Question: How to Get Maximum Spin – Should You Use Different Parts of Your Racket?
Could you enlighten me the ways to spin a ball severely. I have read several articles talking about how to spin a ball during serving or striking. All of them only talk about that the angle made between the ping pong racket and the centre of the ball is the main determining factor of the spin. None of them would say with which part of the racket, say, the centre, upper part, lower part or further end of the racket, should be used to hit the ball during top-spin and/or back-spin striking. Would you please tell me whether there is any difference in using different parts of the racket to hit the ball?
C.L.
Answer:
Hi there C.L.,
Which part of the bat you use will only make a difference if you are swinging the bat like a pendulum, or snapping your wrist, so that the tip of the bat (furthest from the handle) is moving faster than the handle. In this case, hitting nearer the tip of the bat should produce a little more spin than hitting near the handle. This might be useful when serving, or when going for that extra bit of spin when playing a stroke. Of course, you then run the bigger risk of missing the ball completely!
For myself, I’ve never found any benefit in trying to hit the ball in different parts of the bat to better produce topspin or backspin during a rally – I just try to hit it in the sweet spot!
Regards,
Greg
