Wang Hao's pickaxe serve
Serving
Dieter Verhofstadt Asked 9 years ago
In our club I see a few players serving with a "pick axe" motion. I got the term from the French, who call it "service pioche". It's a shakehand version of Wang Hao's service. I don't understand why even a professional is serving this way, because there seems to be hardly any wrist action, while I have always learnt that wrist action is vital for spinny serves. I must admit that they are sometimes hard to read though.
So my question: does Wang Hao's serve have wrist action and if not why is it a good serve?
Alois Rosario Answered 9 years ago
Hi Dieter,
We also call this the Tomahawk serve. His serve does have some wrist action, but the main advantage of the serve, is that it is different and also as you said, you can make subtle changes of spin that can be difficult for your opponent.
One other thing is that it is often a slower serve so your opponent doesn’t have the speed to work with on the return and has to generate the speed themselves.
We have a lesson on the Tomahawk Serve in our Serving Secrets section.
Thoughts on this question
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Dieter Verhofstadt Posted 9 years ago
Thanks Alois for the answer. I wouldn't have called it a Tomahawk (the French call it a "service marteau" or "hammer serve") which indeed you could also see as a pickaxe motion, but in my perception what Wang Hao does is different from what e.g. Kenta Matsudaira does, which is the real Tomahawk.
Wang Hao comes in with his blade as an extension of the forearm and brushes the ball along the curve of his forearm. So his whole arm is functioning as the pickaxe's blade. With the Tomahawk, the arm is rather functioning as the steel.
Anyway I think you answered the reasons why it is used: it is slower and more concealed.
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 9 years ago
Can you send me a link of him doing the serve you are taking about.
Dieter Verhofstadt Posted 9 years ago
Hi Alois
Thanks for taking the time to look into this.
Here's an excerpt from Wang Hao's instructional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yCtN9WwkEI
The serve starts at 0:37
Here's someone explaining the serve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow3eVmToRBc
He explicitly mentions "not much wrist action". So, all cards are on the table, but I find it strange that - unless for a no spin serve - a professional serve is based on little wrist action.
Thanks a lot
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 9 years ago
Aha. This is different to the Tomahawk serve. We refer to it as a Punch serve. On the site dominoes asked a question a while ago about Par Gerrell doing the serve.
Take a look at the video response in this question. http://www.pingskills.com/table-tennis-forum/what-type-of-serve-is-par-gerell-doing/
Dieter Verhofstadt Posted 9 years ago
Thanks a lot Alois. That is indeed the serve I am talking about.
Even yesterday I had an opponent using this serve and I still found it very very difficult to read. There is not as much spin on it as the ones with wrist action but I very easily misjudge these serves. So they are effective!