Balloon defense

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Balloon defense is a defensive technique in table tennis , in which the defending player tries to return the ball hit very hard by his opponent (up to 180 km / h for top players) in an extremely high, balloon-shaped flight curve onto the table. This happens from a distance of several (5–7) meters behind the gaming table. The ball is additionally provided with topspin (forward spin) and often with sidespin. The forward spin means that the ball, which is not flying slowly and vertically, is difficult to hit and accelerates forwards when it hits the table and bounces off much flatter than a spinless ball would. This often leads to misjudgments of the ball and also the spin makes the ball difficult to control when trying to get a point with a hard, straight shot.

The balloon defense is often used by offensive players when they are put on the defensive. The stroke is much more effective than a defense with an undercut, which is often returned with a deadly stop ball. In addition, with the thick, highly elastic rubbers used by offensive players, it is relatively difficult to return the ball in a flat and controlled manner with backspin defense.

The French European champion from 1976, Jacques Secrétin , used this stroke not only successfully in competition, but also in his show with his partner Vincent Purkart . During his time with Bundesliga club TTC Altena, the Chinese world champion Liang Geliang was known for occasionally jumping over the border of the game box when defending against balloons.

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