Trouble Generating Spin
Table Tennis Strokes and Technique
Last updated 10 years ago
Matt Y Asked 10 years ago
Hey Alois,
Recently I've been having trouble generating the topspin I need to keep the ball on the table when playing both backhand and forehand counterhits. I have a fairly tacky rubber on my bat. I feel like I'm coming into the ball vertically with my strokes but they just feel sort of dead coming off instead of being crisp with spin. As a result, the ball flies about two inches too far when returning a topspin shot and misses the table completely (very frustrating) or hits the top of the net when returning a backspin shot and falls back on my side of the table. Is this most likely a technique issue or could it be something simple like grip pressure? I do have a tendency to grip the bat too tightly which inhibits my wrists from moving properly throughout the stroke. I'm beginning to get frustrated since I'm consequently on a big losing streak against my normal playing partners.
Thanks,
Matt
Alois Rosario Answered 10 years ago
Hi Matt,
Maybe you need to hit the ball flatter to let the ball sink into the sponge more. Start by doing some slow balls where you are basically just tapping the ball over with a flat bat. Then, start to get a slight amount of topspin on the ball. Slowly increase this level of topspin but make sure you are still getting a good contact not he ball like you are with the flat tapping at the start.
That is why the base step of being able to hit the ball on the table consistently that we show in our lesson on The Most Important Skill is so important.
Hitting a lot of balls on the table also increases your confidence.
Thoughts on this question
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Xariuz Cruz Posted 10 years ago
Try to brush the ball after the top of the bounce(just slightly latter) you can generate many spin
Matt Y Posted 10 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions; I have focused more today on just getting the ball on the table and it seems to be helping. Had my first win in a while. However, with the backhand counterhit I still have problems hitting it into the net. I believe I hit the ball when it is too far from me, so the bat is already somewhat released by the time it hits the ball, sending it downward. Is it better to wait until the ball is relatively close to you to make contact with the backhand?
Thanks,
Matt
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 10 years ago
Hi Matt,
Good to hear things are improving.
It is good to get the ball close to you to hit the backhand. It will give you much better control of the stroke. As one of my early coaches used to say repeatedly, "Wait for the ball to come to you".