Receiving
How to return the wind shield wiper serve
Hi Pablo,
The Windshield wiper serve will have sidespin on it.
It can also have some backups or topspin it. They key is to recognise how much of each of these spins there is on the ball to make it easier to return.
I find it a difficult one to read exactly how much backspin or topspin there is on the ball. You need to watch carefully and also gain experience against the serve.
Then utilise the angle of your racket to counter the spin that is on the ball. From a right hander the spin will drag the ball to your right so you need to angle the ball more to your left. Then for the topspin or backspin you need to angle your bat down if there is topspin and up if there is backspin.
Struggling to return spin serves? You're not alone! In this video, we break down how to read spin, adjust your bat angle, and return serves effectively—so you stop giving away easy points.
🔹 Skill Breakdown: How to identify different types of spin and adjust your return technique.
🔹 Common Mistakes: The biggest errors players make when returning spin serves—and how to fix them fast!
🔹 Viewer Q&A: Answering your top questions about handling tricky spin serves.
🔹 Train Smarter: Drills to help you practice and improve your serve returns.
Mastering serve returns is one of the fastest ways to level up your table tennis game. Try these tips and let us know in the comments: What’s the toughest spin serve you face?
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Pablo Andrés Segura Zelada Posted 4 years ago
¡ Thank you Alois !
No problems Pablo. We also discuss this question on the Ask the Coach Show Show #333 - The Cursed Number.