Tips on returning serves

MD.Julkar nain wasi SDE Asked 2 days ago

Hello I am Julkarnain and today the topic I would like ask is about returning serves. I am a player of Bangladesh and in Bangladesh there aren't,t such facilities as other countries. So it is pretty difficult for me to learn, so I have a pretty big problem when a point starts and the serve comes I don't understand what to do I get confused and do anything that comes to my mind and my topspin or loop isn't that developed that I would use that to receive the serves so coach Please will you help me out.

Alois Rosario Answered 1 day ago

Hi Julkarnain,

Thanks for your question. It’s really good that you're reflecting on this part of the game, because returning serves is often one of the most difficult skills to master, especially without access to coaching or regular practice partners.

You're absolutely not alone, even experienced players can feel rushed or unsure when facing tricky serves. So let’s break this down into something more manageable.

Firstly I want you to take a look at the Tutorials in the Training 101 section of the site on Returning Spin Serves.

The most important starting point is to develop a simple, reliable way to return each type of spin. That doesn’t mean trying to attack everything — especially if your topspin isn’t ready yet. Instead, think about control.

Here’s a good framework to help you:

1. Watch the bat and contact
   Try to really focus on your opponent’s bat during their serve. If they brush up on the ball, it’s likely topspin. If they brush under, it’s backspin. If they go sideways, it’s sidespin. This is a skill you can improve just by watching — even by watching online videos in slow motion.

2. Use the push and block
   Since you're still building your attacking strokes, rely on the push for backspin serves and the block for topspin ones. These are safer and give you control.

   • For backspin, open your bat angle and brush gently under the ball.

   • For topspin, close your bat angle slightly and just block it forward with a soft hand.

   • For sidespin, you need to adjust the direction of your bat — if the ball curves left, angle your bat to the left, and so on.

3. Keep it simple
   Don’t overthink during the point. Try to read the spin and then commit to a simple return. Many players make the mistake of being too unsure and changing their mind during the shot.

4. Build your confidence
   Every time you successfully read a serve and make a good return, it’s a step forward. Over time, you’ll learn the patterns and develop better feel.

5. Use what you have
   If you can get a friend to serve to you over and over, or if you can watch videos and visualise the spin, you’ll make progress — even without a club environment.

Lastly, remember that the serve return doesn't have to be perfect — it just has to be good enough to get you into the rally. From there, you can use your strengths.