In racquet sport

Racquet sport

Racquet sports are those where players use racquets to hit a ball or other object.-List of racquet sports:* Badminton* Ball badminton* Basque pelota** Frontenis** Jai alai* Beach tennis** Matkot* Bilbocatch* Frescoball* Lacrosse...

s, backspin (also known as slice or underspin), is a shot such that the ball rotates backwards (as though rolling back towards the player) after it is hit. The trajectory of the shot involves an upward force that lifts the ball (see Magnus effect

Magnus effect

The Magnus effect is the phenomenon whereby a spinning object flying in a fluid creates a whirlpool of fluid around itself, and experiences a force perpendicular to the line of motion...

). While a normal hit bounces forward, when backspin shots bounce, they tend to bounce off the sides or even bounce up. This may make a receiver who has prepared for a different shot miss the ball when swinging. A backspin shot is 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, backspin shots tend to bounce lower once they reach the opposite court, making them more difficult to attack. This is especially important in table tennis

Table tennis

Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...

 because one must wait for the ball to bounce before hitting it, whereas in tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

 the opponent may volley

Volley (tennis)

A volley in tennis is a shot in which the ball is struck before it bounces on the ground. Generally a player hits a volley while standing near the net, although it can be executed farther back, in the middle of the tennis court or even near the baseline....

 the ball.

Backspin is also used in golf

Golf

Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

. A well-struck golf shot will result in a large amount of backspin that will carry the ball higher into the air and farther. Backspin also helps with distance control, as 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.