The forehand loop is the single most important attacking stroke in modern table tennis. If you can only master one shot beyond the basics, this is the one that will do the most for your game.
What the Forehand Loop Actually Does
A loop is a topspin shot that brushes up and over the ball rather than striking it flat. That brushing action grips the ball's surface and imparts heavy rotation, which pulls the ball down sharply after it crosses the net. This lets you hit with real pace and margin at the same time, something a flat drive cannot do.
Setting Up Your Stance
- Feet slightly wider than shoulder width, right foot back for right-handed players, weight ready to shift forward through the shot.
- Knees bent, lowering your center of gravity so you can drive upward through the stroke instead of arming the ball.
- Racket dropped low and slightly behind your body before you begin the swing, giving you room to accelerate up and through contact.
The Loop Against Backspin
This is the loop most players learn first because it is the most common opportunity: your opponent pushes or chops the ball, and you attack it. Drop your racket low, close to knee height, and brush up the back of the ball in a steep, mostly vertical path. The steeper the incoming backspin, the steeper your brushing angle needs to be to clear the net safely.
The Loop Against Topspin or No Spin
Here the ball already carries less downward force, so your brushing path should flatten out considerably. Contact happens earlier, closer to the top of the bounce, with a more forward than upward brush. This version trades some safety margin for extra speed and is usually used to open or finish points rather than to simply get the ball back in play.
A Simple Progression Drill
- Have a partner feed slow, consistent backspin balls to your forehand.
- Focus only on brushing the ball up and over the net, ignoring speed entirely for the first fifty repetitions.
- Once your loop clears the net consistently, add pace gradually while keeping the same brushing motion.
- Progress to looping against a block, then eventually against topspin feeds.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common mistake when learning the forehand loop?
Using too much arm and not enough leg drive and waist rotation. Power in a forehand loop comes mainly from your legs and hips transferring into your torso, not from swinging your arm harder.
Can you loop a backspin ball the same way you loop a topspin ball?
No. Looping backspin requires a lower starting position and a steeper, more vertical brushing angle to lift the ball over the net, while looping topspin or no-spin balls uses a flatter, more forward brush since the incoming ball already has less downward force to overcome.