Insights

SPINSIGHTinsights

The revolution in table tennis - Finally understand what is really happening!

You've always wondered...

  • What is spin & speed all about?
  • What are the differences in stroke quality between individual players?
  • How much spin do you create with topspin and how important is the serve?
  • What influence does the size of the hall have?
  • What role does the material play?

We finally have the first answers to many questions!

First spin & speed values in practice

at topspin

With our SPINSIGHT technology, statements can finally be made about all strokes in reality.
We have examined the most important attacking strokes of table tennis in a first study.

The results we cover below concern topspin against block and against undercut.

How much spin in revolutions per second (rps) do professionals achieve on average?
125 rps for female pros, and 140 rps for male pros.

How much spin do amateur players achieve?
Very variable, but only 50% of all players reach 100 rps.

Is there a correlation between TTR points and spin (rps)?
On average, the more TTR the more spin achieved.

Is more spin (and speed) generated on forehand or backhand topspin? Against top or against undercut?
Players usually have individual strengths and weaknesses and the differences can be very large. On average, however, all four types of topspin (VH and RH, against OS and US) are of equal value and many of the best players also achieve the same amount of spin with all four variants.

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TT Physics: Spin & Speed

during the ball flight

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How much spin & speed is possible?
Up to 200 rps (revolutions per second) and 150 km/h can be achieved by the best players.

What effect do Spin & Speed have on the trajectory?
At the same speed, higher spin results in a more curved trajectory.

How do spin and speed change during ball flight?
Over a distance of 3m (which is approximately the distance between the ball hitting the club and hitting the table), the ball loses about 35% of its speed, but only 5% of its spin.

How does the ball spin?
The ball rotates during the entire flight around an axis, which is a combination of

  • Top/bottom cut
  • Sidespin (left/right)
  • Cross spin (left/right)

More insights to follow.

Stay tuned!