Returning spinning serves
Receiving
vinay b Asked 12 years ago
Hi guys,
I have a problem in returning various kinds of spinning serves. Some go towards the left out of the table and some towards right. And topspin causes ball to fly off straight out of the table and a backspin would not elevate above the net. How can i return these kind of serves? Is there any common returning posture or something?
Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago
Hi Vinay,
This is one of the big areas of the game. The main principle is to use the angle of your racket to return the ball. If the ball wants to go down, then tilt your bat back. If the ball wants to go up with the topspin then tilt your bat down. So then if the ball wants to go to the right, angle your bat to the left and vice versa.
We show you this in detail in our Receiving Secrets series of lessons.
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 NowNo comments yet!
Become a free member to post a comment about this question.