Creating side spin (loops) in table tennis
Professional players can generate side spin loops & counter-side-loops instinctively without having to think.
Side spins are one of the most critical elements of table tennis but are the most neglected at the amateur level. Unfortunately, side spins can be far more helpful to amateurs than the pros. Yet all I see is most amateur players (or even coaches) wasting their time spending most of their time just counter-driving at each other or straight spin counter-looping at each other. For an amateur, diversity of strokes is the only salvation.
Side spins are more important in table tennis than in any other racket sport because of the size of the court. In tennis, it is usually mostly straight top spins, but in table tennis, the myriad combinations of spin are what define the game.
I have explained the basics of side spins in detail in two other articles I wrote more than 15 years ago:
This paper discusses only side spin loops (top spin + side spin) as executed by some top pros.
A righthander's forehand hook loop breaks towards the right of a righthander.
A righthander's backhand fade loop breaks towards the right of a righthander.
A righthander's forehand fade loop breaks towards the left of a righthander.
A righthander's backhand hook loop breaks towards the left of a righthander.
A righthander's forehand hook loop goes in the same direction as a lefthander's fade loop.
A fade loop is the opposite of a hook loop.
Fade loop is also known as the inside-out loop or windshield wiper loop.
Hou Yingchao's forehand hook loop
Wang Liqin's forehand fade loop
Fan Zhendong's forehand fade loop
Alexander Karakasvic demonstrating the backhand fade loop
Wang Chuqin demonstrating the backhand hook loop
Enzo Angles: Unorthodox "Snake" shots
I see player after player & coach after coach wasting away spending most of their time working on their possibly strongest shot, the forehand straight top spin loop for hours. For an amateur, side spins are more critical. Pros can execute these shots almost instinctively but amateurs have to train hard at it.
Straight spin loops are much easier to block than side loops because most amateurs do not know how to adjust their racket angles to return side spin loops.