Spinny Stuff

I recently came out of semi-retirement to play a new opponent.  I couldn't judge the heavy loop and underspin.

Why does a heavy loop sometimes just die, then other times jumps forward and is hard to keep down.  How can I attack a heavy underspin, I was either faced with pushing it back or trying to lift it over the net with topspin but hit lots into the net.

The bats seem really juiced now.  Suggestions?

Hi David,

The bounce of the ball on the heavy loop can be variable depending on the amount of spin and trajectory.  When the ball is spinning really fast it does sometimes bounce through quite low and other times it will bounce high.  Watch the ball carefully.  It could be the quality of the ball as well.  A softer ball will tend to keep very low when it has heavy spin.

The topspin against backspin takes a bit of practice.  Take a look at the tutorials on Forehand Topspin Off Backspin and Backhand Topspin Off Backspin for help with these.  A key is to get a brushing contact on the ball and finish high with your action.

Bats are now a lot faster with more spin available.  Important to find something that is in your ability range.  Take a look at the tutorial on Choosing a Table Tennis Bat.