tomahawk service
Table Tennis Serving
Last updated 11 years ago
Shripathi ramakrishnan Asked 12 years ago
hiya alois and jeff,
thanks to your advice on some matters, my game has improved.
today i wanted to know bout the tomahawk serve. i know how to put backspin on the ball but then i dont know how to play a topspin based tomahawk. can u plz give me some advice on this?
u guys rock! thanks
Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago
HI Shripathi,
To get topspin on the Tomahawk serve you need to get the tip of the bat over the ball on contact. So think about the forehand side of your rubber facing a little towards the floor so that you can kick over the top of the ball to get the topspin. You need to bend quite low to be able to do this effectively.
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Andrew Pape Posted 11 years ago
Hi Alois,
I'm also having trouble getting topspin on tomahawks.
Years ago, several grades below, I was hopeless but I could still do that serve.
When you've taught topspin pendulum serves, it's easy do do because the bat is coming under the ball and upwards. A coach said to get topspin on tomahawks all you need to do is contact the ball at 3 o'clock and brush the top. I've tried. My practice partner, who used to play A2 at Albert Park, has no idea how to do the serve either. I can't picture how to brush the bat over the top of the ball when the ball is dropping. With std pendulum, the ball and bat are moving in opposite directions, which makes it easy. If I didn't toss the ball, and did an illegal serve, I could probably get the topspin, but the problem is that I have to hit the ball at top of toss or when the ball is dropping, which I can't coordinate. I have bent low, but still no-go.
I've watched your videos but there's something missing in my head!
Any idea on what to think about (or a mental picture) to get this serve right? I can serve people off with the backspin version, which is partly because they think it's topspin, and partly from the heavy spin. If I could do a topspin and then mix them up, it'd be great!
Cheers,
Andrew.