Confused by pendulum serves
Receiving
Otfried Krumpholz Asked 9 years ago
Hi,
I just played my very first tournament. I knew that I wouldn't stand a chance against the much stronger players, but what was really frustrating was to lose nearly all points when receiving services immediately - i.e. when the opponent used pendulum serves with a lot of sidespin. It seemed I couldn't wrap my wits around it - misreading very often whether it was top or backspin. It seems to me that the pendulum, or maybe the reverse pendulum serve is the most difficult to read because the motions are so small. Maybe once you could make a video explaining more detailed how to spot the kind of spin that is generated with a pendulum serve? And, do any hints before you do?
Alois Rosario Answered 9 years ago
Hi Otfried,
Returning serve is one of the hardest parts of the game.
We do have a video that covers this on Returning a Short Pendulum Serve in our Intermediate Receiving section. In there we go through each serve and show how to handle them.
A lot of it is to do with experience of seeing the serves and then dealing with them but by going through the Introduction to Receiving section you will get a lot of handy hints that will speed up the process.
Question actions
Recommended Video
Returning Short Topspin Serves: Two Options
Returning a short topspin serve can be tricky because the spin wants to lift the ball up. In this video, we look at two effective options: developing an attacking flick and learning how to push the ball safely.
For the flick, the key is to be positive. Take a few risks, hit through the ball a little harder, and aim for a fast, flat contact. In practice, don’t worry too much about making mistakes as this is how you learn to control the shot under pressure.
The second option is the push. You can push a short topspin serve, but you need to adjust your contact. Instead of getting under the ball, come down the back of it more, almost feeling like your bat is moving slightly backwards. This helps counter the topspin and keeps the return lower and more controlled.
Watch NowThoughts on this question (1)
Become a free member to post a comment about this question.
Otfried Krumpholz Posted 9 years ago
Hi Alois,
I found and watched the video "Analysing Serves" that gave me just the info I needed. My coach also gave me the tip to watch for the end position of the bat of my opponent - in some serves it becomes very plain, where you just cannot have just effected a topspin but have your bat horizontal. However in pendulum serves it is pretty tricky. I will keep what I learned from that video in mind and see how I can now deal with it at the table. Thanks anyhow, the video was really helpful and I can recommend it very much.