The Banana Flip Technique in Table Tennis, Explained
The banana flip is a backhand flick used to attack a short serve instead of just pushing it back. Butterfly’s technique article says players such as Wang Hao and Dmitrij Ovtcharov were among the first to use it as a primary way to return serve and take the initiative. This guide covers the steps and common errors as the coaching sources describe them, and says so where the sources are silent.
Short answer: The banana flip is a backhand flick against short balls. TableTennisCoaching.com says the name comes from the stroke’s path: the racket is taken back to the side and curves in toward the ball, which builds momentum for both topspin and sidespin. Butterfly’s article says to step in with your dominant foot as if you were going to push, point the racket head down at the table just before contact, and apply topspin and some sidespin.
Table of Contents
Why It’s Called a ‘Banana’ Flip
TableTennisCoaching.com explains the name. Against a short backspin ball you cannot backswing downward because the table is in the way, so the racket is taken back to the side and the player uses that swing to build momentum for both topspin and sidespin. Because the stroke starts from the side and curves in toward the ball, its path is the shape of a banana, and so it is called a banana flip. TableTennisCoaching.com adds that lifting a short backspin ball this way is much easier than meeting the backspin straight on with pure topspin.
Why This Is a Backhand-Specific Technique
TableTennisCoaching.com gives the reason: against short balls the table is in the way, so topspin has to come mostly from the wrist, and it is easier to use the wrist over the table with the backhand than with the forehand. Table Tennis Teacher agrees that backhand flicks are more common and easier than forehand flicks, and says forehand flicks are played further in front of the body with little wrist action, so they produce less topspin. Forehand flicks do exist, so this is a matter of ease and not a rule.
The Setup: Stepping In Like a Push
Butterfly’s article says to begin moving right before the server contacts the ball, then move toward the ball and step in with your dominant foot as if you were going to push it with your backhand. Because the first step matches a push, an opponent may find it harder to read which shot is coming. That last point is a general tactical idea, not something the sources measure. The shots differ later, in the racket angle and swing before contact.
💡 Pro tip: General advice: practicing the push and the banana flip from the same setup, and choosing between them as late as possible, may make the flip harder for an opponent to read.
The Racket Angle: Pointed Down Before Contact
Butterfly says that right before contact the head of the racket should be pointed down at the table. This lets a player use the flip against nearly any type of spin by adjusting the stroke and follow-through that come after it. Against a backspin serve the article says to brush the back of the ball and snap the wrist upwards. Against a no-spin or topspin serve, snap the wrist more forward so the racket goes over the ball, brushing nearer the top. In either case, follow through with a wrist snap and keep the racket fairly close to the body for control.
Contact: Brushing Across the Ball at an Angle
TableTennisCoaching.com describes contact as a grazing motion, usually just after the top of the bounce against backspin and more at the top of the bounce against sidespin or topspin. Butterfly says to apply topspin and some sidespin, and that a player can vary the amount of sidespin with practice. Table Tennis Teacher suggests a loose grip and a fast motion with light contact for heavy spin.
📊 Note: According to TableTennisCoaching.com, the sideways backswing is how a player gets upward racket speed against a short backspin ball, since a downward backswing is blocked by the table.
Common Technical Breakdowns
Butterfly stresses using mostly the wrist and not the upper arm, and warns that shoulder discomfort is a sign something is wrong and that practicing the flip incorrectly risks injury. Table Tennis Teacher’s backhand flick guide lists these common mistakes: gripping the racket too tight, not bending the wrist enough, hitting the ball too late after the top of the bounce, and striking the ball too far from the body. TableTennisCoaching.com adds that if you flip every ball, a good opponent knows it is coming and can wait for it.
Why It Became a Named, Emphasized Technique
Butterfly’s article says the backhand banana flip has become a staple shot and is now mainstream, and that Wang Hao and Dmitrij Ovtcharov were among the first to use it as a primary way to return serve in order to take the initiative. In 2013 TableTennisCoaching.com called the backhand flip the dominant receive against short serves at the world-class level and credited Ma Long and Zhang Jike with taking the amount and variation of spin to the next level. Butterfly adds that the shot is very common in intermediate to advanced play.
Practicing the Flip Without a Live Partner
TableTennisCoaching.com says the best way to develop a banana flip is to practice it: find someone with good short serves and flip each one, ideally with a bucket of balls so the server can keep feeding without playing out the point. It notes that few players practice receive this way. Butterfly also suggests a multiball drill that follows one banana flip with one or more topspins. Shadow practice without a ball is a general way to rehearse the footwork and swing path, but the sources above do not cover it.
💡 Pro tip: General advice: start with a slower, less spinny flick and add speed as the motion becomes comfortable, a progression Table Tennis Teacher recommends.
What Happens After the Flip: Following Up the Shot
Butterfly says it is very important to move back to a neutral position after the flip. That is harder after flipping from the middle of the table or the forehand side, because you must cover the wide backhand corner if the opponent has an angle there. Its suggested drill is a multiball sequence of one banana flip followed by one or more topspins. TableTennisCoaching.com says Ma Long and others showed that after a flip you can step back quickly and play the next ball with the forehand.
How This Fits With Other Short-Ball Options
The banana flip is one option among several against a short ball. TableTennisCoaching.com says that if you flip every ball, a good player knows it is coming and can wait to loop or hit it, and that mixing in short and long pushes also works. Table Tennis Teacher advises against flicking too much if the opponent answers with strong counters. The site’s separate guide on whether a flick can replace the loop covers the wider choice.
- ✓Practice the push and banana flip from the same setup
- ✓Point the racket head down at the table before contact (Butterfly)
- ✓Practice against repeated short serves, for example from a bucket of balls (TableTennisCoaching.com)
- ✓Use multiball training to repeat the specific motion efficiently
- ✕Rely on a fixed swing regardless of the incoming serve’s spin type
- ✕Try to backswing downward against a short ball, where the table is in the way (TableTennisCoaching.com)
- ✕Use the upper arm or shoulder instead of the wrist (Butterfly)
- ✕Flip every ball, because a good opponent can then wait for it (TableTennisCoaching.com)
The Short Version, Restated
The banana flip is a backhand flick against short balls, named for the curved path of a stroke that starts from a sideways backswing and applies topspin and some sidespin. Step in as if setting up a push, point the racket head down at the table before contact, and use the wrist rather than the upper arm. Coaching sources say it is easier on the backhand side because the wrist works more naturally over the table, and that players use it to take the initiative on the return of serve.
Common Questions
What is a banana flip in table tennis?
A backhand flick against short balls, named for its curved swing path, that applies topspin and some sidespin (Butterfly Online; TableTennisCoaching.com).
Why is it called a banana flip?
The racket’s swing path curves from the side into the ball, resembling the shape of a banana, rather than traveling in a straight line.
Why is the banana flip a backhand technique specifically?
TableTennisCoaching.com says it is easier to use the wrist over the table with the backhand than with the forehand.
Is a banana flip different from a backhand flick?
Mostly it is a naming difference. TableTennisCoaching.com says the flip is usually called a flick in Europe and Asia, and Table Tennis Teacher says a backhand flick usually means the banana flick. Banana describes the curved path from a sideways backswing, which adds sidespin to the topspin.
Can the banana flip be used against any serve spin?
Nearly any spin, according to Butterfly: pointing the racket head down at the table before contact lets you adjust the stroke and follow-through to the incoming spin.
The Short Version
- →The banana flip is a backhand flick against short serves with a distinctive curved swing path.
- →It applies topspin and some sidespin.
- →Step in as if setting up a push, then angle the racket head down before contact.
- →It is played on the backhand because the wrist works more easily over the table on that side (TableTennisCoaching.com).
- →Butterfly says to use the wrist, not the upper arm, and to treat shoulder discomfort as a warning sign.
- →TableTennisCoaching.com recommends repeated short-serve practice with a bucket of balls.
Benjamin Fink is the Lead Equipment Analyst and Senior Contributor at Ping Pong Reviewed. A competitive USATT tournament player and table tennis technician with over 12 years of testing experience, Benjamin specializes in blade carbon composite physics, rubber sponge durometer hardness testing, ITTF equipment compliance, and table tennis robotics mechanics.
