Attacking a flick

jack neo Asked 14 years ago

Hey coaches, i tried to vary my short serves a with some side-topspin which caused my opponents to flick strongly. I managed to topspin some of them but not consistently enough. Coming forward with the ball seem to put them in the net sometimes. Do i need to lift it more? Same goes with the backhand side.

Alois Rosario Answered 14 years ago

Hi Jack,

The sidespin does make it easier to flick for your opponent.  You need to use the sidespin serve sparingly.  You could try putting some more backspin on the serve at the same time as the sidespin.  This will keep the ball in a position that is harder to attack.

When you serve the sidespin serve you need to be aware that they can flick so be ready for it.  After the serve don't stay too close to the table in case this happens.  When they flick you often need to lift the ball more than you think because the pace of the flick means the ball comes out of your rubber quicker and it doesn't have time to lift.  Try a more vertical stroke.