Playing a topspin off sidespin

Receiving

Christian Habis Asked 9 years ago

Hello.

I was curious, if my opponent gave me a long sidespin serve , and I had to play a topspin , do I need a vertical stroke? Or should I come more forward like I would off a topspin or no spin ball?

Thanks.

Alois Rosario Answered 9 years ago

Hi Christian,

If it is pure sidespin you will be able to come more forward on the ball. Often though the sidespin serve will also have a touch of either backspin or topspin. This is where you need to make the adjustment with your stroke to come more up or forward on the return.

Watching the serve is critical and being able to recognise those subtle changes in spin is a difficult thing initially.

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Judging the Length of a Serve

A really important skill in table tennis is to be able to judge if a serve will be short or long. If it's short you won't be able to take a full swing at the ball and hence will need to use either a push or a flick to return the ball. However, if it is coming long then you can make a topspin attack. In this video we give you some tips to help you judge the length of the serve and hopefully this makes you a better returner.

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Christian Habis Posted 9 years ago

Thank you.

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