Receiving
When the opponent serve/returned a short heavy backspin ball I always just pushed it.
I recently been practicing the flick but it was mostly against topspin or no spin balls.
How effective is a flick against a ball with medium or large amounts of backspin? Or should I just stick to a push which seems to usually be very reliable?
Additional question, I watched your video on the backhand side spin flick. Is there a forehand variant of this flick?
Hi Aaron,
The flick is easier against a no spin or topspin ball. You can try the Sidespin flick against the backspin ball. This is what the top players are able to do successfully. It is definitely safer to push the backspin serve back initially as you are learning but worth trying the sidespin flick to see if you have the feel for it.
Take a look at our lesson on Push or flick as well as the Backhand Sidespin Flick.
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Struggling to return spin serves? You're not alone! In this video, we break down how to read spin, adjust your bat angle, and return serves effectively—so you stop giving away easy points.
🔹 Skill Breakdown: How to identify different types of spin and adjust your return technique.
🔹 Common Mistakes: The biggest errors players make when returning spin serves—and how to fix them fast!
🔹 Viewer Q&A: Answering your top questions about handling tricky spin serves.
🔹 Train Smarter: Drills to help you practice and improve your serve returns.
Mastering serve returns is one of the fastest ways to level up your table tennis game. Try these tips and let us know in the comments: What’s the toughest spin serve you face?
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