We all know that having a strong service game is very important. But what makes a strong service game? What are the key components? And how good is your service game, really? In this article, I outline five key elements of a strong service game. I give myself a rating for each element and I want you to do the same. This will help you identify the areas where you can improve your service game. Keep reading
When serving in table tennis, we have many options available. We have all the different service actions – pendulum, backhand, hook, tomahawk, windscreen wiper. We have all the spin variations – backspin, sidespin, topspin, no spin. We have all the placement variations – short, wide, half-long, long. So many options! But have you ever thought about how to pair your two serves? Keep reading
There are multiple aspects to service – technical, tactical, mental and psychological. We often talk about the first three – how to serve, serve tactics, mental preparation – but we don’t often discuss the fourth part – how to psychologically unsettle your opponent. Or what I call “the dark arts of serving”. In this article I share some of the psychological tactics which players use when serving. All of these are entirely legal to do. They are not guaranteed to unsettle your opponent, but they often do… Keep reading
Many players have good serves. Serves which are low and spinny, with plenty of spin and placement variation. Serves which are difficult to return and win lots of points. But there is often a huge difference in what players do after they serve. How players approach this key part of their service routine determines whether they truly have a strong service game. I am going to highlight three types of server. Which one do you most identify with? Keep reading
Some players are so good at serving that it can become a weakness. This is what often happens at lower levels… A player will develop some strong, spinny serves. His opponents don’t have the receiving skills to return many of the serves. He wins many points outright with his serve. But problems arise when the strong server faces higher ranked players – players who are capable of returning his strong serves. Now his service game becomes a weakness… Keep reading
Is it true that you should only serve long occasionally? Most players and coaches would say that you should serve short, or half long, most of the time and only use a long serve now and then. But there are times when using lots of fast, long serves is absolutely fine, and strategically the best thing to do. Here’s some scenarios… Keep reading
When serving, most players usually try to generate very heavy spin. This is undoubtedly a good thing. A heavy spin serve can be very challenging to return. But players often neglect using no-spin serves. In this short article I explain the benefit of using no-spin serves and give some tips on how to use them effectively. Keep reading
Serving in doubles is something we have all experienced, but probably not given as much thought to as our singles service game. I don’t confess to having all the answers, but in this article I give a few thoughts on effective serves to do when playing doubles, focusing on placement, spin variations and forehand vs backhand serves. Keep reading
I have been experimenting with my serves for the past few months. During the summer I only used my pendulum serve in matches. Then I switched to using multiple service actions when playing matches. Which approach is best? One service action or multiple service actions? Here’s my latest thinking… Keep reading
I have a player I coach who has very strong drives. He can hit the ball hard and with good ball placement with both his forehand and his backhand. However, this player has a service problem. Yes, his serves are decent and spinny, and sometimes win him points outright. But in general his serves do not complement his playing style. He often gets stuck in pushing rallies and loses the point. In this blog post, I explain how you can use your serves to set up the type of rally you want and win more points. Keep reading