Reacting to short and long serves incorrectly
Receiving
Jasper Low Asked 4 years ago
I played table tennis yesterday with my friend but I have problems moving to short balls and slow long serves because I'm not sure whether it's short or long. So I end up pushing long serves or attempting to topspin short balls. Any solutions that you have?
Alois Rosario Answered 4 years ago
Hi Jasper,
Reading the difference between a short and long serve comes down to watching the ball carefully and tracking it all the way.
I like to think about following the ball all the way with your racket. If you follow the ball then you will naturally be in a good position to play the appropriate stroke.
If you are already predicting one or the other you are in a position where you might have to change. For example if you are expecting a long ball you will be down and ready to topspin. If the ball drops shorter then you have to move from that position to come up to make the push. The opposite is also true.
Recommended Video
How to Return Spin Serves in Table Tennis (and Stop Misreading Them!)
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.
What You'll Learn:
🔹 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?
Watch NowNo comments yet!
Become a free member to post a comment about this question.