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Forehand Topsin against Backspin Defence
Topspin is generally recognised as the most used and most important of all table tennis techniques. The nature of topspin means the ball can be hit with great spin or speed and the rotation of the ball will draw it downwards towards the table. Initially, players are taught to contact the ball as the ball is descending after the top of the bounce, but at elite levels, players are taught to contact the ball at various points to increase variation.
The photographs and text in this example describe a right handed player.
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| Preperation |
- Feet are wider than the shoulders to provide stability, the left foot should be forward for right-handers
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| Backswing |
- The hips, waist and shoulders all rotate to the right bringing the weight onto the right leg, as the arm is brought back and lowered under ball height. The shoulder points to the ball on the backswing. To play a ball with more backspin a lower backswing and a more open blade is required
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| Forward Movement |
- The bat moves in an upward path as the legs straighten and the hips, waist and shoulders unwind to the left
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- The forearm accelerates as contact is made in a brushing action on the top of the bounce or soon after
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| Follow Through |
- The weight transfer to the left leg is completed with the arm follow through finishing in a 90º-90º position (90º at the elbow, 90º between upper arm and body)
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Backhand Topspin
This is a development of the backhand drive and involves more use of the wrist and changing the bat angle to produce a ‘brushing action.’
The photographs and text in this example describe a left handed player.
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| Preparation |
- Feet are shoulder width apart and square to the line of play
- Knees are bent and leaning slightly forward
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| Backswing |
- Bat moves back towards the waist
- The wrist is angled backwards and slightly downwards
- Hips, waist and shoulders rotate backwards slightly to the right
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| Forward Movement |
- Bat moves upwards and forward from the elbow.
- Forearm and wrist accelerate and the bat brushes the ball just after peak bounce.
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| Follow Through |
- Bat moves in direction of the ball and upwards and then returns to a neutral position.
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Backhand Topspin against Backspin Defence
The backhand topspin utilises mainly forearm and wrist together with the hips-waist movement, as due to the neutral stance minimal weight transfer occurs. Because of this, the backhand topspin is often less powerful than the forehand topspin, though notable exceptions exist, particularly where a backhand grip is used.
The photographs and text in this example describe a right handed player.
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Preparation
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- The stance for a backhand topspin can vary from neutral, with feet parallel to the table, to either foot slightly forward
- Forehand attackers often prefer to be in a slightly forehand stance with the left foot forward
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Backswing |
- The bat is taken down - generally between the legs - with the bat under knee height
- The shoulders move to the left with the right shoulder lowered and forward
- The wrist should be bent backwards and the bat closed
- Due to the neutral stance, the player should experiment with finding the correct distance in front of the body for contact
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Forward Movement |
- The bat moves forwards and upwards as the knees straighten and the hips, waist and shoulders rotate to the right.
- Contact in front of the body.
- The wrist accelerates on contact.
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| Follow Through |
- The arm is fully stretched forward
- Bat closed with its head high at the conclusion of the stroke
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