Spin and speed

Shripathi ramakrishnan Asked 12 years ago

hi alois and jeff,

i usually take the ball when its falling to play topspin with lots of speed and spin although  my coach advices to hit the ball at the highest point but i cant get as much spin on the ball and often miss. when i try opening my racket, the ball goes off the table.  a player in my club says i could solve this by making my motion a little bit more from behind.

is he right? what are your thoughts on the matter?

also against a backspin ball, the ball hits the top of the  net and flies off the end of the table after i hit it. how do i solve this by playing a more lifting stroke or giving more fwd. momentum?

thanks a lot.

Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago

Hi Shripathi,

Your friend is talking good sense.  By hitting more forward and not lifting so much you will get the ball on the table.  If you want more spin, then you can turn your bat more over the ball and brush the ball faster.

If you are playing against backspin and the ball is hitting the net, then make your stroke more vertical to lift it higher. Take a look at our lesson on the Forehand Topspin Off Backspin for more tips.