ABSTRACT
Our study is a descriptive analysis of an essential stroke in table tennis: the topspin. The topspin is a discrete skill that combines speed and a forward rotation of the ball. Generally speaking two types of topspin strokes are distinguished according to the speed and rotation imparted to the ball: the striking-topspin (speed important and ball rotation less important), and the rotative-topspin (ball rotation important and speed less important). Sklorz et al. (1996) proposed a technical description of the topspin strokes. They clearly defined three stages which are (a) preparation, (b) execution, and (c) followthrough. The preparation-stage extends from the racket’s neutral position in front of the player, until the end of the movement going backwards. The execution-stage extends from the beginning of the movement until the impact of ball-racket. The follow-throughstage takes place following the impact until the end of the movement.
