by Brett Clarke

Thanks to Brett for providing us with this insightful article of Serving. Brett is the current Australian National Coach and during his playing career was widely regarded as having one of the best serves in the game.

My first article in the “Advancing the Australian Game” series covered the importance of returning serve. My aim for this July article is to highlight the importance of serving and I will offer practical solutions for motivating players to practice and improve their serves.

To prove a point regarding the importance of serve and return, I’ve just finished analysing William Henzell Vs Jens Lundquist at the 2008 Olympic Games. Henzell won this game 4-2 and, in my opinion, this is Henzell’s best international win and a major step forward for Australian Table Tennis. It may however surprise you to know that the average length of a point in this match was 3.34 hits (including serve). That’s right, there were 398 shots played over 119 points. In the 4th set, which Henzell lost 11-5, the average plummeted to 2.6 hits per rally including serve and the longest rally was 4 hits in total. There wasn’t a fault served by either player for the entire match and the overall standard was fairly high. I have watched and analysed other matches and the statistic are reasonable similar. 3.7 shots per rally is generally a very high standard international match.

I have taken the time to perform the above analyse to help you understand what is important in the game of Table Tennis. All points contain a serve and generally a return and there is often a 3rd ball attack. A block or counter attack also occurs on a fairly regular basis and a follow up 5th ball topspin is required in approximately 25% of points. Rallies that contain more than 5 shots do occur, although not as frequently as you may believe.

I believe the fastest way for Australian players to improve their level is to improve the skills which are required in the early stages of points. If the length of a rally is 3-4 shots on average, it only stands to reason that we get really good at those first 3-4 shots. Our training should reflect what is required to win a match. Far too often I see players only practicing skills which are required after the 4th ball in a rally and they ignore the real issues of the game.

The serve is among the most important strokes in a game of Table Tennis as it is the first shot in every point. Even though we all understand that a good serve wins points, I rarely see players grabbing a bucket of balls and practicing it. Most hands-on coaches know that getting their players to practice serves is harder than extracting teeth. For various reasons, players prefer to practice their perfect forehand topspin off a block rather than attending to more important issues such as serve and return. Even more puzzling for coaches is that many players seem satisfied with the fact that they have poor serves. My experience tells me that players hate practicing their serves as they lack direction when doing so. If a player knows what he/she is aiming to achieve then they will quickly become enthusiastic about serving.

So let’s look at what constitutes a good serve. I believe the most important element is the serve being short and fast. Spin and spin variation are also very important factors. The concept of serving short and fast isn’t as difficult as it first sounds. I suggest putting a target about 30cm over the net on the opponent’s side of the table. You can then take a bucket of balls and aim to hit the target using your best serves. You should be trying to generate as much speed and spin as possible even though the serve will be short (bouncing twice on the opponent side of the table). When you become accurate, take the target off the table and just look out to the spot where you are aiming. It is important you continue to visually identify your target even in a game situation. You may like to look at several possible targets for deception if you are concerned about your opponent picking up on what you are doing. Here is a good example of a short fast serve.

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Using a target normally inspires players to practice their serve. Even elite players become absorbed when trying to get their serves short and fast. It further motivates players when they are taught how to impart more spin on the ball by only using the wrist and forearm on most serves.

If a player isn’t getting enough spin on their serve it is generally because he/she is using their shoulder rather than the wrist and forearm. It is really important that the upper arm remains still until the ball is struck. I would encourage players to keep the upper arm still even after the ball is contacted, until a time when they can impart lots of spin. The only reason to move the upper arm is to disguise the spin when serving a sidespin serve. I find the best way to teach serving is to ask the player to ensure their elbow remains stable as this limits the possibility of using the upper arm. Take a look at this video for a demonstration on how to use the wrist and forearm whilst serving.

The serve is the only shot in Table Tennis where you are in total control of the stroke and you don’t even need a training partner to practice it. Hopefully this article will motivate coaches and players to improve their serves. Even 20 minutes of serving training per session will have a huge impact on a player’s level.

Serving Secrets Revealed

Editor’s note: Take a look at Serving Secrets Revealed to give you more hints on Serving.