Друг продолжал перекрутку контртоп-спинами, даром что у него был сетбол.

The structure is:

• Друг — the subject, nominative singular: friend
• продолжал — past tense verb: continued / kept on
• перекрутку — direct object, accusative singular
• контртоп-спинами — instrumental plural: with counter-topspins / by means of counter-topspins
• даром что — conjunction: even though / although
• у него был сетбол — literally at him there was set point, meaning he had set point

So the sentence is built as:

[Subject] + [continued] + [object] + [means/manner] + [concession clause]

Because друг is the subject of the sentence — the one doing the action.

• Друг продолжал... = The friend kept continuing...

In Russian, the subject of a finite verb is normally in the nominative case.

Because it is the direct object of продолжал.

Russian продолжать / продолжить can take a direct object:

• продолжать игру — to continue the game
• продолжать разговор — to continue the conversation
• продолжать атаку — to continue the attack

So here:

• продолжал перекрутку = continued the counterloop exchange / continued the looping rally

Since перекрутка is a feminine noun, its accusative singular is перекрутку.

This is sports jargon, especially from table tennis.

It comes from крутить (to spin) and refers to a kind of exchange of topspin shots, often something like a counterloop rally.

So in this sentence, перекрутка is not a very everyday word. It is specialized language.

A learner should understand it as something like:

• a topspin exchange
• a counterloop rally
• a spin-for-spin exchange

The exact best English wording depends on the context and the speaker’s style.

Because the instrumental case often shows the means, method, or manner by which something is done.

Here:

• контртоп-спинами = with counter-topspins

So:

• продолжал перекрутку контртоп-спинами = he continued the exchange by using counter-topspins

This is the same basic idea as in sentences like:

• писать ручкой — to write with a pen
• резать ножом — to cut with a knife
• отвечать шутками — to respond with jokes

So the instrumental here tells you how he was continuing the rally.

Because the sentence refers to repeated shots, not just one shot.

A single контртоп-спин would be one counter-topspin. But in a rally, the player is making multiple such shots, so Russian naturally uses the plural:

• контртоп-спинами = with counter-topspins

This gives the sense of an ongoing sequence of shots.

This is because it is a compound sports term built from borrowed elements.

The base form is something like:

• контртоп-спин

This is a jargon term, modeled on English table tennis vocabulary. In Russian, some newer or specialized compound borrowings are written with a hyphen.

Then that noun is declined normally:

• nominative singular: контртоп-спин
• instrumental plural: контртоп-спинами

So the hyphen is part of the word’s dictionary form, not something added only because of the ending.

Because продолжал is imperfective, and that fits the idea of an ongoing action.

Compare:

• продолжал — was continuing / kept continuing
• продолжил — continued in the sense of a more bounded, completed event

In this sentence, the focus is on the fact that he kept up the rally/exchange. That ongoing sense strongly favors продолжал.

So продолжал highlights the process, not just the fact that he resumed or completed an action.

Даром что is a conjunction meaning:

• even though
• although
• despite the fact that

So:

• даром что у него был сетбол = even though he had set point

This expression can sound a bit literary, idiomatic, or stylistically marked compared with more neutral alternatives like:

• хотя
• несмотря на то что

But it is perfectly understandable and natural in the right style.

Historically yes, but in this sentence you should treat даром что as a fixed expression.

On its own, даром can mean:

• for free
• in some contexts, in vain

But даром что functions as a whole conjunction meaning although / even though.

So do not try to interpret it word by word here. Learn it as a set phrase.

Because даром что introduces a subordinate clause.

Russian normally places a comma before conjunctions that start subordinate clauses, including concessive ones like:

• хотя
• несмотря на то что
• даром что

So:

• ..., даром что у него был сетбол.

That comma is standard.

Because Russian very often expresses possession with у + genitive + быть:

• у меня есть книга — I have a book
• у него был шанс — he had a chance
• у неё был матчбол — she had match point

So:

• у него был сетбол literally means at him there was set point
• idiomatically: he had set point

Using иметь is possible in Russian, but in ordinary speech у него был... is much more natural in many contexts.

Because after the preposition у, Russian uses the genitive case.

The pronoun он changes like this:

• nominative: он
• genitive after у: него

So:

• у него = at him / with him / in his possession

This is the standard pattern for possession.

Because it agrees with сетбол, which is a masculine singular noun.

In Russian past tense, the verb agrees in gender and number with the subject of that clause. In the clause:

• у него был сетбол

the grammatical subject is сетбол, so the verb is:

• был — masculine singular

Compare:

• у него была ракетка — he had a racket
• у него было преимущество — he had an advantage
• у него были шансы — he had chances

It is a borrowed masculine noun from sports vocabulary, meaning set point.

In this sentence it is in the nominative singular because it is the grammatical subject of the clause:

• у него был сетбол

Like many borrowed nouns ending in a consonant, it behaves like a normal masculine noun in Russian.

Because the whole sentence is narrating a past situation.

The main verb is:

• продолжал — past tense

So the concessive clause also stays in the past:

• у него был сетбол — he had set point

This keeps the timeline consistent.

Here it definitely means friend, because it is a noun:

• друг = friend

The word for other / another is usually:

• другой

So do not confuse:

• друг — friend
• другой — other, another, different

In this sentence, друг is clearly the noun friend.

Not completely.

Some parts are ordinary Russian:

• друг
• продолжал
• у него был
• даром что (though stylistically a bit marked)

But other parts are clearly specialized sports jargon:

• перекрутка
• контртоп-спинами
• сетбол

So the grammar is normal, but the vocabulary is quite domain-specific, especially for table tennis.

Yes. A more neutral version would be:

• Друг продолжал перекрутку контртоп-спинами, хотя у него был сетбол.

That would mean almost the same thing:

• The friend kept counterlooping even though he had set point.

The difference is mostly stylistic:

• хотя — more neutral and common
• даром что — more idiomatic, expressive, slightly marked

Probably these four points:

1. продолжать + accusative

   • продолжал перекрутку

2. Instrumental can show means/manner

   • контртоп-спинами = with counter-topspins

3. даром что means even though / although

4. Russian often expresses have as у кого-то был/была/было...

   • у него был сетбол

If you understand those four things, the sentence becomes much easier to parse.