Spin in Table Tennis:
Interview with USA Men’s Coach and Five-Time Men’s Singles Champion Dan Seemiller

By Larry Hodges 

You were known for your very heavy spins, especially on your forehand loop and backhand serve. What are the most important points for creating great spin on a forehand loop?

There is no magic formula.  Racket speed and friction on the ball from the rubber create the spin.  Some tips – use your whole body … legs, waist, shoulders – many players use only their arm and shoulder.  Use your whole body if you want to spin the ball harder on your loop.  Also, remember to accelerate the forearm and use some wrist.  Use your free hand to start the acceleration process. 

What are the keys to your creating extreme spin on your serves? Are there any differences in this between forehand and backhand serving?

Make sure you have enough backswing to create racket speed.  On my backhand serve, my racket almost touches my ear before I slash down, across, and up on the ball.  Think of your serve as a karate chop – try to create a violent motion at impact.  The forehand serve is more dynamic, spin- and speed-wise.  Also, it is easier to serve both sidespins from the forehand position than it is with the backhand.  The backhand serve specializes on placement and height.  Again, racket speed, friction, use of wrist & forearm will dictate the level of spin.  A player should also use the body and exchange weight a little to create momentum 

Your student, Mark Hazinski (U.S. #3 in men’s rankings), has one of the spinniest backhand loops in the U.S. What are the keys to creating great spin on the backhand loop?

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