Study how to execute a downward graze to impart backspin with a table tennis backhand chop
The backhand chop is executed away from the table and when the ball is on its way down. The player, in a half-turn stance, swings downward while "brushing" or grazing the lower half of the ball with an open racket face (the top of the blade tipped away from the net). This imparts backspin to the ball. A quick, smooth follow-through is desirable.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Backhand chop
The backhand chop is executed away from the table and when the ball is on its way down. The player, in a half-turn stance, swings downward while "brushing" or grazing the lower half of the ball with an open racket face (the top of the blade tipped away from the net). This imparts backspin to the ball. A quick, smooth follow-through is desirable.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn more about weird moments in Olympic history.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzOverview of wrestling, including a discussion of the freestyle and Greco-Roman styles.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Forehand chop
The forehand chop is executed away from the table and when the ball is on its way down. The player, standing in a square-on position, swings downward while "brushing" or grazing the lower half of the ball with an open racket face (the top of the blade tipped away from the net). This imparts backspin to the ball. A quick, smooth follow-through is desirable.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Even tug-of-war once held its own as a respected Olympic sport.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; thumbnail © kovop58/Shutterstock.comThe first Olympic Games consisted of a singular event: a footrace.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Serve
The ball and racket must be behind and above the table during the serve. From the upturned palm of the server's motionless free hand, the ball is tossed upward and struck as it falls so that it first hits the server's half of the table, travels over (or around) the net, and then hits the opponent's half of the table.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzOverview of the first Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece.
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© MinutePhysics (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Comparison of four different Olympic hurling objects: the hammer, the javelin, the discus, and the shot put.
