Receiving serve

Receiving

Jasper Low Asked 5 years ago

I can't seem to read my coach's serves. The no spin/light topspin serve always fool me, I tried reading the contact point but I still can't read the spin. What should I do?

Alois Rosario Answered 5 years ago

Hi Jasper,

Get him to serve it to you a lot. Watch the ball on contact, watch the flight of the ball but most of all get the opportunity to see the whole serve as often as you can.

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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?

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Thoughts on this question

Jasper Low Posted 5 years ago

His main serving action is contacting the back of the ball

D K Posted 5 years ago

This comes with experience.
I was also never able to read the contact action of my (now former)coach's serve.
However,as his spins were powerful,I learned to read the flight.

However,I have problem with another player's serve,as his serve is enormously short and low,and his service action is just a very short shake of bat.
He alternates between no spin and backspin.
Funny that I am able to fully replicate his serve,but I cannot read it due to the variance being created by placement of the ball on the bat and the angle of stroke itself.

Mike Deubig Posted 5 years ago

Also, along with watching the contact, listen to the sound, the higher the sound, the less spin, less sound means more spin.

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