I don’t have the exact numbers, but it is estimated that a ball loses almost 50 percent of its velocity by the time it reaches your racquet on the other side. So a 147 mph serve is really something like 73 mph. These numbers change dramatically depending on the surface and the conditions put in place on the ball.

Topspin creates an airflow force known as the Magnus force. This force pushes a topspin ball down and pushes a backspin ball upward. Furthermore, a ball hit with topspin is likely to reach a higher apex in its trajectory, so it will drop from a greater height, gain more speed, and hit at a steeper angle.

PENERATING SPIN You’ve heard the term “heavy ball.” A heavy ball combines power and spin, so the ball jumps at your opponents and pushes against them—it feels heavy when they try to hit it back.

Since the ball has backward rotation, the kinetic friction force must act for a longer period of time on the ball before it will start rotating forward. This increases the net friction force on the ball and reduces its horizontal speed by a greater amount than flat and topspin shots.

The three most common ways to hit a tennis ball are flat (no spin), with topspin, or sliced (hit with underspin/backspin). The type of spin put on the ball affects its trajectory in the air, as well as how it bounces. We will will cover the effects and physics of these three types of spin.

In racquet sports and golf, backspin (also known in racket sports as slice or underspin), is a shot such that the ball rotates backwards (as though rolling back towards the player) after it is hit. This direction of spin imparts an upward force that lifts the ball (see Magnus effect).

The creation of backspin creates lift for the ball, but it can create too much spin, which will cause a loss of distance on your drives.

Golf Ball Sidespin is the spinning that happens sideways. Yes, it’s that easy to understand. Sidespin CAN be good for some golfers but most of the time, it doesn’t end well for most of us. However, it’s almost impossible to hit a perfectly straight shot as any player will have some degree of sidespin with every shot.

The faster the downward swing, the more backspin it creates. Shots start to the left (along the swing’s path), then slice to the right (in the direction of the sidespin).

The PGA Tour average attack angle with a driver is -1.3 degrees (down). The PGA Tour average club head speed with a driver is 113 mph. At that speed distance comes naturally, and as we learned above, hitting down optimally can be slightly more controllable.

Lower spinning golf balls produce less side spin on your shots, causing the ball to fly straighter through the air and roll further once landed and reduce the chance of a slice This type of ball is more suited to golfers who tend to slice the ball and struggle to find distance however they make controlling pitch shots …

Play a shaft with a softer tip The problem is, many pros use driver shafts that are built to lower spin and keep the ball from drawing too much. They use stiff and stable profiles, often with very strong tip sections. It’s possible that a shaft with a softer tip could be the saving grace for your slice.

Most low-spin driver heads reduce spin by 200 to 400 RPM, and sometimes more if fit with the correct shaft. The lower your RPMs—assuming you have the right launch conditions—the less the ball will spin and the further it will go.