Table Tennis

Table Tennis : Outdoor Ed : Beginning Serves​

Hello Sythe, xPHOBIAx here with my third guide, i will be teaching you how to serve in table tennis, the basics but the necesseties.
I'm currently ranked #1 in my school and was the best player at a veteran table tennis club i used to attend + my father was regional champion for his age, with this knowledge and experience under my belt, i plan to try and improve your game.

What You Will Need - A Table Tennis Bat + Ball, Access To A Table Tennis Table And Possibly A Partner To Speed Things Up(Ball Boy)
"Don't Just Serve To Put The Ball In Play : Serve With A Plan" - A Useful Quote To Remember Throughout

You also need to know some terminology. A short serve, if given the chance, bounces twice or more on the opponent's side of the table. A long serve only has the chance to bounce once on the opposite side of the table. A crosscout server goes diagonally from one corner to the other. A down the line server tavells from corner to corner on one of the two sidelines. (FYI - These terms also apply to shots other than serves)

Service Rules - Brief

1 - Ball in palm
2 - Palm flat and stationary
3 - Fingers together and thumbs free
4 - Racket and free hand above table
5 - Racket and free hand behind endline
6 - Toss ball six inches or more
7 - No spin imparted by toss
8 - Contact ball as it drops
9 - Ball bounces once on each side of table
​

Introduction : I

Before you play regulation games, you need to know how to put the ball in play - how to serve.
There are four serves that you should learn right from the beginning; forehand topspin, backhand topspin, forehand backspin and backhand backspin (That's a demon of a tongue twister, anyway moving on)
These serves are the foundation. Learn them and you'll be ready to develop on top of them to start producing advanced serves.

Introduction : Ext II

So, why are these serves important you may ask?
Well, obviously you could just knock the ball high over the net when you serve, just to get it into play. But doing this would give your opponent an easy shot to start the rally, or if they're are half decent finish the point there and then, doing this on alternate serves will leave you at a severe dis-advantage if your opponent is winning their serve as much as 50% and you're winning yours 0%.
By taking some time to practise your own serves, you won't give your opponent a good ball to start the rally off with when you serve. If your opponent is strong against one serve, you will have 3 fresh serves in your mind to pull out and chances are you will win the point due to the suprise factor or you will at the very least get the first strong shot, which is everyone's dream in table tennis, to have that advantage for every point played.

The Serves : III

Topspin serves (My personal Favourite) - enable you to serve faster than other serves. They are favoured by players who like to go for hard drives against top spin right from the start of the rally.
Topspin serves can be done very fast to any part of the table and the topspin will often force a high return. The main risk i find when doing this, however, is topspin serves are easier to attack than other serves. If you're still going to use this method you should be ready to hit or counter attack right after the serve. Most players i find, will return a topspin serve with a topspin drive of some sort.
Backspin serves - are used to set up a heavy top spin, backspin serves are probably one of the safest ways to serve, mainly because they are difficult to attack, especially if they land short on the tables. Remember when serving backspin, chances are you will get a backspin return so be ready. The reason why you see backspin servers attacking with a heavy topspin on tv is because the likely backspin return can be attacked with heavy topspin very easily, so try to avoid ending up in that position.
Try to use serves that will give you returns that you are comfortable with. For example if you like to attack against backspin, serve heavy backspin, especially to your opponents backhand side and you'll probably get a backspin push return - just what we wanted.

How To Execute : IV

Topspin Serve - You are now ready to try for yourself, i will draw some diagrams for this guide and i will label them at the bottom, you can serve a topspin serve with either extreme topspin or extreme speed, depending on whether you hit your ball with a grazing motion or contact it straight on (Flat). I strongly recommend learning both because you will find many players will have trouble with one but not the other.
For maximum spin, contact the ball with an upward grazing motion. For maximum speed, serve mostly crosscourt (read up if you've forgotten what crosscourt means, it's quite self explanatory however) to give the ball more time to drop. Practise your serves both crosscourt and down the line, however.
Start by standing in position, usually toward your backhand side. For a forehand topspin serve, face slightly to the right; for a backhand topspin serve, face the table .
Pull your arm back and toss the ball up at the same time. For extra speed pull the racket straight back; for extra topspin, pull it a little down. As the ball starts to drop, pull the racket foward at your elbow. Contact the ball low to the table, very flat for speed, with an upward grazing motion for extra topspin. At contat, snap your wrist - upward for spin or forward for speed.
The racket should be perpendicular to the floor or slightly closed at contact. Follow though naturally, with your wrist turning over.
The ball should bounce first on your side of the table and very close to the endline, if it doesn't you know you've messed up, the second bounce should be near the opponents endline - very deep. This gives the ball the most time to drop between bounces, letting you serve faster, because the major limit to speed on the serve is getting the ball to drop quickly enough to hit the other side. Serving so the ball lands near your opponents endline also makes the opponent return the ball from as far away as possible from their target (Your side of the table), making the serve more difficult to return effectively, making you more likely to take a point.
Always try to make sure the ball crosses the net very low, if it goes high, you're hitting down on the ball too much at contact. - If you're struggling to deliver low balls, i recommend practising it as it is one of table tennis's many succesful essentials.

Backspin Serve - Still here? oh hi, ok the backspin serve is similar to the topspin serve with these differences: Your racket should be open throughout the seve. Bring the racket slightly upward during the backswing, with your wrist cocked up. Then bring the racket down to the ball, contacting the back bottom of the ball (As Much As You Can) with a grazing motion, snapping your wrist at contact. The ball should travel slowly, because most of your racket speed causes backspin on the ball, not speed.
At first your serves will probably go long, don't give up or throw and hissy and start smacking balls about, we all start out somewhere.
Serving with good backspin is more important than depth control at this point. However, if you can learn to serve a backspin serve so it goes short, it will be harder fr your opponent to attack it. A short serve is one where the ball bounces twice on the opponent's side of the table (if you've been reading properly, i've already explained this but it applies in any serve). I find it is easier to serve backspin and no-spin short than other spins. To serve-short make sure the first bounce (Your side of the table) is near the net. Contact the ball with a fine grazing motion so there isn't much forward motion and try to make the ball bounce twice on the other side (This is assuming your opponent doesn't hit it).
However don't sacrifice spin to keep the ball short. If you keep the bounce low (as you should do for all serves ), the ball will also go shoter. Serving crosscourt also gives more table room to keep the ball short.

Naturally you won't become good at serving overnight, much like any sport, Tiger Woods didn't get a hole in one in his first game of golf (That was quite a bad example but a fact ;])
So i have listed common errors, that I/Friends have encountered and how to overcome them.

Trial And Error : V

So even if you can't make good serves overnight, you can at least make good ones very quickly by fllowing some basic principles. Addressing your errors will greatly enhance your serves, instead of just finding a new one.

Error - Correction
1) Your serve bounces too high 1)Contact the ball lower and make sure not to hit downward at contact.


2) Your serve goes into the net 2)Make sure your first bounce isn't so close to the net that it can rise.

3) Your serve goes off the table 3)Either you're serving too fast or your serve is bouncing too high.
The ball doesn't have a chance to drop on the other side.

4)You miss the ball enitrely (LOL ^^) 4)Keep your eye on the ball. Toss the ball slightly higher so you have more time to make contact.

5)You're not generating enough spin 5)Make sure to graze the ball. Generate racket speed with loose muscles, longer backswing, and wrist.

6)Your serves are erratic 6)Make sure the stroke and contact are the same each time. Make sure your arm is relaxed.

7)You can't keep your backspin serve short 7)Graze the ball more. Make the first bounce near the net and very low.

8)You can't hit the topspin serve fast enough 8)Make sure your arm is loose. Snap your forearm and wrist into the shot and hit mostly forward.​

Remember practise makes perfect.

Pictures:

I currently don't have a working camera, my friend is a good artist, i'm going to ask if he will kindly draw some diagrams.

Stay posted for pictures.


Source Of Service Rules - James Moghadders

Please correct me if i've made an error and give me constructive feedback and thank me if this helped you, it would be nice to know i've helped someone.
i'd appriceate no flaming or trolling (T4bl3 t3nn15 5uck5 l0l)
Thanks - xPHOBIAx​

 

Pretty nice guide, Pictures would be really helpful as well.
I haven't played Table Tennis since Middle school Gym class.
Maybe a little more on Techniques would be good too.

 

Yeah, i don't have a camera so i'm sort of struggling to find helpful pictures, i might try use a still image off of my webcam, thanks for the feedback.

 

I play table tennis for two clubs, and play tournements, my team got premoted last year and are in divison 1. (out of 4).You should add how you can use spin for your advantage EG, if you wan't the ball to come back long to your forehand, swing the bat from right to left with a flick, make it look like a backspin, most average players would chop it back but the flick at the end, makes it topspin and the spin comes back, it comes back, and kill, or, comes back controlled shot. I personally either. Low sidespin server to the wide backhand, the spin usually comes back to the backhand so I get my body around the backhand and forehand hit down there forehand.
Sidespin ball with backhand, comes to forehand, hit. Low chop to either, middle, backhand or forehand, usually comes back, if comes back short, flick topspin or hand chop in the corner. If comes wide topspin to there body, then smash outwide.

 

I'd first off like to thank you for your suggestion and congratulations on your promotion.

I'm currently working on an advanced serving guide, if your suggestion is any relevance to a certain part, i will use it and credit you.

P.s could you rate this guide?

Thanks.

 

I would rate the guide 9/10. It's a very good guide, and I think it must of took alot of time. As I believe nothing is perfect and always therefore can be improved on, for the advanced guide I would say that, to get a low serve as you serve bring yourself down with the ball, and talk about the different ways you can use spin to your advantage as stated prior. (if you have a good forehand, use the spin to make the ball come up to the forehand)

 

This is genius haha, I haven't played table tennis in a while and not planning to, but this is a great guide.

 

I agree, great guide.... does being pro on wii sports resort mean anything? lol

 

Thanks, haha if only.

 

Nice guide, but you should also point out that if it's their first time playing they shouldn't even attempt to spin it. Everybody should atleast get their basics down before they attempt to do something even professionals struggle with.

Oh and ffs pingpong > table tennis D:

 

Nice guide, but you should also point out that if it's their first time playing they shouldn't even attempt to spin it. Everybody should atleast get their basics down before they attempt to do something even professionals struggle with.

Oh and ffs pingpong > table tennis D:

 

Nice guide. I like how you have a lot of detail.

Things to Improve on:
-Add color to make your guide visually stimulating.
-Use different sizes.
-Center some things such as title.
-Bold or Italicize important things or the steps.
-Add pictures.

Other than that, Good work!

 

Basic spinning really isn't that difficult to pick up, everyone has to learn at some point and in my next guide i will be discussing advanced spin, which is what i think your comment will make more sense with.

Thanks for the feedback and the double post

 

Thanks for your feedback x0rohail0x, i thought it was lacking something, i've added colour to make navigation of the steps easier, centred the title and made sub-titles bold now. Still working on the pictures, do you have any suggestions on how to get them or shall i just draw them? (My drawings are not very pleasing to the eye)

 

I'm Struggling To Acquire Pictures, Any Suggestions?

 

Great Guide! found out where i was going wrong with serves! =D

 

Win

 

Agreed, pictures would be extremely helpful