Long side topspin serve

Nathan Wu Asked 1 week ago

Hi Pingskills,

My side topspin serve includes of lifting it up in the pendulum stroke but if I do this I get a short serve. How do I produce one that goes long?

Alois Rosario Answered 1 day ago

Hi Nathan,

This is a good observation, and it’s quite a common issue when learning to generate heavy side spin or side-topspin on the serve.

The key to making your side topspin pendulum serve go long lies in three main areas:

1. Contact Point on the Ball
   If you’re lifting the ball too much (brushing more upwards), the arc of the ball tends to be shorter and slower. To make it go long, aim to contact the ball more towards the back and slightly upwards—not underneath. This will still give you topspin, but more forward momentum.

2. Bat Angle and Direction
   If your bat is too vertical at contact, the spin is mostly upwards, not forwards. Adjust the angle so you’re brushing more through the ball—think of brushing from the bottom side towards the far corner of the opponent’s table, almost “reaching” across.

3. Follow-Through and Swing Speed
   A longer, faster swing (still a brushing contact) helps send the ball deeper. If you shorten the stroke too much or slow it down too early, the ball drops short. Finish your motion more toward the right-hand net post (for a right-hander), not upwards.

Lastly, check your ball toss height and timing. Aim to hit the ball when it is closer to the table height and from as close to the table as you can.  Also get the first bounce on your side of the table close to your end of the table.

Let me know how it goes.