Slow Spinny Loop

Strokes and Technique

Ji-Soo Woo
Ji-Soo Woo Asked 14 years ago

Hi Alois

A while back, in response to a number of requests (including from me), you did a video on how to counter a slow spinny loop.

From memory the three options were: block, punch and counter loop.  All three options highlighted the key to returning a slow spinny loop which is to get the ball early on the way up.  This makes sense because when the ball is on its way up, you are able to make contact with the top of the ball and thereby can aim the ball down to counteract the topspin.

What happens if someone hits a slow spinny loop and you are caught offguard and unable to hit the ball on the way UP but rather have to deal with it on the way DOWN.  This makes a slow spinny loop much more effective because the natural tendency when hitting the ball on the way down is to lift it up - which means you are actually accentuating the effect of the topspin and will likely hit the ball long. 

So, my question is, in this case (when you are forced to hit a slow topspin loop on the way down), how should you try and handle it?


Alois Rosario
Alois Rosario Answered 14 years ago

Hi Ji-Soo,

This is a difficult ball as you say.

You need to control the ball back by just using the angle of your bat to take the ball back.  You can try to topspin the ball back as well dependin gon how low the ball is.

The key is to try to keep yur ball as low as possible over the net so that it doesn't give your opponent the opportunity to attack.  This is dependent on your feel for the ball.

Most of the errors you will see is when the player hits the ball too high rather than too low.  The spin is often deceptive in this situation.  My advice to you would be to aim a little lower than you feel right to start with.

It will take a lot of practice to get the feel to get this ball back consistently.


Thoughts on this question


Leslie Yin

Leslie Yin Posted 14 years ago

I have noted that whenever the Chinese elite get caught in such a position, they try to minimise the chances of an unreturnable attack from their opponent by performing kind of a low lob with sidespin

Ji-Soo Woo

Ji-Soo Woo Posted 14 years ago

I haven't seen too many examples of the way top players deal with this shot because they almost always react quickly and attack the ball off the bounce.  There was one youtube video, however, of a doubles match where Timo Boll hits a really wicked slow topspin loop and Wang Liqin is caught in the back and has to handle it on the way down.  He ends up hitting the ball a mile long!  That made me feel a lot better!  ;)

andrew brand

andrew brand Posted 14 years ago

Another way of returning this may be to chop it with hardly any motion right near the floor. i think this is how joo se hyuk and other great defenders return the very slow spinny loops. it may pop up high but at least has backspin, better than a flat high ball they can kill easily.

gian crispino

gian crispino Posted 14 years ago

this slow spinny topsin ball on its way down is my favorite ball to loop. you just need to close the angle of ur bat to avoid hitting the ball long. try practicing it and see if it works for you

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