Chop serve & Ovtcharov's racket holding style
Serving
Lovish Issar Asked 12 years ago
Hey!!
I want to know about Dimitrij Ovtcharov's bat holding style. I found it different than others. So just wanna know if it really is different than others.
Secondly, I'm really bad at doing the chop serve. I just cannot put enough spin on the ball. In fact, not even sufficient spin for it to be called the chop serve. Every serve goes like a no spin serve. Please help me with these.
Thanks!!
Jeff Plumb Answered 12 years ago
Hi Lovish,
I believe Ovtcharov uses a fairly standard grip.
The first thing to check with regards to your chop serve is whether your rubber still has any grip. You can do this by rubbing your finger over the rubber. If your finger grips, then the rubber would also grip the ball. However if you finger slides over the rubber it is probably time to get a new grippy rubber.
If the rubber is OK, then you need to focus on 2 things to generate spin.
1. You need a fast contact and;
2. You need a brushing contact.
These 2 factors will let you get a lot of spin on the ball. I find it best to first practice generating spin away from the table. See if you can hit the ball with backspin and make it come back to you. Once you can do this consistently, then you can move back onto the table and start work on your serve.
Good luck!
Recommended Video
Basic Serving Strategy
In this video you will learn about basic serving strategies such as serving wide on either side. It is also important to not always serve to the same spot and to make sure you are always varying your service location.
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Lovish Issar Posted 12 years ago
I took a look on the rubber and found it grippy , so i went away from the table , trying the same thing you told and was able to get the ball back. but when i trieed it on the table , no result was seen. I think I am not getting the action right when I do it on the table. :(
At least you are generating the spin away from the table. This proves you can get the spin. It is more difficult on the table because it is quite small. When you do practice on the table, firstly concentrate on getting the same fast brushing contact you get away from the table. Don't worry about getting the ball on the table. Once you can get the same contact then try to get the ball onto the table. You may need to brush the ball more finely to keep it on the table.
Keep practicing. It sounds like you are nearly there!