Returning sidespin serves

Hi John,

It sounds to me like you are on the right track. If they contact the ball by swinging the bat from your right to your left, the sidespin they generate will cause the ball to spin off your bat to the left (the side their racket ended up on). And to counter this sidespin you can angle your bat to the right.

The best way to get used to the effect of sidespin is to have someone serve exactly the same serve to you over and over. This way you get used to the effect. If they keep changing the serve on you it makes it harder to understand what is happening. So find a good server and ask them to repeat exactly the same serve a number of times until you get used to it. Then you can ask them to move onto another serve. I really like this way of practicing how to return a new serve.

Good luck!