Flicks!!!

Stefan Liew Asked 15 years ago

Hi PingSkills,

When I play with one of my friends, he always flicks the ball no matter what kind of short ball it is. Even when i try to spin it, he still does it successfully near and fast to the net. How do I prevent this? His forehand is a little better than his backhand but they are almost equally strong...

Alois Rosario Answered 15 years ago

Hi Stefan,

You need to work on your backspin serve. If you can start to get more spin on the serve then you will make it more difficult to flick.

The other option i sto serve topspin. Sometimes, players that like to flick backspin balls find the topsin serve a little difficult. The other advantage is that if you serve tospin, then you know they are going to attempt to flick and you can be ready for it.

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Thoughts on this question (4)

Stefan Liew Posted 15 years ago

How Do You serve the topspin serve?

Ji-Soo Woo Posted 15 years ago

I hit more flicks (especially during practice, and especially with doubles) than anyone else in my division. It's kind of a passion. Whenever a ball is short, I flick. I especially enjoy flicking backspin. One technique that is sometimes effective against me when I am looking to flick everything is to serve a little higher ball. My natural flicking motion seems to involve lifting the ball over the net and down on the other side so as a result I often miss "easy" serves that bounce high. Of course, this will obviously not work with everyone!

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 15 years ago
Firstly, Ji-Soo, great comment. I know it may sound strange, but that tactic is a really good one.
Most players, for any stroke, like the ball to be at a certain height (hitting zone). When it is either lower or higher the stroke becomes more difficult.
The same applies for the type of spin that is on the ball. They might like hitting a stroke off a flat ball, but not like it off a topspin ball.
The principles of varying your spin, speed and placement of the ball applies.

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 15 years ago
Stefan, to serve the topspin serve, brush up and forward on the ball. The ball still bounces close to you on your side of the table on the first bounce. For those that haven't seen the Serving Secrets Revealed DVD, this will explain a lot about the topspin serve.