OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Recently I've been struggling a little with doing a down the line serve. As a leftie, this would generally be a fast serve to a rightie's backhand.

I actually used to have a very effective down the line long serve but I lost the ability to do it after I started to get the ball toss closer to my body. So sometimes I've still been tossing the ball a little further from my body when I intend to do the long down the line serve. But what I'd like to do is have the same ball toss location.

Has anyone had any issues like this in the past? Any advice? I'm thinking I just need to get my racket hand further behind my body by having my elbow higher. It feels a little uncomfortable but I guess I can try and get used to it.

Though the best advice would probably be get a bucket of balls and spend some time practicing it

Our leader is a lefty serving expert. You shouldn't even consider posing this question to anyone else or listening to any other answer but his (at first). Let's hope he sees this while he can get on the internet.

My long fast serves are lousy and almost exclusively cross court except for my backhand serve on rare occasions.

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Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

I think I am in a really bad mood today and I am not sure why.

So there is the issue of playing well in the first game and then the opponent adjusts to your spin.

I think another issue is what to do when you can't return the opponent's serve. You feel that if you get to 30% on his serve instead of the abysmal 0-10% you are currently on, you might be able to make this a match. What do you do if you lose the first game 11-6, but lose almost all the points on his serve?

_________________
Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

I really focus on returning serve. I start putting them on the table. I mentally reward myself for doing so even. Then I watch them smash/loop/destroy the 3rd ball, as it's easily one of the worst returns he/she has seen. Then I proceed to forget about my own service plan and lose in a different way in games 2 and 3. Mind you I also mess up a fair bit of the returns even with my entire focus on them.

I would suggest that there can be(at least) two basic levels of the problem:

1. I can't read the spin or placement at all. That means I basically don't return the serve (net/out..). If this is the case then for the next game, I when I receive, I concentrate only on the receive. Like 100%, get the ball in play. For now - this is my tactics. If I get the ball in play a couple of times more than previously then maybe.. maybe I'll understand how to return some serves better and finish the game with a better score. As a tip I would say that I prefer to give myself some space when I decide to focus on returning the serve on the table (like backing out for half a step or so).
2. This is when I can read the spin and placement of the serves OK, but not good enough. Meaning that I mostly give my opponent easy balls and in 90% lose the point after that. In this situation analyzing his strong shots and deciding the placement of my receives is my first priority. Even if I know I won't receive well - if I receive most of the serves to his (for example) BH rather long then I'll (maybe) limit his options and limit the way he plays his 3rd ball attack. This is probably my most used logic in such situations. Sometimes instead of changing the placement I try changing the spin. Like - he kills the 3rd ball when I push it with more underspin, then, maybe, I should try and change the receives in a way that he gets more no-spin or side-top-spin balls (like flick the ball, or push it without spin). Sometimes changing the spin of my receive helps (you can even through an odd chop on a topspin serve, who knows), sometimes - it doesn't.. or I can't execute it well enough.

Another thing about receives, that I think is veeeery important, is understanding what is your best timing for receive. You give the opponent easy balls - maybe you're rushing you receive - take your time, let the ball bounce, or even let it start falling - maybe you'll receive it better.

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My ooak blog.

Switch to chinese rubber, or expensive Bty facsimile thereof.

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Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you'll start to see a big difference in your life.

Yoko Ono

It does help. I need to find a soft sponge tacky top sheet for my backhand now.

Golden Tango Powersponge? Hurricane 3 Provincial 37 degrees?

Or bite the bullet with the hard but dynamic Dignics 09c?

_________________
Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

I ordered a H3 Neo 37 the other day. I've successfully swapped to H3 neo on the forehand. Well mostly. The crappy shots when I'm out of position don't work but the pushing is improving.

Maybe I should just keep a euro rubber on the backhand and twiddle if someone serves me off on the backhand

I remember beating someone in a tournament match. He then turned over his paddle and beat me in the rematch in another event. I could block his backhand when he looped with Tenergy but for some reason I made many more blocking errors when he looped with Hurricane.

_________________
Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

I ordered a sheet of D09c today. It is cut, used three weeks, and was FS on mytt for $37. But NL says it gets better when the tack wears off. And aliexpress orders are taking forever! My chinese rubber ej jones will not wait 85 days!

_________________
Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you'll start to see a big difference in your life.

Yoko Ono

Haha I'm sure Brett will have some ideas, too.


You could try taking the ball as late as possible to get more information. Maybe even changing where you're standing when you receive might help if you're having problems getting to the fast ball in time or seeing the contact clearly. For me, against opponents who serve long a fair amount, I also take a small step back. If they're serving from the corner, I move a little over too so the wide ball isn't as hard to reach.


That's cool. I've been using H3 Neo forever on my forehand. I even switched to H3 Neo on my backhand earlier this year. 40 degrees on FH and 37 on backhand

Probably the last time I am going to do this at this intensity - my right knee is sore as hell now... and I still can't bring the body round with the legs...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSbJ0PkgSrs

_________________
Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

I'm discovering limitations too...left calf just cannot bend quite like TT edge 2020 05 wants. Same with serve and recovery from the side of the table. I actually also feel it trying to push or flick with my forehand and trying to stay low. I'm working on stretches with it.

It's sad to learn after so many years.

It looks good though. But rule #1 is no injuries. So turn from your waist and swing your arm that way. Legs! We don't need no stinkin legs!

_________________
Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you'll start to see a big difference in your life.

Yoko Ono