My last blog post talked about adding spin to your shots. Let’s assume you’re getting good at putting spin on the ball. That doesn’t tell you how to deal with an opponent who’s learned the same techniques. Countering someone who knows how to send a mix of shots with topspin, backspin, and sidespin takes practice, but it isn’t as hard as it seems at first.

The first requirement is to realize what your opponent is doing and prepare properly. When you see your opponent putting topspin on his shot, you know this ball will drop faster and bounce higher, above the height where you would normally strike the ball. Try moving in to hit the shot as it’s rising, before the ball has a chance to get too high. This requires you speed up your return, but that's okay -- your shot will also come at your opponent faster, making it harder for him to hit as well.

Backspin causes the ball to come in low, but the ball floats a little more. Work with the spin: hit your own topspin stroke against his backspin. This requires less effort, too, since you’re not changing the direction of the spin. Countering backspin with topspin will also send the ball higher, helping it get up and over the net.

We didn’t cover sidespin in the last blog post, but as you can guess, it sends the ball curving to the right or left. And, of course, you and your opponent can combine these spins. How often have you been surprised by a ball with topspin that lands in when you were sure it would be out or a backspin that lands much deeper than expected?

Many opponents vary their spins, which makes it harder for you to time your returns. When you’re pitted against someone who is adept at spin, you need to quickly identify his stroke and get into position for your return. Of course, you can do the same: disrupt your opponent’s timing by sending him a mixture of spin shots. You can counter spin by returning the ball very high (or low) and sending more shots to his backhand side, since it's typically harder for him to generate spin on a backhand. Hit the ball hard to give him less time to get into position for his own spin return.

Don’t be afraid to play with spin and don’t be afraid of it when your opponent uses it against you. Learn to recognize the signs and you’ll be able to counter spin more easily.