How is a side-underspin short serve returned with a flip?

michael ding Asked 15 years ago

I had just played the NATT championships in Baltimore. I encountered many problems with the side-underspin short serve. I tried to flip, however the ball flew out because the spin was going the opposite way. I also tried the other side(backhand) on the forehand side but it is just too hard to get back. So, how should I play this ball?

Alois Rosario Answered 15 years ago

Hi Michael,

Firstly well done on playing the NATT championships.  

Probably the safest way to return a side-underspin serve is to make a short push.  When the ball has backspin it becomes a little harder to flick/flip.

It is possible to do, but you need to open the angle of your bat to allow for the underspin.  It is really important that you get the ball at the top of the bounce as well.  Otherwise the ball will be too low on contact and hard to hit over the net.  The flick/flip is a flat stroke so you don't have much margin for error.

For both the push and the flick you do need to adjust the bat angle to allow for the sidespin.  Angle the bat away from where the ball wants to go.