Generating Spin
Serving
yiejian chee Asked 14 years ago
Hello,how do i do the forehand pendulum service & getting it to have lots and lots of spin? like the one Jeff did on your video on you tube" keeping the ball low on table tennis " like when you serve, the ball bounces on you side of the table on a backhand corner,then when it bounces on the other side, the ball curves to the opponents forehand side?
Jeff Plumb Answered 14 years ago
Hi Yeijan,
To generate lots of spin you first need to ensure you have a good quality rubber on your Table Tennis bat.
Then you need 2 things to generate spin. You need to have a fast contact and you need a brushing contact. That's it. It sounds simple but it does take a lot of practice. When you are swinging the bat fast, it is difficult to get a fine brushing contact.
The best way to practice this when starting out is to get away from the table and just practice hitting the ball with a fast contact and a fine brushing contact over and over. You should be able to see the effect of the spin on the ball. We talk about this in our Serving Secrets Revealed DVD.
We also discuss practicing generating lots of spin at the end of our Practicing Alone lesson. I've put the video below for you to watch.
Thoughts on this question
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yiejian chee Posted 14 years ago
Jeff Plumb from PingSkills Posted 14 years ago
Hi Yiejian,
Remember the 2 things that are important to generate spin are
1) Having a brushing contact
2) Having a fast contact
The trick is to have both of theseat the same time. With regards to the edge of the blade, the theory is that if you swing you bat in a semi-circle motion, then the edge of the bat being furthest away, will be moving faster than the part of the bat closest to your hand. And as we mentioned above, the faster you swing the bat whilst still maintaining the same brushing motion will result in increased spin.
Having said that, I personally find that when starting out, it is much easier to not worry about the exact spot you hit the ball, but to remember that you need to combine a brushing contact with a fast contact. This takes a lot of practice especially to be able to serve with this motion and get the ball to bounce twice on the table. That is why we recommend getting away from the table sometimes to practice this skill.