Receiving serve from a medium pimple

Jeff M Asked 8 years ago

Hi Alois and Jeff

Recently I played against an opponent who uses penhold with medium pips on his backhand. I have reading the spin from his serve when he uses his backhand rubber to serve. I understand that medium pips has an effect in between short and long pips. When he serves, it looks like a backspin with side spin motion but the ball kicks up high as I thought it had backspin but it actually has topspin. Then once I thought it must have top spin and then the ball goes into the net. Is it that when he uses medium pips to serve, the spin will always be a reverse of what it looks like?

2nd question: can you make a backspin serve with medium pips?

Thank you very much for your help.

Alois Rosario Answered 8 years ago

Hi Jeff,

The Medium pimples will not be able to generate too much spin at all.  So when he is making that motion it is coming through with a little bit of backspin.  It will sit up perhaps more than a heavy backspin serve and then when it jumps up you may think it is topspin whereas just has that small amount of backspin that makes you hit the ball into the net.