Understanding sidespin backspin and sidespin serves

Hi!Alois.How can i distinguish between the sidespin backspin and sidespin serves.most of the better players in our club have such deceptive actions that it becomes quite difficult to read the serves.what other option do i have if i am not able to read the serve from the point of contact.  The sidespin backspin and sidespin serves are proving to be specially troublesome as it is pretty difficult to distinguish between them after being served.

Hi Aahel,

You are right it can get really tricky to see what spin is on the ball.

The short answer is there is no easy solution.  What you need to do is practice against as many serves as you can and you will start t o see some things that differ, like the height of the ball and the flight of the ball.  If you are unsure, the best thing is to give yourself a little margin for error with your strokes.  So aim for the middle of the table and hit the ball a little higher over the net just to make sure you are getting the ball back on the table.

The backspin serve will skid through a little more and the sidespin serve will curve in the air and also after it bounces.  Don't stress too much if you miss a few.  With practice you will start to see it easier.  We also have a course on Receiving Secrets that will help you.