How do you identify spin on a serve?

Cristina Trowbridge Asked 14 years ago

What do you suggest I can do to learn how to identify the type of spin on a serve. I find so many serve styles deceptive but I know I need to break down the serve so I can be more effective in my return. A friend suggested I watch videos? 

Alois Rosario Answered 14 years ago

Hi Christina,

This is a big part of Table Tennis.  Firstly you need to be able to understand the effect of spin.  Then you need to work out what type of spin is on the ball. You can watch the contact of the bat on the ball.  This will give you a lot of information. If they are contacting under the ball it will have some backspin, on the side is sidespin and brushing up on the ball will be topspin.  There will be a combination of these as well. By watching videos of better players you may start to see what is happening with the ball.  The more you watch the more information you will store.

You can also watch the flight of the ball.  This is difficult to gauge but with a lot of practice you will start to see the differences in the flight of different spins.

The next thing to do is to watch the reaction of the ball after it hits your bat. That will give you a lot of information. Of course that is too late for that shot, but you will start to build up a database of information by watching the ball carefully.

So the main thing to break down with the serve is the contact point.  Everything that happens before or after the contact is irrelevant. 

We will have the Receiving Secrets DVD out soon where we will cover these points on video so you will be able to see what is happening.