What type of serve is Par Gerell doing?

Serving

andrew brand
andrew brand Asked 13 years ago

hi alois, i was recently watching par gerell vs france in the current swedish open, he has a pendulum serve, but also he has a serve i dont recognise, it looks similar to tomahawk but isnt. it looks very effective and mainly sidespin i think. do u know the one i mean? and does it have a name like the other serves?

Alois Rosario
Member Badge Alois Rosario Answered 13 years ago

Hi Andrew,

It is a sort of a mixture between a tomahawk and reverse pendulum serve but having your hand below your bat rather than above.

It can be really effective because it is difficult to tell how much spin is on the ball.  It is mainly sidespin but you can vary between backspin and topspin quite easily with it with just a tilt of your hand.  

I don't have a name for it but perhaps a 'Punch serve' as the action is like you are punching.

 

Take a look at this video response to the question titled Punch Serve.

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Thoughts on this question

andrew brand

andrew brand Posted 13 years ago

Thanks Alois, i will have to try that one out.
Alois Rosario

Member Badge Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 13 years ago
Give it a try.  Just push around the side of the ball and then tilt your bat forward for topspin and backwards for backspin.

Akhil Arun

Akhil Arun Posted 13 years ago

Can any one share that video !!
M V

M V Posted 13 years ago

sir,

this is very interesting.

pls. pls. make a video on how to improve this serve whenever you possibly can.

 

Thanks

Jeff Plumb

Member Badge Jeff Plumb from PingSkills Posted 13 years ago

Here is a video with Par Gerell, you can see him trying this serve twice in a row from the 22 second mark.

 

Kevin Z

Kevin Z Posted 13 years ago

Yes, it's pretty easy to perform, just try to make sure it stays low. My opponents seem to make quite a few mistakes receiving this serve, maybe because it's hard to read its spin.
Ji-Soo Woo

Ji-Soo Woo Posted 13 years ago

I've been doing this serve for a couple of months now.

I don't have the variations to allow this to be a main weapon, but I find that it's a nice "surprise" serve when the opponent is expecting a pendulum serve.

Shitae Yoo

Shitae Yoo Posted 13 years ago

Much pretty good and thanks a lot.hope to get more teaching.
Aleksandar Ciric

Aleksandar Ciric Posted 13 years ago

For some reason this serve looks easy to return. You cannot hide which type of sidespin it generates. Still, one has to wonder why none of the top 10 players is using it. Also there is no wrist action. Well, since its hard to tell if it is topspin or with backspin, I guess the emphasis is on third strike, not on winning with the serve.
Billy Pegg

Billy Pegg Posted 13 years ago

Love the videos guys, over here in the UK we call it the 'slider' serve. Quite alot of the Scottish lads use it as well. If you've never seen it before then it can be a nightmare to play against. Anyone wanting more examples of this serve should check out an International called 'Gavin Rumgay' on youtube, keep up the good work!
GOLLAPUDI GOLLAPUDI

GOLLAPUDI GOLLAPUDI Posted 13 years ago

hi Alois thanks for the video. i am using it successfully. the name i suggest is SIOLA SERVICE. SIOLA IS REVERSE OF ALOIS.

REGARDS

RESHEPU 

Neville Young

Member Badge Neville Young Posted 13 years ago

HaHaHa- I've been using this serve for nearly 40 years. Very effective from the forehand side down the edge of the table to your opponents backhand.  The return usually goes off the table. This is the serve I use when I need a point
Sourav Mehra

Sourav Mehra Posted 13 years ago

I will call it the hook serve.There are many videos on youtube for this serve
Jon Ferguson

Jon Ferguson Posted 13 years ago

Hi Alois-

I have seen a young Asian guy on You Tube doing a very similar serve, and he calls it the HOOK serve. The secret, I think, is to use a fast motion with the arm moving forward, as the wrist isn't being used as much as the Pendulum or reverse Pendulum. The guy on You Tube gets a fair bit of speed and spin.

Peter Rod

Peter Rod Posted 13 years ago

This is another video where you can see how good this serve is in the hands of Pär Gerell, enjoy it.

Ian Costello

Ian Costello Posted 13 years ago

You can call it the pendulum tomahawk serve.
chris chidumije

chris chidumije Posted 13 years ago

sir 

please what is the contact point for both the racket and the ball for the service???? 

JOSEPH JUNEAU

JOSEPH JUNEAU Posted 12 years ago

I AM LEFT HANDED WHEN I PLAY A PLAYER THAT IS LEFT HANDED SHOULD I SERVE SHORT TO HIS FOREHAND AND LONG TO HIS BACKHAND? HE IS PRETTY GOOD ON BOTH SIDES!!
Sohan Punnoose

Sohan Punnoose Posted 11 years ago

                    I call it the sidespin backspin and the sidespin topspin serve.

 
leonardo gabica

leonardo gabica Posted 11 years ago

I call it the Mjolnir Serve!

Raghav Binwal

Raghav Binwal Posted 11 years ago

Nobody can pick it up. Thanks

alex yulo

alex yulo Posted 11 years ago

its look like a hook serve..

Des Ryan

Des Ryan Posted 8 years ago

Brilliant,

i had just seen Par's service,and thought I would like to add this to my game.So I will practice this in the morning,as I am sure it will take some time before it can be perfected....say tomorrow afternoon!!!

Mike Lauro

Mike Lauro Posted 8 years ago

During the Rio Olympics, I heard commentators say that Par Gerrell's serve is one of the hardest to read among pro players.  The commentator mentioned that even some of the Chinese players were having difficulty returning the serve in practice.  I don't know if that's true or not, but his serve is certainly unique among top players.

Alois' point about adding variation to your serve to improve overall serve effectiveness is spot on.  Anytime you can serve with deceptive variations, it can create lots of trouble for opponents.  For example, with a pure sidespin serve that is disguised so that it appears to have a little backspin too, the opponent's push will result in a ball that rises and allows an opportunity for you to attack.

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