Returning Short Serves

I'm having trouble returning short serves that have backspin with sidespin or topspin with sidespin. Flicks go in the net often and pushes pop up too high. I cannot make a good decision on my receive. What worked best for me so far is to counter the spin just by the angle of the bat, sort of a block. How can I make my receive better, if his serve is hard to read? Should I take the risk of an agressive flip or play safe?

Hi Kevin,

It sounds like you are on the right track. You just need a bit more experience in returning these types of serves. Try to really watch the ball extremely closely when your opponent is serving. Try to pick up the type of spin and how much spin is on the ball. Then when you are returning the ball keep watching it very closely. If you miss take note of why and this will give you the feedback you need to adjust your return for the next time they give you this serve.

The strokes will be quite different if there is topspin or backspin on the ball. Topspin balls will be much easier to flick because you don't have to counter the backspin pulling the ball down towards the net. So to start with I'd try flicking the topspin serves and pushing the backspin serves.

As to whether you should play aggressive or safe, it really comes down to what will win you more points. If you play safe but your opponent is winning all of the points then you need to take more risks. If you are trying to be too aggressive but missing all of your shots, then you need to play safer. Experiment a bit till you find the right balance.