Serve and receiving in doubles

Mohit karda Asked 12 years ago

1)I generally do the backhand sidespin serve while playing doubles with varying spins.I tried doing the Pendulum serve and Tomahawk serve to add variety but didn't find them comfortable options, especially with the pendulum because I made too many faults due to the line rule in doubles.Can suggest a good serve to add to the arsenal for doubles play.

2)I have a lot of difficulty taking serves with my forehand, unless I have room to play it.This causes a lot of problem in doubles when the opponent serves wide sidespins , I inevitably attempt them with the backhand but end up hitting them out due to the wide angle and large sidespin.How to overcome this problem of not being able to play with forehand, especially the mental side of it, where I somehow always get the feeling that I dont have much room for the forehand and it doesnt seem a good option personally, while others do it very effectively.

A video answer would be appreciated.

Thanks

Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago

Hi Mohit,

I would focus on the Tomahawk serve.  This is a good option for doubles apart from the backhand serve.  The ball will curve the right way to stay inside the lines.  These sorts of things take time to get right.  Try serving the Tomahawk from closer to the middle line.  This will stop it from going off the side of the table as well.  This makes it harder for the receiver to attack it.

Position yourself more to return with your forehand.  Especially against weaker servers where you know the ball is going long.  This will also make it easier for you to cover the wide ball by just stepping across and taking it with your forehand rather than having to switch between forehand and backhand.  Your partner can move across more to their backhand corner and then move in with you when you are receiving.