More Effective Backspin Serve

Chema Unknown Asked 16 years ago

Either backhand or forehand, how is a backspin serve more effective? A long and low backspin serve or a short but rather spinnier ball? I have seen Ma Lin's serve and it is impressive, I don't really manage to get the ball to stay on the table after my serve, when I do, the ball does not have enough spin and is easily answered.

Thanks a lot!

PS: Is there a significative difference between a backspin serve with a long pips bat and a normal one? 

Jeff Plumb Answered 16 years ago

Hi Chema,

I recommend serving around 80% of your serves short so that they would bounce twice on the table if left untouched by your opponent. By serving short, you reduce the attacking opportunities of your opponent as they cannot take a full swing at the ball.

To generate more spin you need to have a brushing contact and a fast contact. These two points are critical. As you are swinging fast and only brushing the ball, this skill takes a lot of time to master so make sure you practice it lots.

There is a big difference between a serve with long pips as opposed to a serve with normal rubber. The normal rubber is grippy and will generate a lot of spin if you contact the ball fast with a brushing motion. However the long pips will not grip the ball and hence will hardly generate any spin at all on a serve.