{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,3]],"date-time":"2026-03-03T16:29:29Z","timestamp":1772555369567,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,1]],"date-time":"2021-11-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1635724800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Symmetry"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Theoretical tutorials and the scientific literature do not provide information on the proper use of the non-playing hand in table tennis. This study aimed to evaluate the course of the movement in the joints of the non-playing limb during a table tennis topspin forehand stroke (played after a backspin ball) and to determine the inter-individual movement variability. The study involved 12 male table tennis players (178.7 \u00b1 5.5 cm, 70.0 \u00b1 6.6 kg, 23 \u00b1 3 y) at a competitive level. The participants performed one topspin forehand as a response to a backspin ball. Kinematics were measured using an Inertial Motion Unit\u2013MR3 myoMuscle Master Edition system. Changes in the angles of the upper limb joints (with particular emphasis on the non-playing hand) during the forehand topspin were analyzed. A novel method of normalized function of variance was used to characterize areas of high\/low variability of movement. Most of the movements in the joints of the non-playing limb were performed symmetrically to the playing one, especially in the hitting phase. A rapid change of direction characterizes these movements, just before or during the hitting phase, which may indicate a supportive, \u2018driving\u2019 character for these movements. High inter-individual variability for the duration of the entire movement cycle in both limbs was observed; higher in the non-playing limb. This perhaps indicates a greater degree of individualization on the non-playing side.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/sym13112054","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,2]],"date-time":"2021-11-02T22:17:23Z","timestamp":1635891443000},"page":"2054","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["The Role of the Non-Playing Hand during Topspin Forehand in Table Tennis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6109-7510","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"S\u0142awomir","family":"Winiarski","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Biomechanics, University School of Physical Education in Wroc\u0142aw, 51-612 Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2432-0864","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ivan","family":"Malagoli Lanzoni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7488-6172","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ziemowit","family":"Ba\u0144kosz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Biomechanics, University School of Physical Education in Wroc\u0142aw, 51-612 Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"69","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-03194-1_3","article-title":"Movement Templates for Learning of Hitting and Batting","volume":"Volume 97","author":"Kober","year":"2014","journal-title":"Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Hochmuth, G. 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