Returning a sidespin serve
Receiving
Christian Habis Asked 10 years ago
Hello!
Lately i have been having problems when it comes to returning sidespin serves. My friend usually does a pendulum serve, which is generally sidespin, but im finding it hard to return them. Either the ball goes off the table or into the net... awarding him easy points.
Any tips for receiving and returning sidepsin serves?
Thanks!
Alois Rosario Answered 10 years ago
Hi Christian,
The spin will take the ball one way or the other. The idea is to angle your bat away from that side to counteract the spin on the ball. Don’t try to do too much with the return until you get the feel of this angle.
We have a detailed section on returning serves on our site. Take a look at what is available in our Premium sections of Receiving Secrets.
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 NowThoughts on this question
Become a free member to post a comment about this question.
Dakota Castleberg Posted 10 years ago
Alios, if you have the ball height or if it bounces off the edge of the table, you recommend using topspin to counter sidespin, correct?
Yes it is probably the most effective way to get yourself in to an attacking position.