Serve Long
What we are taught
Photo courtesy of ITTF
Early on in our Table Tennis lives, we are taught to serve short so that we can stop the opponent playing an aggressive return. We are then instructed to “get in” and play a big attacking topspin ourselves. Now this is really solid advice and worth following so make sure you learn how to perform an effective short service.
Take note of your opponent
If you find that your opponent is very good at simply returning your serve short and therefore stopping you attacking, you should take a look at the position of your opponent. Often the players that are very good at returning tightly are not ready for the long fast serve and are hovering over the table in anticipation of a short serve.
Put doubt in their mind
By serving some long fast serves, you will keep your opponent on the back foot when receiving and make it much harder for them to return your short serves well. Try serving 10 to 20 percent of your serves long and see what effect it has on your opponents returns.
You Can’t Win Every Point
Even if you lose the point when you serve long, you may find that the doubt you have created helps you win many extra points throughout the course of the match. It is essential that if you serve long, you serve fast so make sure you put in plenty of practice on your long serves before you use this tactic in a match. And one last tip, expect a strong return and you’ll be in much better shape when your opponent does return your long serve well. You may even find you can win the point even if you haven’t caught them off gaurd.
Ji-Soo
commented on July 30th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Also, I think, worth keeping in mind that at the humble levels that most local club players play in, spinny long serves (and, surprisingly, high, long serves with minimal spin) are extremely effective at getting you lots of cheap points. In fact, they are more effective than proper textbook short serves. However, still good to develop short serves in your arsenal because 1) long serves are more effective when you can mix with really short ones, and 2) eventually you’ll come across an opponent who knows how to punish long serves.