FH loop - do I brush on the top or side?

[NewGuyHere]

Looking for advice on FH looping - do I brush on the top or side? Like more top spin or top - side spin?

 

[zeio]

Upper back, more or less perpendicular to the line of flight.

 

[sebi]

You can do both. Giving just top spin is the "clean" one but in a match or against top spin it can be better to give it a bit side spin. Being able to do both can be important.

 

[merlin el mago]

Better both gears, variations is the key to win matches.

 

[Dr Evil]

It's ideal to develop fine control over topspin and side-topspin variations, with both hook and fade sidespin, but starting out I think slight hook side-topspin is the ideal. This means contact mostly towards the top of the ball, but also a little to the outside (the side away from your body), with a feeling of "wrapping around" the outside of the ball. This tends to promote longer contact time with better control especially against heavy topspin. Avoid fade sidespin ("inside out" sidespin) when first developing your strokes, as this tends to have the opposite effect.

 

[NextLevel]

It's ideal to develop fine control over topspin and side-topspin variations, with both hook and fade sidespin, but starting out I think slight hook side-topspin is the ideal. This means contact mostly towards the top of the ball, but also a little to the outside (the side away from your body), with a feeling of "wrapping around" the outside of the ball. This tends to promote longer contact time with better control especially against heavy topspin. Avoid fade sidespin ("inside out" sidespin) when first developing your strokes, as this tends to have the opposite effect.

I do know a couple of guys who developed pretty well with fade sidespin, I think the slight side topspin contact is just more natural, as long as you can get the ball to go relatively straightforward by consistently going over the top of it.

 

[Robin0910]

If you want to hit consistent side topspin balls, mimic Lin Gaoyuan. He’s a master at it. Though, as a result, your forehand wont be the absolute most powerful.

 

[victormanriquey]

I do mostly top, with a bit of side, but whenever needed, a hook can work very well!

 

[merlin el mago]

If you want to hit consistent side topspin balls, mimic Lin Gaoyuan. He’s a master at it. Though, as a result, your forehand wont be the absolute most powerful.

I liked a lot of more Xu-Xin side-spins.

 

[Nash77]

I do mostly top, with a bit of side, but whenever needed, a hook can work very well!

Iv'e been thinking about the difference between a pure top spin and a side-top spin lately, It made me wonder about a few things :

1) My feeling is that side-top is slower, as if the side spin slows the flight of the ball. is that true?

2) for me - side-top is easier to hit, I'm not sure why. would you say it's a safer shot compared to pure topspin?

3) pure top spin required hitting the the back-middle-top part of the ball, while side-topsin requiers hitting the back-side-top of the ball. I'm usually hitting a spinny side-top spin (just an habit) by curving my wrist in a hook-like angle to create the side-top spin - this comes very natural to me for some reason.

For pure top spin - should the wrist be in a completely straight line with the forearm?
Is it all about the wrist angle?

 

[merlin el mago]

If side-spin properly done & well placed is far more dangerous than top-spin, for pros it's the same a top than a side because pros can return almost all the balls...

 

[Robin0910]

I liked a lot of more Xu-Xin side-spins.

You can only achieve that quality with penhold grip

 

[Lula]

My experience is that if players have a hard time to brush the ball it can be easier if they try to hook the ball and hit on the right side. I think this help getting the correct forearm snap motion. Also important to have the racket high. If you drop to much the ball will be so much higher so you need hit upward to be able to hit the ball. Then it is hard to brush over the ball and you will instead get a high loop because you are hitting up. Regarding the technique, as long as you get good quality i dont think it matter much if it is clean topspin or with a bit of sidespin.
Tactically I think both Waldner and Truls with purpose hook the ball alot. Have also understand that Xu Xin did it on purpose so when right handers block backhand the ball will go back to his forehand.

 

[merlin el mago]

You can only achieve that quality with penhold grip

Are you sure, look for videos of Hou Yingchao....

 

[blahness]

You should be able to do both at will

 

[Der_Echte]

My experience is that if players have a hard time to brush the ball it can be easier if they try to hook the ball and hit on the right side. I think this help getting the correct forearm snap motion. Also important to have the racket high. If you drop to much the ball will be so much higher so you need hit upward to be able to hit the ball. Then it is hard to brush over the ball and you will instead get a high loop because you are hitting up. Regarding the technique, as long as you get good quality i dont think it matter much if it is clean topspin or with a bit of sidespin.
Tactically I think both Waldner and Truls with purpose hook the ball alot. Have also understand that Xu Xin did it on purpose so when right handers block backhand the ball will go back to his forehand.

Gotta echo what Dr Evil and Lula are saying...

Important to be able to do both when you want and how you want.

Seeing what happened at opponent impact (and deciding immediately what you want to do about it) and getting to position with leverage are skill number 1 and 2 in TT IMO.

Against heavy incoming topspin, it is easier to control that spin if you hook it a little bit... this is what @NextLevel has for years described as off spin axis and spin avoidance.

 

[Robin0910]

Are you sure, look for videos of Hou Yingchao....

Not the same quality. Just similarly spinny but not as powerful. It’s simply not possible to have the same amount of side spin and power with the shake hand grip. The penhold naturally applies side spin so you don’t have to change the angle of the wrist resulting in less power.
Ma Longs’s hit quite a few forehand shots loaded with side spin maybe even more powerful but the side spin itself wasn’t as overpowering as Xu Xin’s only because of the difference in grip.

 

[banbekas]

It's more like top-side spin. What do you mean by brush? By nature, all rubbers spin by deforming the sponge and the topsheet. Tack is almost useless, IMO.

 

[Lazer]

The further the ball is from the body the easier to do side spin...

Cheers
L-zr

 

[sebi]

The further the ball is from the body the easier to do side spin...

Cheers
L-zr

Hahahah Maybe with proper technique. I have seen people do trex armes and just play side spin. They were around 2000 USATT.