Pendulum Serve : Elbow

Table Tennis Serving

Last updated 11 years ago

Laddi Laddi

Laddi Laddi Asked 11 years ago

Hi you two,

when I've studied the pendulum Serves from the Pro's(especially the Chinese) i saw that the Elbow is very High on contact.  But when I tried to keep the Elbow High I became not as much spin as usual with a Little Bit lower Elbow.So i ask you:

Whats the Key about the High Elbow?And why the Pro's are getting more spin with it?


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario Answered 11 years ago

Hi Laddi,

There are a couple of things with keeping the elbow high.  The first is that it will isolate the forearm and wrist.  This makes your swing a little more efficient and gets the bat coming through faster which is one of the key things about getting more spin.

The main thing though is to get the contact happening from a higher point so that you can get the ball to bounce up high enough.  By having your elbow up high, the contact point of your serve become higher.

It may feel really awkward to start with, but persevere with it and you will find the serve will improve.


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Ji-Soo Woo

Ji-Soo Woo Posted 11 years ago

I also find it easier to do topspin serves with a high elbow.  Also, it is much easier to do reverse pendulum serves with a high elbow.


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 11 years ago

True Ji-Soo.  Especially Reverse Pendulum where you have to reach over the top of the ball with your arm, you need the elbow really high.



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