AboutAbe Mantell Expertise Hello, I have been playing table tennis (NOT ping-pong! ;->) for
over 20 years. Began in college and trained by a USTTA (US Table
Tennis Association) certified coach. Played in tournaments at the
collegiate, local, and regional levels. Achieved a high rating of
1580 a few years...have not been that active as of late.
Experience Rules, equipment, techniques, and jargon.
Organizations Was a USTTA (now USATT) member for many years!
Question what are the different and most affective ways to put spin on the ball. also how do you stop spin coming at you?
Answer Hello Jim,
Well, it follows physics principles...
if you want to impart top-spin, then strike
the ball in an upward fashion (from low to high).
Same idea as hitting a tennis ball with top-spin.
If you want to impart underspin, then strike the
ball with a downward stroke...like a slice in tennis.
And then you can always throw in some side-spin to
keep you opponent guessing!!! ;->
You really cannpt STOP your opponents spin...but you
can either counter it, or nullify it. It can be
nullified (or diminished) by using some kind of
anti-spin rubber on your paddle...this can be a
special type of smooth rubber surface that doews
not "grab" the ball that much...hence the spin will
not do too much...or, long "pips out" rubber works
in a similar way...I do not use these. I prefer
just to deal with the spin...by being alert to the
type of spin (top, under, side) and judging how
much spin....then angle my blade (the surface of
the paddle that strikes the ball) to counter the
spin. For example, if I see my opponent impart
HEAVY top-spin, I will angle my paddle so the
blade is almost parallel to the table, but slightly
open to my opponent. If I see there is HEAVY
under-spin, I will angle my paddle the other way.
