Returning short

hi jeff,

When a player does a pendulum serve and we push right.....well then....when will playing the offensive strokes???? 

Hi Rahul,

When returning any serve, you should try and topspin it yourself if it is only going to bounce once on the table. This means you play the offensive stroke first and get your opponent on the back foot.

If the ball is short, one tactic is to push the ball back short so your opponent cannot make an attacking loop. Then hopefully you will get a long ball and be able to make the first attack.

Often the battle in Table Tennis is to see who can make the first effective attack. If you can do that you have a good chance of winning the point.