OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I've been spending a lot of time on my serves lately, with our main winter season coming up in a few weeks time.

I've been practicing my double-bounch Pendulum and reverse pendulum serves a fair bit, and I'm getting some resonable consistancy now.

I was reading about the tomahawk serve, and how this is suposed to be an advanced serve. I do serve this type of serve, but find it harder to vary the spin and disguise it, and I also can't get as much spin compared to pendulum serves. However perhaps it's something I need to work on, to make it an effective serve.

I know Henzel mentioned somewhere he's been working on the reverse/tomahawk serve, I'm not sure what that is?

Anyone here find the tomahawk serve effective, or can offer some tips on how to make it more effective?

Cheers!

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I used to use the tomahawk serve. The main variation you can get is back/no/topspin, all with a huge amount of side. It's relatively easy to do a long fast serve with it too, so if you work on keeping it short, you can use the long fast serves for shock value. It's especially useful if your opponent has a weak backhand or is standing too close to the table.

http://files.doingitwrong.net/Silver/PaulJonesVSMatthewDay.wmv
This isn't a good example of an orthodox tomahawk serve (he's a lefty serving to a righty) but it's a good illustration of variation.
Here's a video where a reverse FH tomahawk is used at 4.47 (note: 50mb file).

Very awkward looking serve, but relatively easy to change from top to no to back spin without much effort.

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Chasse Patate

Thanks for that, I'll check out the vid when i get home. Is the reverse hit with the other side of the bat? Because the normal tomahawk has a forward and downward action, i can't auite see how this can be reversed...

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If you're a righty, you'd normally do it left to right (or more back->forward, but still with the FH side).
Paul did it left to right with his FH side, but he's a left hander (who would normally do it right to left).

It's a very unorthodox method that i doubt you could do without the flexibility he has.

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Chasse Patate

That's a nice game to watch for a left handed player like me. I like the serve, and it's one of the few that works with a Seemiller grip, which tends to lock your wrist a bit.

Thanks for videoing, hosting, and linking to it Silver.

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That video is from the Mackay Open over this easter weekend.
Paul pulled himself together in the end and took the next 3 sets (my camera batteries died!) in a similar fashion to the 1st set - serve him off, spin the first loop then roll the next.

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Chasse Patate

Fukuoka Haruna (Jpn) does high toss tomahawk serves.

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Chasse Patate

Just wondering guys, when you say tomahawk.

I assume all of yous mean tossing the ball up and bending lower a bit to strike the ball on the right side from back to front and pulling it either up or down to get some variation. Thats my definition of a orthodox tomahawk serve.

In the last 2 months Ive developed the reverse tomahawk where I do the same thing but I hit the ball with the BH side and the motion is right to left. I first saw Ai Fukuhara from Japan doing this and Its a very nasty serve.

By the way I'm right handed if theres any confusion:P

I like using a BH version against lefties. I serve on my endline, 5-10 cm off the side of the table, then bounce it a cm or two from the corner or endline by the corner. Effectively paralyses lefties who waatch it -just looks like it is way out.

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Yes that what I thought the reverse tomahawk was, but i can see now that it isn't...

LawOCG So the serve you mean is done with the back of ther bat, but on the FH side of your body, right? If so, I know what you mean, I used to try that in doubles, but althought I could get good spin, I found it harder to disghuise it... probably good as a surprise serve though

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I guess that's also a reverse tomahawk too?
Kong Linghui does thoes.

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Chasse Patate

Perhaps a double reverse tomahawk serve?

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Haggisv, when I do the reverse tomahawk the ball is striked with the bh side infront of the body . Theres extremely heavy side on it with top or back depending on what i want. Its a rare serve and it looks nuts for those who havnt seen it much. Disguising it is even more nasty as you can do a assortment of rubbish follow throughs (swing your wrist everywhere). You can also change the wrist on the backswing to disguise it. I know a few players that do it very well and its hell to guess what it is.

This goes for the normal tomahawk as well (strike with FH on Middle/FH side of body). Theres less diguise on this version but its harder to see when done effectively.

And in reply to Silver's post. Kong Linghui doesn't have a tomahawk serve. I think your referring to the backhand serve he has. He holds his racket directly pointing up and strikes the ball on the left side of the ball on the bh side. A equally nasty serve but easier to do as it doesn't require much use of the larger muscle groups

I'll have to work on that one a little more perhaps...

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Hi guys, I look at the video on tomahawk serve in about.com and the video shows two variations: the one with only sidespin and the one with combo side and topspin.

They both look nice for newbie like me and I'd like to learn them. Just want to check my understanding below:

1) For the one w/ sidespin only effect, I just have to brush my rubber edge on the right side of the ball when it drops - is it right or not ?

2) For the one w/ combo side and topspin effects, I have to brush my rubber edge a little bit on the top of ball, yet still has to touch the right side of it to impart the sidespin - is this right or not ?

Thanks in advance for any advice, would appreciate detailed explanation on this from all of you who have used this type of serve.