Backspin - A type of spin used mostly on defensive shots. When you chop the ball, you produce backspin. The bottom of the ball will move away from you.
Blade - The racquet, usually without covering.
Block - A quick, off the bounce return of an aggressive drive done by just holding the racquet in the ball's path.
Blocker - A style of play where blocking is the primary shot.
Chop - A defensive return of a drive with backspin, usually done from well away from the table. Also known as backspin (see backspin).
Chopper - A style of play where chopping is the primary shot.
Closed - If the racquet's hitting surface is aimed downward, with the top edge leaning away from you, it is closed.
Counter-Drive - A drive made against a drive. Some players specialize in counter-driving.
Cross-Court - A ball that is hit diagonally from corner to corner.
Dead - A ball with no spin.
Deep - A ball that lands deep on the table. A serve that will not bounce twice on the opponent's side of the table if given the chance is also considered deep.
Default - Being disqualified from a match.
Double Bounce - A ball that hits the same side of the table twice. The person on that side loses the point.
Down the Line - A ball that is hit along the side of the table, parallel to the sidelines, is hit down the line.
Drop Shot - Putting the ball so short that the opponent has trouble reaching the ball. Done when the opponent is away from the table.
Flat - A ball that has no spin, usually traveling with good pace.
Footwork - How a person moves to make a shot.
Forehand - Any shot done with the racquet to the right of the elbow for a righthander, to the left for a lefthander.
Handicap Events - An event in a tournament where points are spotted to make the match even. Can be singles or doubles.
Hard Rubber - A type of racquet covering with pips out rubber but no sponge underneath. It was the most common covering for many years until the development of sponge rubber.
Hitter - A style of play where hitting is the primary shot.
Inverted Sponge - The most common racquet covering. It consists of a sheet of pips out rubber on top of a layer of sponge. The pips point inward, so the surface is smooth. This is the opposite of pips out sponge, where the pips point outward.
ITTF - International Table Tennis Federation. The governing body for table tennis in the world.
Kill Shot - See smash.
Let - If play is interrupted for any reason during a rally, a let is called and the point does not count. See rules for more details.
Loop - A heavy topspin shot usually considered the most important shot in the game. Most players either specialize in looping or in handling the loop.
Looper - A style of play where the primary shot is the loop.
Match - A two out of three or three out of five games contest.
Open - If the hitting surface of the racquet is aimed upwards, with the top edge leaning towards you, it is open.
Penholder - A type of grip giving the best possible forehand but the most awkward backhand of the conventional grips.
Pips - The small conical bits of rubber that cover a sheet of table tennis rubber.
Pips Out - A type of racquet covering. It consists of a sheet of pips out rubber on top of a layer of sponge. The pips point outward, the opposite of inverted.
Playing Surface - The top of the table, include the edges.
Push - A backspin return of backspin. Usually defensive.
Racquet - What you hit the ball with. The blade plus covering.
Rally - The hitting of the ball back and forth, commencing with the serve and ending when a point is won.
Rating - A number that is assigned to all tournament players after their first tournament. The better the player the higher the rating should be. The range is from about 200 to about 2800.
Rating Events - An event in a tournament where to be eligible you must be rated under a specified amount.
Receive - The return of a serve.
Rubber - The racquet covering. Sometimes refers only to the rubber on top of a sponge base.
Rubber Cleaner - used to keep the surface of inverted rubber clean.
Serve - The first shot, done by the server. It begins with the ball being thrown up from palm of hand and struck by the racquet.
Shakehands Grip - The most popular grip. It gives the best balance of forehand and backhand.
Short - A ball that lands close to the net. A serve that would bounce twice on the opponent's side of the table if given the chance is also considered short.
Smash - A putaway shot. Ball is hit with enough speed so opponent cannot make a return.
Spin - The rotation of the ball.
Sponge - The bouncy table tennis rubber material used in sandwich covering. It is used under a sheet of rubber with pips. It revolutionized the game and ended the hard rubber age in the 1950's.
Stroke - Any shot used in the game, including the serve.
Topspin - A type of spin used on most aggressive shots, with an extreme amount being used in the loop shot. When you topspin the ball, the top of the ball moves away from you.
Umpire - The official who keeps score and enforces table tennis rules and regulation during a match.
Underspin - See backspin.
USATT - USA Table Tennis, the governing body for table tennis in the United States.
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