Last updated on 27-Dec-2012 09:11:40 AM
Dear Pingskills,
I've been working on my pendulum and reverse pendulum serves a lot lately but can't seem to get nearly the same feeling and contact (ergo control and spin) on the reverse motion versus the regular one. I guess I'm just looking for hints that will help me take my reverse pendulum serve to a level where I could reliably play it in a game situation demanding a switch-up service. It seems like a really tricky one to master.
Cheers,
-Felipe
Hi Felipe,
This is a common question. What I recommend is that you break down your practice of the reverse pendulum into a few parts. Firstly just ensure that you have the basic action right. Then work on coming under the ball and trying to get the second bounce as close to the net as possible. The key to doing this successfully is repetition. Practice this serve 1,000 times. It sounds a lot but you could do this by hitting 100 serves each session for 10 sessions. Once you've developed some control then you can start really ripping into the serve and trying to generate some more spin.
I think high elbow is the key. When I do reverse pendulum serve, I put my elbow near the shoulder level, and it works for me.
Yes, that is good too. The high elbow helps you to reach over the top of the ball and hit it on the other side.
