ball of up to 150 revolutions per second dramatically change the way that the ball impacts the table tennis table and changes the game into a thrilling technical battle.

Putting spin onto a table tennis ball means hitting it such that when it hits the table tennis table is can seriously alter the direction in which it is travelling. There are three main spins in table tennis and it's important to practise these to master this skill in table tennis. With these three spin types you will be able to move your opponent around the table tennis table in a way that they will struggle to predict. The table tennis spins are topspin, backspin and sidespin.

It is topspin which enables table tennis players to hit the ball from below the table tennis net and yet still ensure that it lands on the opponent's side of the table tennis table. The closer to horizontal you are when you hit the table tennis ball the more topspin will be realised when it hits the table tennis table. You should hit over the table tennis ball, not underneath it, so that it dips down onto the table tennis table. Hitting underneath the ball will create backspin which will have the opposite effect on the ball when it hits the table tennis table!

This striking action means that the top of the ball will be travelling forwards in the same direction as the table tennis ball itself. This means that the table tennis ball will experience both an increase of speed towards the other side of the table tennis table and also you will see a downward arc on the trajectory of the ball. This allows you to still be able to hit speed shots onto the other side of the table tennis table when hitting from a lower position than the top of the net.

The opposite of top spin in table tennis is back spin. Back spin on the table tennis ball is where the bottom of the table tennis ball is travelling in the same direction as the table tennis ball with the force exerted pressing upwards as it moves towards the other side of the table tennis table. The upwards force of this spin on the table tennis ball will mean that it drops more slowly to the table tennis table or even tends to arc up in flight. This is useful for countering topspin, or if you want the ball to move slowly to the other side of the table tennis table. Shots hit with topspin also tend to skid of the surface of the table tennis table when it hits – making return shots difficult for your opponent.

Because table tennis balls are already relatively light and are easily slowed in air, if you play a table tennis stroke which is heavy on back spin from several feet from the table tennis table it will slow the ball down immensely. This slower table tennis ball will of course lead to a slower descent onto the opponent's side of the table tennis table. This stop and drop style of play is generally used as a defence against a heavy top spin stroke by your opponent on the other side of the table tennis table.

The final type of spin used to control how the ball lands on your opponent’s side of the table tennis table is side spin. This can be applied with either topspin or backspin but never both. It's physically impossible to apply sidespin, topspin and backspin all in the same table tennis stroke! The act of sidespin means that the ball will be spinning either to the left or right of the table tennis table in line with the direction of the table tennis ball's movement.

The table tennis ball with sidespin will drop to the table at approximately the same rate as a table tennis ball under the influence of no spin but it will curve either to the right or the left. If you apply top spin to a side spin table tennis ball as well then the ball will drop rapidly to the table tennis table and curve. If you apply back spin to the table tennis ball as well as sidespin then it will drop slowly to the table tennis table and curve. Plus an added effect of side spin is that when the ball hits the table tennis table it will tend to jump left or right. This is great for confusing and unbalancing your opponent on the other side of the table tennis table.

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