1. Home
  2. Sports
  3. Table Tennis / Ping-Pong

Table Tennis/ Ping-Pong Basic Strokes - Backhand Flick

By Greg Letts, About.com

6 of 9

Contact With the Ball

Photo of Backhand Flick Return of Serve - Contact With the Ball

Contact With the Ball

© 2007 Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc.
The player has begun his forward swing, and has made contact with the ball.

Points to look for:

  • Since the stroke is made over the table, the amount of backswing possible is limited. This is compensated for by using more wrist and a strong snap of the forearm in order to provide speed and spin.
  • This particular serve was a backspin serve, so the player will be using a slightly more vertical motion during the flick, in order to counter the backspin on the ball. A flick on a float or topspin serve would have a little more forward motion, since there is less need to lift the ball.
  • The player is attempting to contact the ball at the top of its bounce. Contacting the ball at this point reduces the amount of lift required to get the ball over the net, which allows the player to put more speed on the ball, and also increases the amount of angles that the player can achieve. It also gives the player a few more inches of backswing to get the bat moving fast before contact is made with the ball.

Explore Table Tennis / Ping-Pong

About.com Special Features

Learn to Pitch

Strike out the competition with these step-by-step pictorials. More >

Introduction to Pilates

Learning Pilates fundamentals can help you get the most out of your exercise regime. More >

  1. Home
  2. Sports
  3. Table Tennis / Ping-Pong
  4. Beginner's Guide
  5. Basic Concepts
  6. Basic Strokes
  7. How to Return Serve
  8. Table Tennis/ Ping-Pong Basic Strokes - Backhand Flick Return of Serve - Step 6

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.