Presence of sidespin on forehand topspin

Table Tennis Strokes and Technique

Last updated 2 years ago

Andrew Imanuel

Andrew Imanuel Asked 2 years ago

Hi, I noticed that every time I do a forehand topspin there will be some sidespin to it. Even though it doesn't change the trajectory of the ball, I see that when it reached the ground, the ball will move sideway. I wanted to ask whether this is an indication that my forehand topspin technique is wrong?


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario Answered 2 years ago

Hi Andrew,

The sidespin is caused but he angle of your racket on the contact.  You will find that your wrist is dropping slightly to get the racket to contact the side of the ball.

If you want to get straighter topspin, think about lifting your wrist or the end of your racket higher.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing and a little sidespin can make it more difficult to play against.  However, if you are finding that you are limited with the speed you can play on your topspins because the ball doesn't have enough topspin to dip onto the table then think about changing your stroke.


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