How to serve-Table Tennis

When it comes to serving in table tennis, you should start with the basics and build off of them. Remember that the serve is the only time during a game where you have total control over the ball. By getting a quality serve in play, you can greatly increase your opportunity for securing the point so try to practice your serve as often as you can.

Basic Table Tennis Serves:

For beginners, position yourself at either side of the table. You want to hold your racket with an open face, with the racket itself slightly angled either in a backhand or forehand position. Drop the ball onto your racket sending the ball to bounce once on your side and then over the net towards your opponent. Experiment with different distances so you can get a good grasp on the amounts of force necessary to get your ball over the net. Also experiment with different heights of tossing the ball into the air. Once you’ve practiced and mastered this key step, it’s time to move on.

When serving in table tennis, you always want to keep in mind the distance and landing position of the ball. If the ball hits your opponent’s side in the middle of the table, chances are your opponent is going to be in a prime position for returning the ball with a forehand or backhand smash. This is something you want to try to avoid.

You should practice trying to land your serves either toward the corners and the deep ends of the table, or just over the net like a drop shot. The deeper serve will make it harder for your opponent to return the ball with a quality attack while the shorter serve will also require your opponent to adjust, because a well placed short serve is more likely to bounce twice before reaching your opponent.

Advanced Table Tennis Serves:

When you feel like you’ve mastered the basics and can successfully serve the ball to all parts of the table, it’s probably time to increase the difficulty level.

A Short Backspin Serve is an excellent serve to have in your table tennis game regimen. When starting out you want to keep in mind the position of your body and placement of your feet. You’ll want to begin close to the table with a low, relaxed stance.

When you’re ready, toss the ball into the air about six inches. Transfer your weight from the back foot to the front foot and rotate your upper body to help you make contact with the ball.

Let the ball hit your racket at an open angle and with a forward follow-through motion as if you’re trying to brush just underneath the ball. The key to this serve is adding backspin, and to generate backspin, you’ll want to snap your wrist just as your racket meets the ball. Also keep in mind the follow-through, as it should be short with an upward motion of the wrist.

If done correctly, the ball should land on your opponent’s side twice before they get a chance to return. This serve takes time to learn, so be diligent with your practice regimen.

The Backhand Sidespin Serve is another advanced technique that you should practice. This serve begins much like the Short Backspin Serve; you should stand close to the table and take a low and relaxed stance. Again throw the ball vertically into the air at least six inches high. When the ball is falling, with your racket in a backhand position, strike the ball with a sideways slightly forward motion and remember to snap your wrist. The snapping motion again helps to generate the required sidespin necessary to the success of this serve.

Regular table tennis training is essential to improving your game. Take time to practice your serves on a regular basis, and once you’ve mastered the advanced serves, don’t be afraid to try and put your own variations on them or even try developing your own unique serves.

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Lauren Traveau is a table tennis enthusiast who researches and writes articles about the game of table tennis. For more of her articles and other information about table tennis or ping pong, visit our Table Tennis website linked above. To take your table tennis game to the next level, consider training with a table tennis robot; learn more at http://www.tabletennisbargains.com.

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