How to Return Service With Spin in Table Tennis

Once you can read your opponent's spin on the serve, it's time to start sending some spin back. It's not as hard as it sounds, and it will make your opponent think twice about those tricky serves.

Things You'll Need

  • Athletic Gear
  • Table Tennis Balls
  • Table Tennis Nets
  • Table Tennis Paddles
  • Table Tennis Playing Tables
  • Table Tennis Video
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Instructions

    • 1

      Await service in a good ready position, with your shoulders square to your opponent, your feet shoulder width apart and your paddle up and ready.

    • 2

      Watch your opponent's paddle as he or she serves.

    • 3

      Recognize an upward swing with a forward-tilted paddle as a sign that topspin is coming and a downward swing with a backward-tilted paddle as a sign that backspin is coming.

    • 4

      Return a topspin serve with backspin by hitting a chop (similar to the chop serve described in "Hit a Chop Serve in Table Tennis," under Related eHows). Your chop swing spins the ball in the same direction so that the ball returns to your opponent with double the spin, but topspin instead of backspin.

    • 5

      Return a backspin serve by hitting it with a forward-tilted paddle. This returns the ball with plenty of topspin.

    • 6

      Understand that when returning with spin, you are only changing the direction the ball is flying.