Returning short
Receiving
Rahul Ramesh Asked 14 years ago
hi jeff,
When a player does a pendulum serve and we push right.....well then....when will playing the offensive strokes????
Jeff Plumb Answered 14 years ago
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.
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.