Serve

I want a good serve it not should be hard just good please help.

Hi Lucas,

I agree, we all want a good serve. The problem with serving is that it takes a lot of practice to master.

Here are a few points to consider when serving:

1. Placement of the serve - you need to mix up the placement of your serve and find an area that your opponent doesn't like. As you improve I would recommend that you try and serve short (so the ball would bounce twice on the table) around 70 to 80 percent of the time. Throw in a long serve every now and then to keep your opponent on their toes. Make sure you also mix up the direction of your serve, some to the forehand, some to the middle and some to the backhand. This will allow you to find the place your opponent least likes receiving the ball.
2. Spin - This is where serving gets difficult. In order to generate a lot of spin, you need a fast swing and if you swing fast, you must ensure you brush the ball finely so that you can still control the serve whilst generating a lot of spin. Mastering this skill requires lots and lots of practice.
3. Disguise - To really confuse your opponent you need to try and develop two serves which look similar but have different spins. The most common use of disguise is to serve a heavy backspin serve and a no-spin serve with a similar action.
4. Be Innovative - by being creative you can come up with a serve that your opponent hasn't seen before. If you follow the standard serves that everyone else is doing, your opponent will have a lot of practice at returning such serves. If you have a unique serve that no one else is doing, it will be a huge advantage.

Try out some of the tips above and let us know how you get on. We are covering all of the above topics in a DVD we are making due out for release in June 2008. You can pre-order a copy of "Serving Secrets Revealed" today and save 50% off the usual price, just visit our Online Table Tennis Store to place your order.