Flight of a chopped and float ball difference

hi alois, i was just watching joo se hyuk vs ma long, there was a point where joo was defending from far away, chops with heavy backspin, and then one with no spin on it which ma lifted off the end of the table, the commentator remarked that that ball massively floated back and ma didnt see the difference, lifted it long. 

So my question is - how can i spot the difference when i play against a chopper?

Does a float ball travel slower/faster than a heavy backspun chop?

Thanks in advance.

Hi Andrew,

The backspin ball will be a little slower through the air  and tend to hold up in the air a little because the backspin will keep it up.  The float ball will be a little faster and die quite fast.  The spin ball will hold a straight line better because the spin will keep it on line.  The float ball will wobble around a little.

It is a really subtle variation and one that you will start to recognise with a lot of hitting.  Start by getting someone to tell you what spin they are going to put on the ball and watch the flight.  After a while get them to vary the spin and see if you can pick which one it is.