Half long backspin serves
Receiving
Simon Lewis Asked 12 years ago
Hi Pingskills,
Yesterday, I played someone who regularly gave me a half long backspin/sidespin serve. The problem I have with half long serves is that I find they are too long to push short, and not long enough to play an aggressive shot off. All the signs of a good serve!
If I pushed the ball, it went long, because the service itself wasn't short enough. If I tried to play an aggresive shot, it was normally weak because I didn't have enough control on the ball because it didnt come long enough. Any ideas what I can do to try and play an effective shot of this serve? Luckily, I am playing this player again tomorrow in a league game, so I can try again with those serves!
Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago
Hi Simon,
You are right this can be a really effective serve. The best thing is to improve your short ball off this half long ball. It is more difficult but not impossible to do. Again it is a matter of having a really relaxed hand. Push for the top of the net and take the ball as early as you can off the bounce. You can also try flicking if the ball sits up a little higher.
Between these two shots you will start to win some of the points. This will put a little more pressure on the server and hopefully force a few shorter or longer serves to come your way.
Recommended Video
Judging the Length of a Serve
A really important skill in table tennis is to be able to judge if a serve will be short or long. If it's short you won't be able to take a full swing at the ball and hence will need to use either a push or a flick to return the ball. However, if it is coming long then you can make a topspin attack. In this video we give you some tips to help you judge the length of the serve and hopefully this makes you a better returner.
Watch NowThoughts on this question
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rajiv gollerkeri Posted 12 years ago
Rory Scott Posted 12 years ago
Against half long serves I recommend playing a topspin shot, as opposed to a flick. Flicks are best used for short serves in my opinion. Half long serves only bounce once & although the second bounce is very close to the end of the table, it is still possible to play a topspin shot with the bat angle slightly less closed than for topspins vs long serves. I would also recommend adding more spin than speed, to get a nice arc over the net & a shorter stroke (than that used for a regular topspin) too, as playing a longer stroke is difficult due to the proximity of the ball to the table.
The timing when topspinning vs half long serves is late (as the ball is dropping), as if top-of-the bounce timing is used, it is only possible to flick, which I feel is a less effective return, as it is not as easy to get as much leverage (& therefore spin) on flicks as it is on topspins, especially when using the forehand. To topspin vs a half long serve, you need to use the elbow mainly, as well as a little shoulder rotation (although less than for a regular topspin). I wouldn't recommend using the wrist, as there will be less control. Of course for the flick, the wrist is employed (as well as the elbow), as shoulder rotation is not possible vs a short ball over the table.
Your Thoughts Alois?
Regards, Rory Scott (Horsham Spinners Table Tennis Club Coach).
Good points Alois and Rory. I guess there is some differences of terminology here on what a half long serve is. For the purpose of this question, Alois was referring to half long serves as ones that would bounce twice on the table, with the second bounce being very close to the end line.
Simon Lewis Posted 12 years ago
Thanks for all the comments. I think my favourite option is to practice that short push. The flick has never been a strength of mine, so the push may be a good option. Thanks.
Siddhartha Raja Posted 12 years ago
i am not a premium member so please tell me what is in this video