Table tennis glossary - terms

• Anti-topspin - a rubber type that deactivates spin and speed, returning a "dead" ball.
• Backhand - a stroke done directly in front of the body, with the racket turned so that the back of the hand faces the opponent.
• Backspin - a type of spin where, if struck with a normal racket position, the ball would not make it over the net.
• Ball - is usually made from celluloid, although other similar plastics material are allowed.
• Block - a defensive shot done mostly against loops and smashes, where the racket is in a closed position to keep the ball on the table.
• Chop - a defensive shot that carries a tremendous amount of backspin.
• Dead ball - a ball returned without any spin. Very difficult to execute, read, and return.
• Doubles - a format in table tennis where two people play on each side and must alternate turns at striking the ball.
• Drive - an offensive shot used mostly as a setup or in rallies, where the racket is in a normal position and the ball is struck at a medium pace.
• Drop shot - a surprise shot where the ball is placed precisely near the net.
• Expedite rule - after a time limit (about 10 minutes) has expired during a single point, the receiver automatically wins the point if he/she returns the ball successfully 13 times in a row. This forces the server to change his rallying tactics.
• Forehand - a stroke done to the right-front (for right-handers) of the body, with the racket in a normal position (palm of hand facing opponent).
• Glue - ITTF approved glues are used to attach the rubbers to the blade, and to attach rubber topsheets to the sponge.
• Glue sheet - s plastic sheet which is premade with ITTF approved glue on both sides. It is used as an alternative to glue or speed glue for attaching rubbers to blades.
• International Table Tennis Federation - the international governing body for the sport of table tennis.
• Inverted - See pimples-in.
• ITTF - see International Table Tennis Federation.
• Let - a stoppage of play as a result of a serve hitting the net or interference from outside the playing court.
• Lob - a defensive shot used against high-speed balls, where the ball (usually with unpredictable spin) is returned very high in the air, causing difficulty in timing and technique.
• Long pips - a rubber type whose surface consists of fairly long pimples. Produces unpredictable spin.
• Loop - an offensive shot that carries a tremendous amount of topspin.
• Match - a competition format with the winner winning two of three or three of five games.
• Medium-long - a serve whose second bounce, given the opportunity, would bounce near the very end or just off the table. Difficult because the opponent cannot execute a good attacking stroke.
• Penhold - a grip where the racket is held exactly as it sounds, with the racket handle held straight up and down.
• Pimples-in - a rubber type whose surface is smooth yet gripping. Produces much spin and in many cases better speed. Also known as inverted.
• Pimples-out - a rubber type whose surface consists of many tiny pimples. Produces much control and speed, but little spin.
• Push - a defensive shot used to successfully return backspin shots, where the racket is open to lift the backspin over the net.
• Receive - return of service, usually done tactically to set up an attack.
• Sandwich rubber - a single layer of cellular rubber covered with a single outer layer of ordinary pimpled rubber, the thickness of the pimpled rubber not being more than 2mm.
• Serve - the beginning of a point where one player strikes the ball after tossing it. Usually used tactically to set up a strong attack.
• Set - one game to 11 points in a match.
• Shakehand - a grip where the racket is held exactly as it sounds but with the middle, ring, and pinky fingers wrapped around the handle.
• Shortserve - a serve that, given the opportunity, would bounce at least twice on the table. Difficult because the opponent cannot execute a good attacking stroke.
• Sidespin - a type of spin where, if struck with a normal racket position, the ball would travel either to the right or left without landing on the table.
• Smash - an offensive, high-speed shot used against high balls, where the racket is in a normal position to generate the most speed possible. Also called a kill.
• Speed glue - special glue which is used to increase the spin and speed that can be achieved.
• Sponge - is a single layer of cellular rubber that can be glued between the table tennis blade and the topsheet. The combination of sponge and topsheet is called a sandwich rubber. The more the thickness of the sponge the more spin and speed you put on the ball.
• Topsheet - is the outward layer of rubber in a sandwich rubber. It can be pimpled-in or pimpled-out.
• Topspin - a type of spin where, if struck with a normal racket position, the ball would travel over the opposite side of the table without hitting the surface.

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