Finding a simple serve
Serving
Andrej Bajt Asked 13 years ago
Hi Alois! My name is Andrej, I am 14 years old and I am from Croatia I have a really bad problem with my serves in table tennis,and I wonder if you can help me. I am great in game but serves really bother me. Could you recommend me some not too hard serves but very effective to know and use.
Thank You!
Greetings from Croatia!
Alois Rosario Answered 13 years ago
Hi Andrej,
I think a good serve to start with is the Pendulum serve. It is fairly easy to learn and can be very effective.
Start with your body side on to the table with your left leg touching the backhand corner of the table. Then have your elbow up at shoulder height. Swing your forearm through and down like a pendulum contacting the ball with a brushing action on the side of the ball.
We show you this on our lesson in Serving Secrets. Try to do the serve many times and see if you can get the contact and the action right.
Recommended Video
5 Essential Serve Strategies in Table Tennis
Serving in table tennis is about much more than just getting the ball into play; it's about setting the pace, controlling the game, and exploiting your opponent's weaknesses from the very first touch. In This Video, You'll Discover:
- The Danger Zone: Learn why serving to your opponent’s comfort zone is a mistake and where you should aim instead.
- Wide Serves: Understand the tactical advantage of serving wide and how it can open up the table for your next shot.
- Targeting Weaknesses: Tips on identifying and exploiting your opponent's weaker side with precision serves.
- Varying Your Serve Position: The benefits of serving from different positions and how it can confuse and unbalance your opponent.
- The Crossover Point: How to target the elusive crossover point (the transition between forehand and backhand) to force errors or weak returns.
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Thoughts on this question
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Andrej Bajt Posted 13 years ago
Hi Alois. I tried to do the Pendulum serve but I find it really hard to do it cause i don't manage to hold racket like that.I usually hold bat with my thumb and my point finger on the back of the rubber like letter V so i cant manipulate with my wrist and do the Pendulum serve.I know that it's not legal and I have to learn to hold bat shakehand...So i ask you to explain me any other serve,maybe fast with lot of sidespin ,I don't know.
Thank You once again!
andrew brand Posted 13 years ago
the backhand serve is easy to learn?
Andrew T Posted 13 years ago
Andrej-
The way you hold the bat is not illegal, it is just not as useful for attacking from both wings. It does have an advantage with certain blocks however.
About the serve- Given your neutral bat grip, I would suggest trying to learn a modified tomahawk and/or windshield wiper serve. You should be able to generate a variety of spins and be ready for the next ball. Be careful though - it will be very difficult to generate underspin so a good opponent will be able to play a powerful return.
Good luck,
Andrew T