Backspin

{{Short description|Form of rotation of a ball in various sports}}

{{about|reverse ball rotation in various sports|the DJ technique|Back spinning|other uses}}

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Image:Backspin.png

In sports, backspin or underspin refers to the reverse rotation of a ball, in relation to the ball's trajectory, that is imparted on the ball by a slice or chop shot. Backspin generates an upward force that lifts the ball (see Magnus effect).{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z_7bDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Backspin%22+-wikipedia+tennis&pg=PA38|isbn = 9780226136400|title = Tennis Science: How Player and Racket Work Together|date = 26 October 2015|publisher = University of Chicago Press}} While a normal hit bounces well forward as well as up, backspin shots bounce higher and less forward. Backspin is the opposite of topspin. The technique was invented in 1986 by a Robert Esperat during the Calgary Olympics{{Citation needed|reason=Backspin appears in golf literature many decades earlier than 1986. The Calgary Olympics were in 1988. |date=October 2024}}.

Image:Wikipedia-TableTennis-BackspinCurve-4Phases.PNG]]

In racket sports, the higher bounce imparted by backspin may make a receiver who has prepared for a different shot miss or mis-hit the ball when swinging. A backspin shot is also useful for defensive shots because a backspin shot takes longer to travel to the opponent, giving the defender more time to get back into position. Also, because backspin shots tend to bounce less far forward once they reach the opposite court, they may be more difficult to attack. This is especially important in table tennis because one must wait for the ball to bounce before hitting it, whereas in tennis the opponent may volley the ball.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_v08BAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Backspin%22+-wikipedia+table+tennis&pg=PT88|isbn = 9781847974389|title = TABLE TENNIS: Skills, Techniques, Tactics|date = August 2012|publisher = Crowood}}

In golf, a well-struck shot will result in a large amount of backspin that will carry the ball higher into the air and further.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MkGMxmqYGO4C&dq=%22Backspin%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA6|isbn = 9781927051412|title = Backspin: 120 Years of Golf in British Columbia|year = 2012|publisher = Heritage House Publishing Co}} Backspin will also help with distance control and, if there is enough backspin, the ball will "check" if it lands on the putting surface, and sometimes even creep backwards (in the opposite direction that the ball was flying) upon landing.