Serve and serve return recovery

[Chrono]

I’ve had issues with recovery after serves and serve return probably since I first started playing. I’ve only recently discovered just how bad it is.

For recovery after serve, I think I developed the bad habit of just waiting for the next ball right from where I finished the serve. Since serves have always been my strongest part of my game, I think my subconscious is telling me i don’t need to move. I’m expecting popups where i have longer time to react or for them to dump it into the net. In reality, even if it gets returned right where i want, I’m not ready. If i don’t outright when with the serve, I put myself in a tough spot.

For serve returns, I think I’ve just not been used to moving quickly into the table and back out so when I do, it’s a little unstable and hard to build the habit in matches (multiball no problem) because of also having to focus on the spin, angle, etc of the return.

Potential solutions:

1. Think about recovery intently before serve/serve receive
2. Serve practice over and over while getting back into a better ready position each time (I feel like i could be missing something key in process that’s unique to recovering after a serve than other shots).
3. Focus on keeping body always in motion no matter if i miss shots for a while as a result. This might be the biggest thing I’m missing after serve return.
4. Serve for an even more predictable return.
5. Watch the opponent more intently to better anticipate where i need to be and get my hips turned early as possible

I’m trying to fix this on a fundamental level. Even if i know the spin and placement to expect, I’m still not able to get my body to move quickly enough. Maybe, I recover with poor weight distribution/balance after serves.

Anyone else have a similar journey and care to share what eventually helped you or made it click?

 

[Yuomay]

Your points 1, 2, 4, and 5 are good.

A good technique to get to your neutral position is a little jump with both feet.

You should almost never be just waiting passively

 

[Chrono]

Yeah good point on the little jump. I’ve been trying to get i into that habit . I think my habit having my right foot back some makes backhand shots more difficult and contributes to making it awkward to get too deep forehand balls.

 

[IB66]

If you are practicing serves, you should also include the recovery into ready position.
The issue is that when we learn a serve, we are concentrating on the ball contact, feel, flight, bounce, depth etc which is pretty normal at first!! We serve and ball watch!! We are not 100% sure that we have served the serve we wanted to serve!!
When you recover, this should finished before the second bounce of the serve. You also have to multi-task somewhat. Watch the ball as you recover, watch the opponents ‘general’ positioning, watch their bat. Sometime we watch but don’t ‘SEE’.
As part of the serve recovery, you should also include a ‘bounce’ on your toes, so you are really fluid and ready to move.
SERVE, RECOVER, BOUNCE.

When receiving, don’t step in to early/quickly, you can jam yourself up if the server see’s this happening and serves fast long.
if you struggle with fast serves to your middle, you can reset your middle by a step/bounce to the left or right just as the server is making their ball contact, you alter their target, they cannot adapt in time and serve more towards either your FH or BH hitting zones.

 

[blahness]

Basically fast recovery is only possible if you shift weight from right to left foot during the service ball contact and then ride that rotational momentum to directly go to the ready position with the right foot. Otherwise it is just too slow. From observation all the top pros pretty much do it this way.

 

[IB66]

Basically fast recovery is only possible if you shift weight from right to left foot during the service ball contact and then ride that rotational momentum to directly go to the ready position with the right foot. Otherwise it is just too slow. From observation all the top pros pretty much do it this way.

They also lower their body into the serve, this helps keep the serve low and helps get them into a low ready position.

 

[AchyGeorge]

Basically fast recovery is only possible if you shift weight from right to left foot during the service ball contact and then ride that rotational momentum to directly go to the ready position with the right foot. Otherwise it is just too slow. From observation all the top pros pretty much do it this way.

This is an interesting thought / observation. I don’t remember ever being directly taught this as a kid, having just tried a couple of shadow service motions it seems like it probably works / speeds up recovery to ready.

 

[blahness]

They also lower their body into the serve, this helps keep the serve low and helps get them into a low ready position.

Yep, and also if you use weight shift in your service movement, the serve can be a lot spinnier with an even smaller movement.

 

[Chrono]

Thanks, I'm definitely gonna try the whole weight shift. So once the weight is on the left foot I just spring off that into a ready position. And, by staying low during the whole process, I guess that also allows for a faster transition because you don't have to re-lower yourself as part of the process.

 

[blahness]

Thanks, I'm definitely gonna try the whole weight shift. So once the weight is on the left foot I just spring off that into a ready position. And, by staying low during the whole process, I guess that also allows for a faster transition because you don't have to re-lower yourself as part of the process.

The other advantage is with ball toss. Basically there is a weight shift from left to right foot during the ball toss, and then right foot back to left foot during the service.

The weight shift to power ball toss makes it way more energy efficient and consistent so you can get better contact.

 

[IB66]

Yep, and also if you use weight shift in your service movement, the serve can be a lot spinnier with an even smaller movement.

Weight shift helps for added power and speed for long serves and length control / consistency for 1/2 long / short serves.
Use relaxed wrist / fingers / hand for spin. I have noticed that many players have limited wrist flexibility and a pretty tight grip when I’m coaching serves. They can still move body / arm but spin is lacking, once they relax and start using the whole of the wrist motion (Which also allow different spins to be imparted) and combine the flick and fast grip of the fingers,spin increases. The slight wrist / hand flick and tightening of the fingers adds way more speed to the racket and therefore spin. Downside is that contact timing is reduced.

 

[blahness]

Weight shift helps for added power and speed for long serves and length control / consistency for 1/2 long / short serves.
Use relaxed wrist / fingers / hand for spin. I have noticed that many players have limited wrist flexibility and a pretty tight grip when I’m coaching serves. They can still move body / arm but spin is lacking, once they relax and start using the whole of the wrist motion (Which also allow different spins to be imparted) and combine the flick and fast grip of the fingers,spin increases. The slight wrist / hand flick and tightening of the fingers adds way more speed to the racket and therefore spin. Downside is that contact timing is reduced.

Yep, finger and wrist movement is extremely crucial in terms of spin creation (as well as disguise).

 

[Chrono]

I briefly tried the weight shift during some matches. I could see it will work, but my serves are all thrown off. It is going to take alot of time/practice to get used to it.

For pendulum-type serves, I try to tense up my wrist and fingers at contact while keeping my forearm loose. I haven't done this enough on hook serves.

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

I think it would help to make shadow training first to get the right feeling of the needed footwork.

then in your practice, you may want sometimes not to focus on serve quality in priority but on recovery. Of course you want both but its difficult to focus on both at the same time.

also you must understand how opponents receive your serves. So you know if you need to get ready for BH or FH. The return position is not the same.