tossing the ball in serves
Table Tennis Serving
Last updated 13 years ago
gian crispino Asked 13 years ago
Hi again sirs..
im having problems in throwing the ball in service, i cant throw it properly!!
the result is i cant serve properly, and make blunders...
any tips? thanks!
Gian
Jeff Plumb Answered 13 years ago
Hi Gian,
This can be a tricky part of the serve to learn especially if you are used to serving the ball straight out of the hand.
One tip is to start practicing throwing the ball up and then catching it. Don't bother serving at this stage, just throw the ball up. Make sure you follow the rules and have your hand flat and throw the ball nearly vertical straight up.
Once you get good at this then you can start by doing a basic serve. Don't try anything too fancy just hit the ball when it is on it's way down.
Once you can do this you will be on your way and then can start trying some more advanced serves.
Give it a go and let me know how you get on.
Thoughts on this question
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gian crispino Posted 13 years ago
gian crispino Posted 13 years ago
Jeff Plumb from PingSkills Posted 13 years ago
Hi Gian,
It really is just a bad habit. The actual rules say that it must be thrown near vertical so you should practice doing it correctly as it will save you any problems in the future. At the moment most umpires simply let this go and do not fault players but occassionally you find one who will fault you. So start doing it correctly from day one and you will never have a problem.
gian crispino Posted 13 years ago
Jackson Meyn Posted 13 years ago
gian crispino Posted 13 years ago
hey there.
i did what you said, and mastered throwing the ball and some basic serves.
im currently trying pendulum serve (sidespin), and i find it difficult. any tips?
Jeff Plumb from PingSkills Posted 13 years ago
Hi Gian,
With the sidespin pendulum serve, try to get your elbow up nice and high. This will help you get your arm into the correct position. Then swing through the ball using your forearm and wrist to generate the speed and spin. For sidespin you should get your bat vertical and brush the side of the ball.
Let me know if these tips help you out.
We cover this in our Serving Secrets Revealed DVD.
gian crispino Posted 13 years ago
hey there thanks for the advice.
i managed to do it, but not all the time. sometimes it gets long. sometimes double bounce.
i am hitting the ball when it is near the edge of the table, is this right? i also cant make it slow and spinny, its always fast. help!
Jeff Plumb from PingSkills Posted 13 years ago
Hi Gian,
Be patient and practice lots. This is a skill that takes a long time to develop. When serving you do need to hit the ball behind the baseline of the table. This is one of the rules.
To make the ball slow and spinny you need a finer contact. If you hit the ball too flat it will go fast. By brushing the ball, the speed of your bat will cause the ball to spin. This is why it is a difficult skill because you need to swing the bat fast yet brush the ball finely.
Good luck with it and keep working at it. With time you will start to get the feel for it.
gian crispino Posted 13 years ago
thanks for the advice jeff. actually i learned ma lin's ghost serve recently. check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG4x5Qb5NBM
please share your opinions and comment!
Jeff Plumb from PingSkills Posted 13 years ago
Congratulations Gian! Keep working on those serves because you are well on the way to being a really good server.
Do you normally play with the penhold grip or shakehand?
gian crispino Posted 13 years ago
thanks sir!
I play with both shakehand and penhold. nowadays, i play mostly penhold, coz i enjoy the RPB.