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Here's a video showing you the basic serve motion
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I decided to learn this serve once I saw Timo Boll getting direct service points against Zhang Jike in the 2014 World Cup using this serve. I started learning it the hard way (more on that later) but once I finally managed to learn this serve, it has become a very useful weapon. I can now get 2-5 direct service points per match or set up for an attack against equal or slightly better players.
Though I lost quite easily against a Bizirksklasse 1 player (around 3-4 leagues higher than me), I was amazed the serve worked well enough against him to earn 3 direct points and around 4 high balls.
Why it is effective:
At least where I play, I haven't seen a lot of players doing plain reverse-pendulum backspin serve. Mostly sidespin or side-underspin.
Using the reverse pendulum motion, I am able to do three serves: side-topspin (ca. 30% topspin, 70% sidespin), sidespin (80% sidespin and 20% backspin) and pure backspin (100% backspin). The second and third serves get mixed up a lot as the service motions are very similar and I use the first one as a variation to earn myself a high ball.
Tips on how to use it
Serve 1: side-topspin
Serve 2: sidespin
Serve 3: pure backspin
Serve 2 is my normal serve when I'm serving reverse pendulum. If all goes well, I should be able to start attacking with my forehand. I normally place this serve into the **short and wide forehand side** as players really have to reach for this serve.
Then I might switch to Serve 3 with the same placement. After watching the video below I understood that players have much more trouble accurately pushing back serves from the wide and short forehand side as they have less feeling for the ball from there. It's easier to backhand push a serve from the middle.
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Therefore, Serve 3 gets pushed quite often into the net.
I sometimes also use Serve 1 but it isn't placed that short because if a player reads it correctly, it's quite easy for them to flip kill that serve. Serving just a few centimeters longer makes it a bit more difficult.
If a player misreads that serve, you just have to kill the ball using your forehand
Placement variations:
Players can get used to the placement to the short and wide FH side. I then either do a longer serve to the wide forehand or a longer serve to the elbow (mostly serve 2). If a player managed to loop the wide FH serve, you can block the ball to their backhand side.
It's not easy to do a fast reverse pendulum serve. Therefore, it's a better idea to place the longer serve to the elbow of the opponent as they would then have to move to loop the serve.
A good service variation is a long and fast pure sidespin serve to the backhand.
Tips on learning the serve
It's a lot easier to not do what I did I started out trying to directly learn the backspin serve but I just had no feeling for the serve. It's much easier to learn the Reverse Pendulum sidespin serve first (shown below) and then learn the backspin serve using the video I linked in the beginning.
(
)
You can also use your hips to turn into the ball and recover from the service motion. This not only helps with producing spin, you also get ready for the third ball much quicker.
Another tip
In case you are struggling learning the serve. All of the three spin variations can be reproduced with the backhand serve. I use the backhand serve variations against long pips players or players with a weaker backhand as my long backhand serve is much faster than my long reverse pendulum serve.
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I decided to learn this serve once I saw Timo Boll getting direct service points against Zhang Jike in the 2014 World Cup using this serve. I started learning it the hard way (more on that later) but once I finally managed to learn this serve, it has become a very useful weapon. I can now get 2-5 direct service points per match or set up for an attack against equal or slightly better players.
Though I lost quite easily against a Bizirksklasse 1 player (around 3-4 leagues higher than me), I was amazed the serve worked well enough against him to earn 3 direct points and around 4 high balls.
Why it is effective:
At least where I play, I haven't seen a lot of players doing plain reverse-pendulum backspin serve. Mostly sidespin or side-underspin.
Using the reverse pendulum motion, I am able to do three serves: side-topspin (ca. 30% topspin, 70% sidespin), sidespin (80% sidespin and 20% backspin) and pure backspin (100% backspin). The second and third serves get mixed up a lot as the service motions are very similar and I use the first one as a variation to earn myself a high ball.
Tips on how to use it
Serve 1: side-topspin
Serve 2: sidespin
Serve 3: pure backspin
Serve 2 is my normal serve when I'm serving reverse pendulum. If all goes well, I should be able to start attacking with my forehand. I normally place this serve into the **short and wide forehand side** as players really have to reach for this serve.
Then I might switch to Serve 3 with the same placement. After watching the video below I understood that players have much more trouble accurately pushing back serves from the wide and short forehand side as they have less feeling for the ball from there. It's easier to backhand push a serve from the middle.
(
Therefore, Serve 3 gets pushed quite often into the net.
I sometimes also use Serve 1 but it isn't placed that short because if a player reads it correctly, it's quite easy for them to flip kill that serve. Serving just a few centimeters longer makes it a bit more difficult.
If a player misreads that serve, you just have to kill the ball using your forehand
Placement variations:
Players can get used to the placement to the short and wide FH side. I then either do a longer serve to the wide forehand or a longer serve to the elbow (mostly serve 2). If a player managed to loop the wide FH serve, you can block the ball to their backhand side.
It's not easy to do a fast reverse pendulum serve. Therefore, it's a better idea to place the longer serve to the elbow of the opponent as they would then have to move to loop the serve.
A good service variation is a long and fast pure sidespin serve to the backhand.
Tips on learning the serve
It's a lot easier to not do what I did I started out trying to directly learn the backspin serve but I just had no feeling for the serve. It's much easier to learn the Reverse Pendulum sidespin serve first (shown below) and then learn the backspin serve using the video I linked in the beginning.
(
You can also use your hips to turn into the ball and recover from the service motion. This not only helps with producing spin, you also get ready for the third ball much quicker.
Another tip
In case you are struggling learning the serve. All of the three spin variations can be reproduced with the backhand serve. I use the backhand serve variations against long pips players or players with a weaker backhand as my long backhand serve is much faster than my long reverse pendulum serve.
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