Definition: In table tennis, backspin occurs when the top of the ball is going in the opposite direction to the movement of the ball, and the bottom of the ball is going in the same direction as the motion of the ball.
Backspin imparts a lifting force on the ball, causing it to drop slower than by gravity alone. It is used by defensive players to return an opponent's topspin strokes from a distance.
Also Known As: underspin, chop, downspin, slice, cut