Returning tomahawk serve
Receiving
Shrihari K Asked 8 years ago
Can you give some tips to get a good defence bit like Jan over Waldner. Actually I am a senior player, my age is 16 I am inspired by him. He is pretty good at his defence and blocking the ball please give me some tips.
I wanted to know how to return a tomahawk serve.
Alois Rosario Answered 8 years ago
Hi Shrihari,
Waldner has very good feel for the ball but the basic block stroke he does is a simple stroke. Take a look at our lesson on the Backhand Block which is in our Intermediate Strokes section.
To return a Tomahawk serve you first need to see and understand the spin on the ball. The ball will go to your left when you hit it so you need to angle your racket to the right hand side to counteract the spin. You also need to adjust for the backspin or topspin on the serve. For our Premium members there is a video on Understanding Spin which will help.
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.
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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?
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