How do I return a Ghost Serve?
Table Tennis General
Last updated 14 years ago
Justin Unknown Asked 14 years ago
I have been playing at my school's club for nearly a year (It will be a full year this coming December 12th), and I have a friend that is always able to sweep me down with his ghost serve. I try to angle the paddle to a short push, but it always spins into the net. Do you happen to have any tips? Thank you for your time. :]
Alois Rosario Answered 14 years ago
Hi Justin,
The ghost serve has a lot of backspin, that is what makes it come back. To counter that you need to angle the bat up like you are doing but perhaps exaggerate it so that the angle is almost facing towards you.
Your action could even lift the ball a little. The main thing though is to watch where the ball is going (into the net) and aim to hit the ball higher. This may sound simple but give it a try. Set yourself a challenge that you are allowed to hit the ball anywhere (in the world) except into the net. See how that helps.
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Piers Grey Posted 14 years ago
One thing that my Coach always taught me was
"when dealing with backspin shots, imagine your bat as a little digger and the ball as a really stubborn plant that you want to take out the ground to move it somewhere else."
What this means is get underneath the ball and lift the ball in the air to return the backspin on the ball back to the oppenent side of the table so that they can deal with it. (its kinda like a taste of their own medicine)