Slow spinny serve

Hi alois and jeff

I have a friend who is really good with serves but i cant seem to return one of his serves it looks like a reverse pendulum serve of some sort it is spinny, short and low i can return it but he tends to smash it there anyway?

Hi Luigi,

It sounds like your friend has a good serve.  It is good he is your friend so that you can get plenty of chances to try and return it.

If the ball is going too high, tilt your bat forward a bit more.  You could also try the Forehand Flick on the return.  The Reverse Pendulum often has a bit of topspin because it is difficult to get backspin on this serve.  If you are already getting the ball back on the table then you should give this a try.  Once you get comfortable flicking or returning the ball low you cna think about placing the ball.  Try to get it to his weaker side and then increase the pace of your flick.  Soon he will be putting that serve away when he plays you.

FOr more help on Returning Serves go to our lessons on Receiving Secrets.