Ideal Position to return serve from left-hander

Arnab Ghosh Asked 11 years ago

Hello,

I have a left-handed player in my club. He stands in his right corner of the table and pendulum serves to my extreme right (the ball spins away from me even before reaching the end line) or a precise down-the-line serve (which touches close to the white line at both the drops). The problem is I can't seem to find a balanced position to receive his serve. If I am slightly displaced, he observes it and his serve becomes difficult to return.

There is a right-handed player with similar service style, but I don't have that much difficulty returning his serves.

So what am I doing wrong against the left-hander? Where or how far should I stand from the table which would be ideal.

Sincerely,
Arnab Ghosh

Alois Rosario Answered 11 years ago

Hi Arnab,

It is difficult to say exactly where to stand without observing each serve.  In general you need to be a bit further over to your forehand side.

The real key though is watching the ball carefully when he is serving and follow the ball.  You need to be tracking it from the time he has it in his hand.  This will give you better information as to where the ball is going and so you will be able to reach it quicker.  This will help you to cover both corners.

Make sure you move into position before making a stroke.  So, legs first and then your bat moves.