Need help on reading these serves by Ma Long & Timo

[Opalescent]

I am trying to improve my reading spin on serves.

Was watching this Ma long vs Timo boll match and trying to analyse what spins on their serves. Some are easier to understand but some serves to me it seems like backspin serve but the return suggests serve was topspin. Or other way around.
If someone can help me figure out the spin combination (or no spin) on the ball at these moments would be great! Note that for many of the rally's they have a slow motion replay after the rally.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdp3-6UCrOQ

First is ma long's serve @1:02:29 - serve looks like heavy backspin but boll's flick seems to suggest it was maybe a topspin serve? What spin is on ma's serve?

Ma's serve @21:23, again i thought it was backspin?

Boll's serve @21:53 ?

Boll's serve @25:41?

Ma's serve @28:41?

Boll's serve @1:03:04?

Ma's serve @1:06:09?

and finally Boll's serve @1:07:26?

thanks heaps~

 

[Xylit]

I am trying to improve my reading spin on serves.

You won't improve that by watching youtube videos of pros during a regular match. How are you supposed to see anything crucial when Ma Long for example is serving with his back turned to the camera? Even if he is standing on the right side the camera angle is completely different than your angle as the receiving player.

 

[HotPotTofu]

Need help on reading these serves by Ma Long & Timo

Ml 21.23 side
Boll 21.53 nospin / abit of top
Boll 25.41 mostly under some side
Ml 28.41 top side spin
Ml 1.02.29 side
Boll 1.03.04 nospin abit of topspin
Ml 1.06.09 side
Boll 1.07.26 side

Note that although malong serves endes with his bat having an open angle as if he did underspin, he always does that to deceive the opponent. Actually if you pause just before he hits the ball and play it you can see his is rubbing the back of the back sideways. Normally people would just rub the side of the ball side ways. The way he does it is very tricky.

And xylit is right im like you and whenever i watch pro players serve i will read their spin but when it comes to playing against high level players irl you cant tell they hide it abit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Atas Newton]

I'd say 21:53 is sidespin with a bit of top.

 

[anchorschmidt]

Tt edge app is a better way to learn how to read serves.

 

[suds79]

Want to improve your service receive? Find some of the better servers at your club and ask them to serve to you or challenge them to matches if they don't want to do that type of practice.

IMO, while you can pick up tips from pro's here & there, their style of game is so radically different from what the vast majority of people play, I don't think trying to read Ma Long's serves will help you much.

Furthermore, service styles & strategies vary so much from player to player, IMO the only way to really get better at it is through pure experience and years & years of work vs various opponents.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Tt edge app is a better way to learn how to read serves.

TTEdge also has a thing where you are seeing serves over and over again from the perspective of the receiver to try and observe what each serve is. Real video of real players serving, filmed from the perspective of the receiver with you getting to practice reading the serves, seeing what the tells are for the different serves, etc.

But the app is pretty good for starting to learn to read serves better.