The mystery of spin

[Leeston]

Hi Peeps !
"Spin" - My favourite part of the game ( self confessed spin geek here ! )

On one the best ways to understand spin is to spend time off the table and dedicate a little thinking time to what really is spin.

Its "the rotation of the ball at speed " you need to consider and understand. Physics is the key factor here - once you understand the science, its all seems to fit into place and is less frightening.

Lets take the most basic of examples and look at a looper and chopper. the chopper creates a downwards stroker making the ball rotate clockwise ( as you sit on the players left hand side ) as you look at it on a side ways view. The looper continues with the spin, on the opposite side with an upward movemet of the bat, going "with" the spin. If the loopers point of contact is as early as possible, then its an easier stroke, forcing the chopper to get their own spin back plus more from the looper who is just continuing the spin on the ball.

Therefore both parties are trying to rotate the ball the same way. Its the direction of the bat and openness of the blade that allows this to happen working in conjunction with the lengthe of the stroke.

For maximum impact, both parties need to produce 2/3 of the stroke prior to striking the ball - maximum speed and rotation is then achieved.

Where this goes wrong is the reading of the spin - consider the following :

1. stroke of the playing arm
2.length of stroke
3.Use of wrist
4.Point of contact
5.Timing when the ball is struck
6.The bounce of the ball ( how does it react on the table )
7. What rubbers are they using & sponge thickness ?

Its a mind game - as soon as you understand spin, the mystery goes away. If you are on the receiving end of spin, consider the above for your own stroke. How do you handle the spin and put it back onto the opponent.

I like to use a heavy chop with lots of wrist close to the table as this eats their spin and adds to the preasure of the ball or use a heavy loop, taking the ball as early as possible. Either way, work with your most confident stroke on returnig the ball.

Just remember - spin is one of or a combination of :
- Backspin
- Topspin
- Sidespin

That's all - so once you understand how spin is produced you can then understand how to react to it.

Also note that the soon as the ball hits your side of the table it begins to slow down as the energy runs out and is slowed down by the airodynamics of the ball as it travels in the air - So the later you take the ball, the less spin and speed is on it.

Something to think about..........

[MickM]

I find far to many people dont "listen" to the contact between the racket and ball, meaning they read it by guessing rather than was it "thick" or "thin" in other words more or less spin. That said the use of new rubbers can add to problem with unpredictable returns unless you remember you last shot which is the key to that problem.

[Leeston]

Hi Peeps,
Mick makes a good point - you can "hear" the spin ! The best example of this is to listen to a good chopper. They have had to develop the art of spin / no spin by using the thickness of the sponge or allowing the ball to sink through to the wood.

So, how can you deal with spin if you struggle. One option is to consider is short pimples. Usually a chinese runbber with about 1.5mm semi soft spong ( to enable you to control the ball ) is a good start.

As there is less surface area, there is far less opportunity for the ball to "catch" your rubber & impact on you and your rubber so you are able to hit through the spin with little to no impact.

Also, the flight path of your return is straight, rather than arced like a reverse rubber, so your opponent has less time to recover. This is very effective when you punch the back of the ball ( usually on the backhand ).

With a little practice, its amazing how many balls you can punch back to your opponent - quite satisfying to see them struggle with the limited recovery time.

But with advantages, there is also disadvantages .........

Would anyone like to comment on the disadvantages ?

[Spinmaster]

Spin being me or at least my name, this is something i would comment on even though i thankfully don't play with short or long pimples.

The problem with some of these thinner sponge, short pimpled rubbers are they are quite good (in the correct hands) at punching a loop coming at you with good results and also putting the opposition under a great deal of stress when dealing with it at the opposite end. The downside can be a slow high spinny loop, which is a lot more difficult to deal with using the same rubber as the control is a lot less.

None of that is impossible to deal with aslong as you were to remember the way to deal with the loop coming at yourself.

The thinner sponge i would have thought will give a nice punch with little error or certainly less than a long slow spinny loop to deal with.

Ps a soft thicker sponge with short pimples would probab;y remedy that, but the umpire may have something to say when you swap rackets during each loop !

[Leeston]

Hi Peeps,
The Spinmaster makes a good point. This leads onto the most important and forgotten part of the game...............control ! Without it, you get the opportunity to learn about coming second in a game !.

Bats are very personal and what good for one is bad for another - at the end of the day, you need to be able to control the ball in a offensive / defensive game.

The number of players I have come across with super fast bats & rubbers who can't control the ball is too high, especially in a tight game.

A 1.5m to 1.7m sponge is a safe start for most players starting with short pimples - but this does not mean they can't progress to 2m if their abilty and style supports this change.

There are also some short pimpled rubbers out there that do impart spin - so there lots to experiment with.