OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Purely for recreational purposes as I understand this serve is not legal, how do you do the fingerspin serve? I've heard about these controversial serves and especially the knuckleball serve in which you are apparently meant to flick the ball onto the bat like a marble. I think it would be a fun party trick to bring to training to surprise a few players, hah.

I think you basically rub the ball on the bat with your fingers as you're swinging the serve, a since it's very hard for the opponent to see what you're doing, it's easy to fool them. The amount of variation is quite limited though, so you'd be far better off trying to practice spin variations with a legal serve, than with the fingerspin serve.

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Ive never been able to master finger-spin serves. They must have been amazing in their day to be be able to bamboozle top hard bat players.

If u are looking for a good party trick...try THROWING the ball with your right hand at a bat held at an angle in your left hand. You can get an amazing amount of side spin.

From what I understand you squeeze the ball between thumb and forefinger as you project the ball onto the (hard)bat. Depending on which slides first, the ball will either spin towards your thumb or towards your forefinger. Since you can hold the hand in different positions, you can make the ball spin on a number of different axes. Won't work with sponge, you need hard rubber or sandpaper. A proper 38mm ball would also help.

Iskandar

That is how you do it. It does work with inverted. By rotating your hand to different positions, you change the spin. You can spit the ball UP at the bat, Down at the bat or any other angle you want.

The problem with inverted is you have the added complication of the ball reacting to the fingerspin when it hits your own racket. You should be able to adjust for it but your opponent can then see what you are doing.

Iskandar

Try me!

I KNEW this thread was right up Hookshot's alley!

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I believe one way is to start by snapping your fingers just as you would to make a popping sound. Then slip a ball in between your fingers and do the same finger snapping motion. You will get a ricochet reaction when the ball snaps into your rubber and the ball shoots off with the opposite kick from your finger spin. Racket can be stationary or move into the ball.

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Acuda S1 Turbo
Hallmark Phoenix ox

What is the best way to return a fingerspin serve?

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Butterfly French Style
2x Friendship 729 Super FX

With anti.

Is that the only way, and is that what you use in general?

A guy I played a few days ago says that no one can return his best serves, and he serves very close to the ball, so I suspect he's serving illegally. However I'd rather learn how to return them, than to say anything about it, if possible.

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Butterfly French Style
2x Friendship 729 Super FX

You can not tell what spin is on a fingerspin except how it bounces on the table.
The ball being squeezed between the thumb and first finger can be released by the thumb or the first finger. Both different spins.
The bat may be held in any position, even over the ball or in front of the ball angled down. The bat can be used to hide the other hand.

There is a famous player that won a World title using the finger spin serve. Anybody know who it was? (he was a friend of mine that gave me some lessons in the 50s.)

Sounds like Sol Schiff.

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Acuda S1 Turbo
Hallmark Phoenix ox

Correct!