Third Ball Attack Guarantee

Hi Alois & Jeff

My third ball attack is one of the most devastating in my club. It is consistent and very powerful. But I do not always get a chance to do it. What serve is the best if I want to force my opponent to simply push it back to a certain part of the table which I determine so I can do a third ball attack? If you are willing to do a video on this sort of thing, I will appreciate it very much.

Thanks,

Oliver

Hi Oliver,

Unfortunately there is no one serve that will guarantee a suitable return.  It always depends on your opponents abilities and likes.

If you are looking for a push return a short backspin serve is usually better.  This makes it harder for your opponent to attack it with a flick or a topspin.

You need to have some speed on the serve so that it gets them to push the ball long.  If it is too slow, it is easier to push the return short and so it will be hard for you to attack.

We will try to get to making a video response to this.