Focus when opponent is serving

Hi Alois and Jeff,

My question is what are the things I need to watch out for when my opponent is serving or returning so as to get ready to return? Many times my opponents serve sort of top spin side spin serves and I am not able to judge how much backspin is on the ball. And when I try to flick it, the ball either goes in the net or flies off the table.

Hi Aditya,

The first thing is to watch the ball very carefully when they are serving.  This will give you a lot of information like the type of contact they are making on the ball and the flight of the ball.

You then need to understand the basic principles of receiving.  These are detailed in our Receiving Secrets section.  The first few tutorials in the section are free.  Then if you think it will help, you should sign up to the Premium Membership by going to the My info link at the top right of the site.