There are primarily four different types of serves in table tennis. The top-spin, side-spin, back-spin, and no-spin serve.

Most players from the novice to the expert know full well about the variations with the serve but the strategies to perfecting them are many and can be complex. For the dedicated table tennis player, the following will advise you on how to train and hone two different spin service skills to become a formidable force when you hold the ball in your hand.

Top-Spin Serve

As you might know the top-spin serve is initiated by rolling the paddle over the top of the ball as you hit it. The test is to notice if the ball curves downward in its mid air flight, the more extreme the drop the more powerful the serve.

The most difficult top-spin shots to defend are the ones that routinely land near the end of the table at extreme angles. One often overlooked secret to improving your top-spin serve is to not telegraph the shot by manipulating your whole body into the serve.

Side-Spin Serve

In a side-spin serve, you bring the paddle across your body to create the spin. Manipulating the paddle from either the forehand shot or the back hand will give you a clockwise and counter-clockwise spin, each just as dangerous as the other.

Some opponents have a weakness to either one of these shots, find it and take advantage quickly, preferably in your first service series.

Hitting the forehand spin serve to the right side of the table will increase the chances that your opponent will miss the table upon return. Likewise, the backhand spin serve should be served to the left side of the opponent.

Training Tips

Warm up by serving into the view of a mirror, practice on reducing your body movement during your top-spin serve, as well as all of your other serves. Minimize telegraphing your shot and you will be that much closer to dominating your opponent.

For training, draw a line with chalk about three inches from the end of a ping pong table and along the sides of the table as well. Begin by hitting one hundred serves and attempt to get half of them in-between the chalk line and the end of the table.

Practice only one serve at a time be it top-spin, or forehand side-spin or backhand side-spin. It is critical to train your mind to the motion of each shot and create hand-eye mapping of your serves.

To take it up a notch work on your accuracy by drawing four lines that separate the space between the chalk line and the end of the table, four rectangular boxes. Try hitting serves into each of the box areas; don’t stop until you have placed 25 shots into each, effectively honing your accuracy.

With this simple training exercise you can practice and challenge yourself constantly, increasing spin, increasing speed and accuracy over time.

Look forward to an upcoming post on the other spins and serves including some new training techniques.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.