How can I return a short pendulum serve?

Merijn Machielse Asked 13 years ago

What is the best way to return a short pendulum serve? 

On the training i train with a few big guys who use the pendalum serve and put alot of sidespin in it, I find it already very hard to read what spin its in because they do it fast and with extra movements..

When they do it short i try to push it, almost never ends well because it just goes to the right or left because of the sidespin..

How should I return them?

Jeff Plumb Answered 13 years ago

The main idea with returning spin is to use your bat like a rudder to counter the spin. This means you need change the angle of your bat depending on the spin that is on the ball. This is an important principle in returning serve.

You need to learn to read the spin that is on the ball so that you can counter the spin. You need to see the server's action, their contact and then the flight of the ball.