How to punish long serves

[Boogar]

What do you do against long serves, meaning they only bounce once on your side and are mostly fast?

I have problems agaisnt those, maybe because my trainings partner almost only serves short or half short. And if i tell him he should serve long they aren't what I have problems with, if that makes any sense.

Today i played some outdoor matches against a player who i should beat in 9 out of 10 matches. However his strange long serve made me miss and pop the ball up alot.

What do you think is the best solution?

Cheers

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

short stroke, and use the incoming power of the ball and just control the ball back, and place it where you want.
Its like a half stroke if you can call it that
Also, get it off the bounce

 

[Boogar]

I see.
What about slow and spinny long serves?

 

[Cornel]

What do you do against long serves, meaning they only bounce once on your side and are mostly fast?

I have problems agaisnt those, maybe because my trainings partner almost only serves short or half short. And if i tell him he should serve long they aren't what I have problems with, if that makes any sense.

Today i played some outdoor matches against a player who i should beat in 9 out of 10 matches. However his strange long serve made me miss and pop the ball up alot.

What do you think is the best solution?

Cheers

The normal solution is to get quickly in the right position and loop that serve. It seems that your main problem is that you get surprised by long serves. To avoid this, look attentively at your opponents racket and ball while he does the serve. watching the racket will help you to easily read where the serve is going to fly and by looking at the first bounce of the ball will give you information whether it's a long or short serve - if the ball bounces on your opponent's side near the edge of the table it will be a long serve(or at least not a good short serve ) and if the ball has the first bounce near the net it will be a short serve.

 

[ajtatosmano2]

Loop it. Your arm and wrist should be loose and don't use much power. Loop right after the bounce, in the ascending period. Then practice, practice, practice...there is no shortcut or a super-trick.

 

[Paccheco]

take a step back from the table. its easier to advance than retreat. set up your legs like 10-4 o clock(left/right leg if youre righ handed) will also helps with forehard loop and wont hinder your backhand. Maybe youre so much into a short game, wanting a shortgame, prepared for it and a simples topspin fast serve tear all your game down.
I had this problem and i still covered it with small wrists/forearms movement to do little topspins until i found a new coach. its more a mindset problem then technique. Actually it has nothing to do with technique.

I dont know if i can elaborate more here, i will try to make a video about it. I could say tons of things about it but in fact, at practicing is something very simple.

 

[Ilia Minkin]

Start making small jumps right before the server hits the ball. If you stand still, it will take more time to initiate your movement. But if you already moving, you can get into position faster. All top players do that.

 

[Boogar]

Thanks for all the answers now i have a bigger picture in my head. Will try do practise against different people with long serves.

And indeed @Paccheco i have the problem to always step in when the opponent serves to flick or push the ball.
It has become some kind of a habbit and i struggle with long balls because of it.

 

[Shuki]

Slow and long serve, set yourself up to loop. Fast long serve, keep your stroke short and controlled, use their ball's power you don't need to create any of your own.

Also remember not to hug the table. If they're abusing you with long serves over and over take half a step back from your normal starting position.


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[songdavid98]

Loop it....
practice, practice, practice...there is no shortcut or a super-trick.

Don't be so close to the table, and be a brave player and loop it. There's is no instant trick. Everyone has different serves. You just have to keep doing it in order to attain a spontaneous loop as an effective reaction. Get used sorts of long serves. This takes time, and don't be afraid of missing. Think long-term.

I always did this, and now I don't think about it. I feel compelled to do it.

 

[Baal]

Something an excellent coach once told me is that looping on return of serve is a little different from looping in the middle of the point or off the third ball. While the shot is still a loop, the stroke has to be smaller. He used to say that everything has to be just a little bit smaller on the return of serve.

 

[Ilia Minkin]

Something an excellent coach once told me is that looping on return of serve is a little different from looping in the middle of the point or off the third ball. While the shot is still a loop, the stroke has to be smaller. He used to say that everything has to be just a little bit smaller on the return of serve.

That is interesting. I somehow figured out intuitively that it is much safer to shorten my strokes while attacking of long services. But whenever I do that "clipped stroke", especially forehand, it makes me feel bad and think "Oh no, my technique sucks, I will never be able to play correct strokes in a game"

 

[Baal]

That is interesting. I somehow figured out intuitively that it is much safer to shorten my strokes while attacking of long services. But whenever I do that "clipped stroke", especially forehand, it makes me feel bad and think "Oh no, my technique sucks, I will never be able to play correct strokes in a game"

I know exactly what you mean. That was my immediate thought too when he told me that. So I asked this coach (a former US National champion, 2700+ in his prime) if I would be "cheating technique" or something by doing that. He laughed and said go watch video of how elite players attack serves. And he was right. They don't swing anywhere near as long or as hard. He reinforced that message several times. He said it's not just loops. He said everything you do on a return of serve has to be small.

 

[izra]

depending on what type of serve it is and where it is going, figure out the optimal footwork. if the ball is going to your wide forehand you probably want to do a one step with your right foot if it's a back spin serve, or move both feet if it's anything else.

 

[Shiro]

Yes, normally if its a fast long ball, you sort of just push the ball in a place where you know the opponent will have a hard time returning it. If its a slowly maybe spinny serve, try to move and loop the ball with your forehand.