Definition: In table tennis, a roll is a soft shot with little power, that has a small amount of topspin. The roll is typically used by players to return the ball from over the table, and generally when they are unable to play a full attack due to being caught out of position, the high difficulty of their opponent's return, or because the player is unsure of the actual amount of spin on the ball and wishes to play a safe shot. The ball is gently rolled over the net, with a small amount of topspin.
Some players claim that the roll is so named because the player's bat is rolled from open to close while playing the stroke, but this is not true for players with good technique, in which case the bat angle does not change during the stroke.
