My Ace Serve practice collection with some good music

[Siva Schopenhauer]

I have added only the good serves into this video. The bad ones are innumerable. I have very less experience with long serves. So, I thought of making some few practice session with markers. I was able to hit the candle holder very few times and for most part my accuracy was horrible. Plese provide me some tips on working with long serves. I never had a regular coach, so it is kind of hard for me to learn most stuff hard way. Also, share your feedback.

P.S. My channel is approaching the first 100 subscription mark which is one of my goal. If you like my work, please show your support by subscribing to my channel. Cheers

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

If you want to get it right to that corner, the sidespin you have on that serve keeps bringing the ball back towards the BH side. If you were using the other sidespin you could use the spin to move the ball away from the receiver and farther towards the FH side as it curves.


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[Siva Schopenhauer]

If you want to get it right to that corner, the sidespin you have on that serve keeps bringing the ball back towards the BH side. If you were using the other sidespin you could use the spin to move the ball away from the receiver and farther towards the FH side as it curves.

Nice suggestion Carl, That is what I was exactly missing to understand(Reg. the curving). I haven't tried that way yet. I have a question.

when Pro's serve aces down the line. do they change to reverse side spin?

I saw the videos of Waldy and Ma long, they seem to use the normal sidespin with fake action.

Another was, isn't it really hard to do the down the line reverse side spin?

 

[johnbhoy72]

If you want to get it right to that corner, the sidespin you have on that serve keeps bringing the ball back towards the BH side. If you were using the other sidespin you could use the spin to move the ball away from the receiver and farther towards the FH side as it curves.

Nice suggestion Carl, That is what I was exactly missing to understand(Reg. the curving). I haven't tried that way yet. I have a question.

when Pro's serve aces down the line. do they change to reverse side spin?

I saw the videos of Waldy and Ma long, they seem to use the normal sidespin with fake action.

Another was, isn't it really hard to do the down the line reverse side spin?

If you already have a decent reverse pendulum just apply the same principles to your reverse serve, thicker contact close to the end line.
It's tricky at first but definitely not overly difficult.

Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk

 

[Siva Schopenhauer]

If you already have a decent reverse pendulum just apply the same principles to your reverse serve, thicker contact close to the end line.
It's tricky at first but definitely not overly difficult.


Hey John thanks for the feedback bro. I haven't tried long reverse pendulum serves yet. Mostly, I get a lot of spin and the serve gets shorted due to that. It seems I have to experiment it much more as you suggested, will defintely share the progress soon.

 

[NextLevel]

Pros usually use straight topspin or no-spin when going down the line.

 

[Siva Schopenhauer]

Pros usually use straight topspin or no-spin when going down the line.

Thanks for answering Nextlevel. It makes a lot of sense to my understanding now. It seems they use a pure top spin but kind of morph it to look like pendlum serves. There was one video of Waldner-slow motion where at the very end of the pendulum serve he does a down the line serve which goes damn straignt to the border line of the table.

 

[Siva Schopenhauer]

I am working on the reverse long serves. But, it seems very difficult for me to get the fast ones. Can anyone recommend a video where I could learn it?

 

[pingpongdingdong]

At least from what I've seen, pros will use the long serve down the line 3 ways:

Using the regular pendulum serve:
- Gives them the ability to generate heavy spin to set up a counter like a heavy backspin serve lifted by the opponent and then attacked by the server.
- It can kick into the body and jam the receiver.
- However, the side spin curves into the body and can make a long serve less effective.

Using the reverse pendulum serve:
- It can kick away from the body and escape the receiver.
- Helps go down the line with the bat angle used to create spin.
- Has the ability to have spin and be stabilized.
- However, it can be hard to get extreme spin and/or speed so sometimes it just may not be enough.

Using the bat completely flat:
- It has deadly accuracy.
- It is insanely fast, often times they just don't have time to react or don't even try.
- However, due to the lack of spin on the ball, it may not always go on the table and it can be attacked if poorly executed.

The serves are situational and effective when used suitably rather than spontaneously.

From the video, it seems as though your long pendulum serve is very good, and you just need to keep serving it and eventually you will be able to get it on the corner time and time again. Hitting the flat, fast serve shouldn't be too hard and I assume you may already know it. Same action and everything, just hitting it flat and on the back of it, rather than brushing and hitting on the side. This also means it will go down the line.

The reverse one is probably the hardest out of all of these. Not exactly natural and harder to generate spin or pace. I don't have an exact video tutorial, but I feel like this short clip of Jan Ove Waldner serving the long reverse serve should give you an idea on it.

I'm not sure if it's not letting me go directly to the right time, so just skip to 3:55.

He mainly just changes his bat angle and swings through with a more flat contact. Honestly he makes it look easy, and I'm sure it isn't, but I think that should give you some idea. I've tried it out and it seems it's not a hard serve. It just takes some practice and effort with the right technique to develop consistency and accuracy on the serve. There's a little montage of Jan Ove Waldner so it may give you some ideas for other serves as well. He is also featured through out the whole video.

 

[Suga D]

Totally agree with NL here.
Our coach taught us to put some heavy Topspin on the serve, so it really shoots forward after the first bounce. Over here it's also called "Kick-serve" 'cause it really kicks forward once you do it right.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Yep. What NL and Suga D said.

There is a way to hit those that is sort of like hitting underhand where you can make it dead, or topspin and if you angle the racket slightly you can make it have a small amount of either sidespin. It looks a bit like a pendulum if you are not paying attention. But it is a different motion.

Trying to make a fast, long, reverse pendulum: I don't think that will work. And where you are going with that would not be hidden the same way.


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[Ilia Minkin]

I also wonder how to do a fast reverse pendulum sidespin serve. It feels like there is much less space to accelerate the hand compared to the ordinary pendulum serve.

However, there is another option. You can start with your reverse pendulum motion and pretend you're going around the side of the ball. At the last moment, right before brushing the ball, you twist your hand and hit the ball at the back completely flat. This will generate a fast serve, though without sidespin.

 

[NextLevel]

I also wonder how to do a fast reverse pendulum sidespin serve. It feels like there is much less space to accelerate the hand compared to the ordinary pendulum serve.

However, there is another option. You can start with your reverse pendulum motion and pretend you're going around the side of the ball. At the last moment, right before brushing the ball, you twist your hand and hit the ball at the back completely flat. This will generate a fast serve, though without sidespin.

OR you hit the ball with the back of your racket for a surprise fast backhand topspin serve that the opponent misses out of sheer surprise. I have a video of a match where Adam Hugh did this.

 

[Siva Schopenhauer]

At least from what I've seen, pros will use the long serve down the line 3 ways:

Using the regular pendulum serve:
- Gives them the ability to generate heavy spin to set up a counter like a heavy backspin serve lifted by the opponent and then attacked by the server.
- It can kick into the body and jam the receiver.
- However, the side spin curves into the body and can make a long serve less effective.

Using the reverse pendulum serve:
- It can kick away from the body and escape the receiver.
- Helps go down the line with the bat angle used to create spin.
- Has the ability to have spin and be stabilized.
- However, it can be hard to get extreme spin and/or speed so sometimes it just may not be enough.

Using the bat completely flat:
- It has deadly accuracy.
- It is insanely fast, often times they just don't have time to react or don't even try.
- However, due to the lack of spin on the ball, it may not always go on the table and it can be attacked if poorly executed.

The serves are situational and effective when used suitably rather than spontaneously.

From the video, it seems as though your long pendulum serve is very good, and you just need to keep serving it and eventually you will be able to get it on the corner time and time again. Hitting the flat, fast serve shouldn't be too hard and I assume you may already know it. Same action and everything, just hitting it flat and on the back of it, rather than brushing and hitting on the side. This also means it will go down the line.

The reverse one is probably the hardest out of all of these. Not exactly natural and harder to generate spin or pace. I don't have an exact video tutorial, but I feel like this short clip of Jan Ove Waldner serving the long reverse serve should give you an idea on it.

I'm not sure if it's not letting me go directly to the right time, so just skip to 3:55.

He mainly just changes his bat angle and swings through with a more flat contact. Honestly he makes it look easy, and I'm sure it isn't, but I think that should give you some idea. I've tried it out and it seems it's not a hard serve. It just takes some practice and effort with the right technique to develop consistency and accuracy on the serve. There's a little montage of Jan Ove Waldner so it may give you some ideas for other serves as well. He is also featured through out the whole video.

That was a detailed breakdown for the possible long serves. Actually, I felt that the side spin long serves are normal to the motion I used in the serve practice video. I didn't actually try the pure top spin serves because I felt that for top spin serves to gain speed I have to stop the follow thorough motion to impart maximum energy transfer to the table. So, when I practised I went for side spin serves. I will try the top spin version and the reverse version. The reverse vesion is probably gonna be hard cos my red rubber is almost dead.

That video is a gem. It was a pleasure to see the old European legends with their trade mark serves in slow motion. The one of Waldy was damn hard, probably his service motion allows him to get those beautiful serves. At 3:55 it seems he uses reverse pendulum long serves, But I have seen him doing topspin version as well. Such a mastery over serves in the past is something unusual. In one such old video, I saw a chinese coach mentioning Waldy's impeccable serve quality and deceptivity.

I will try the reverse ones and top spin ones soon and will make a updated video in this thread. I am not really into the flat ones cos I am spin junkie.

Thanks for sharing those valuable suggestion mate. I appreciate it

 

[Siva Schopenhauer]

Totally agree with NL here.
Our coach taught us to put some heavy Topspin on the serve, so it really shoots forward after the first bounce. Over here it's also called "Kick-serve" 'cause it really kicks forward once you do it right.

Hi, I am yet to practice those pure top spin ones. I was intially reluctant to focus on pure topspin ones cos in one pingskills video, Alois said it was better to mix up the spins. But, from the thread it seems for down the line serves, it is an exception. Again, I probably have to make some adjustments while contacting to make all serves look alike. It is been some time to see Suga in the forum. Thanks for sharing your experience

 

[Siva Schopenhauer]

Yep. What NL and Suga D said.

There is a way to hit those that is sort of like hitting underhand where you can make it dead, or topspin and if you angle the racket slightly you can make it have a small amount of either sidespin. It looks a bit like a pendulum if you are not paying attention. But it is a different motion.
Trying to make a fast, long, reverse pendulum: I don't think that will work. And where you are going with that would not be hidden the same way.


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Absolutely in agreement. Doing reverse serves with the above motion of mine would make it look different and easy to recognise.

There is a way to hit those that is sort of like hitting underhand where you can make it dead, or topspin and if you angle the racket slightly you can make it have a small amount of either sidespin.

Actually in the middle of the video, I serve few backspin long serves. But, again problem with those were essentially they started floating a little bit and got slower in momentum. This makes it an easy prey. I see Fan Zhendong, ML and Hi Zhi wen shooting fast backpin long serves. Still couldnt understand how it is possible cos Drift is a factor right in those serves?

Thanks Carl for your suggestion, I ll try to find a way to get those reverse serves, probably I have to have my racket like waldy to get those fast serves

 

[Siva Schopenhauer]

I also wonder how to do a fast reverse pendulum sidespin serve. It feels like there is much less space to accelerate the hand compared to the ordinary pendulum serve.

However, there is another option. You can start with your reverse pendulum motion and pretend you're going around the side of the ball. At the last moment, right before brushing the ball, you twist your hand and hit the ball at the back completely flat. This will generate a fast serve, though without sidespin.

Makes perfect sense, I accidentally got one flat reverse serve while shooting video for my original reverse pendulum serve. will post it soon. Yeah but for the above serve toss and motion it is kind of hard. I ll be opting top spin ones.
Thanks illa for your suggestions

 

[Siva Schopenhauer]

OR you hit the ball with the back of your racket for a surprise fast backhand topspin serve that the opponent misses out of sheer surprise. I have a video of a match where Adam Hugh did this.

Much like ML serving BH vs zjk. Also schlager did it against a kid called jenkins in YT. Pretty hard for match conditions. Thanks NL for sharing your experience

 

[pingpongdingdong]

That was a detailed breakdown for the possible long serves. Actually, I felt that the side spin long serves are normal to the motion I used in the serve practice video. I didn't actually try the pure top spin serves because I felt that for top spin serves to gain speed I have to stop the follow thorough motion to impart maximum energy transfer to the table. So, when I practised I went for side spin serves. I will try the top spin version and the reverse version. The reverse vesion is probably gonna be hard cos my red rubber is almost dead.

That video is a gem. It was a pleasure to see the old European legends with their trade mark serves in slow motion. The one of Waldy was damn hard, probably his service motion allows him to get those beautiful serves. At 3:55 it seems he uses reverse pendulum long serves, But I have seen him doing topspin version as well. Such a mastery over serves in the past is something unusual. In one such old video, I saw a chinese coach mentioning Waldy's impeccable serve quality and deceptivity.

I will try the reverse ones and top spin ones soon and will make a updated video in this thread. I am not really into the flat ones cos I am spin junkie.

Thanks for sharing those valuable suggestion mate. I appreciate it

Always worth a try! And yeah, it sure is a gem. Jan Ove Waldner is surely one of the best servers. He's ingenious. Everything is just right with his server. And sure thing, can't wait to see it! No worries.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I think NL meant like this:

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