No Spin and Backspin

Strokes

Shreyas Pandey Asked 9 years ago

Hi Alois/Jeff,

How to distinguish between no spin and backspin chop.

Against no spin chop I can hit topspin and against backspin spin I can push it.

But I am not able to distinguish which ball is no spin and which is back spin chop or push?

Thanks in advance!!

Alois Rosario Answered 9 years ago

Hi Shreyas,

It is not an easy solution. The main things to take note of are the contact of the bat on ball. A further tilt back will tend to mean more spin whereas a flatter racket facing the net will tend to be less spin.

Then look at the flight of the ball. A backspin ball will tend to stay up in the air a little longer whereas a no spin ball will dip quicker.

You can also listen to the contact. A spin ball will be a softer sound on contact with the bat.

All of these are very slight changes that take a while to recognise but keep focus on it and you will start to make quicker decisions.

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In This Video, You'll Learn:

✅ How to adjust your technique for topspin rallies (compared to topspin vs. block)
✅ Why your stroke should be more forward and how to generate dip with topspin
✅ Tactical strategies – Mix up speed, spin, and placement for better control
✅ How to train this stroke effectively, even without a strong training partner

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Thoughts on this question (5)

Shreyas Pandey Posted 9 years ago

Thanks Alois!

Ilia Minkin Posted 9 years ago

You can even try to watch the ball's logo. If it is really no spin, you can see it revolving and logo being sharp. If there is some backspin, everything will be blurry.

Jon Ferguson Posted 9 years ago

There is (was) a video on You Tube a while back that explains the technique quite well. The player demonstrates from a side view how he uses the same action in the beginning for both chops, but for the low spin version he moves the bat forward about halfway thru the motion. It is clearly visible from the side view in slow motion, but from the opponents' view point, at normal speed, it's very difficult to see any difference. He even makes the follow thru look similar.

I tried to find the video, but it may have been deleted. I think he was a French player.

If you study the top defenders, you will see it often, as it's a common way to deceive the opponent.

kathy mckelvey Posted 9 years ago

Does take time and experience to recognize all of the various spins. Challenging, however, frustrating!!

Jason Partelle Posted 9 years ago

Yes the comment about watching the writing on the ball to see how much spin is on the ball especially if you are playing an antispin opponent.

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