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  • Blog
  • What Causes Spin?
  • Things that Affect Spin
  • Speed and Spin off the Rubber
    • Antispin
    • Pips/Pimpled Rubber
  • How Spin Works
  • The Tests
    • Hypotheses
    • Method
    • Results
  • Part 2
    • Background
    • Method
    • Results & Discussion

How Spin Works

Picture

Topspin

Picture
Picture
CHARACTERISTICS: The ball curves downwards sharply, bounces low and quickly and shoots up off the opponent's racket. The turbulent air is actually lower air pressure.

Backspin

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Picture
CHARACTERISTICS: The ball floats slowly and eventually drops dramatically. The ball can bounce high, or skid slightly and give a low bounce. When it hits the opponent's racket, it bounces downward. Once again, the turbulent air is actually low air pressure.

Sidespin

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CHARACTERISTICS: The ball curls sideways dramatically, follows that path on the bounce and jumps to the side when it hits the opponent's racket. Confusing as it may seem, I must enforce the fact that the space beside the ball is not turbulent air, but simply has a lower pressure.

Drillspin/Corkscrewspin

CHARACTERISTICS: The ball curls sideways very slightly, sometimes not at all while in the air. However, when it hits the table, it shoots off to the side considerably. Often, there is no effect on the ball bouncing off the opponent's racket, unless the racket is nearly horizontal upon impact. (This is because it is normally hit right on the axis of spin.)
Flight Path photos from 
"Table tennis." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Jan. 2014. Web. 2 May 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_tennis>.
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  • Home
  • Blog
  • What Causes Spin?
  • Things that Affect Spin
  • Speed and Spin off the Rubber
    • Antispin
    • Pips/Pimpled Rubber
  • How Spin Works
  • The Tests
    • Hypotheses
    • Method
    • Results
  • Part 2
    • Background
    • Method
    • Results & Discussion