Returning a long slow spiny topspin serve
Receiving
Abhinav Upadhyay Asked 11 years ago
Hi Alois and Jeff,
Sometimes I tend to have difficulty in returning serves which are long but slow and have lots of top spin on them. If I go and try to play forehand top spin on them, they hit the top edge of my bat and fly away, I think it is because of the bounce caused by the top spin on the ball. What do you suggest?
Alois Rosario Answered 11 years ago
Hi Abhinav,
The topspin will cause the ball to bounce a little higher. On these serves it is better to open the angle of your bat and hit through the ball more rather than lifting it. The more open face of the racket will mean that you are less likely to hit the edge of the bat.
Recommended Video
How to Return Spin Serves in Table Tennis (and Stop Misreading Them!)
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.
What You'll Learn:
🔹 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?
Watch NowThoughts on this question
Become a free member to post a comment about this question.
Abhinav Upadhyay Posted 11 years ago
Thanks Alois. I will try with a more open faced bat.
Wish you and Jeff a very happy new year. :)
Thanks Abhinav.
faris hussain Posted 11 years ago
Wow! My arch rival does long topspin serve. Thanks Alois:-)