Improving Serves - Theoretical Advice

1. Be aggressive when returning serve. Try to attack whenever you can, and if you can't, try to return so that the server can't attack well. The mental checklist shown in point two below gives the stroke priority in which you should be trying to return serve. Don't think that you have to ask yourself every question in reality – there isn't enough time. But with practice your decision making will speed up and your choices will improve, even if you aren't consciously making these decisions.
2. • Is the ball going to bounce off the end of the table? If YES then attack the ball.
   • Is the ball going to bounce high? If YES then attack the ball with a well placed [/od/glossary/g/flip.htm]flick[/link].
   • Is the ball going to bounce near the net? If YES you can use a short push or float return to make a double bounce return that is difficult to attack, or
   • Does the ball have medium to heavy backspin? If YES, push the ball fast and deep. If NO, you can push or flick the ball to make a return that is difficult to attack well.
3. When returning serve, be aggressive in proportion to the quality of the serve. Good serves should be handled with care, and placement used instead of power. Average serves can be attacked with good spin and some speed. Weak serves should be attacked strongly with power and some spin. Many beginners lose too many points by trying to attack an average serve with too much power, and end up hitting the net or missing the end of the table. Don't give your opponent any freebies.
4. You must be watching like a hawk at the time the server actually hits the ball. Seeing the moment of contact is what will give you the best chance of deciphering what spin, speed and placement is on the ball. Without seeing the contact you are stuck with making guesses, and the chances are good that you are going to be wrong.
5. At the time of contact, note the direction that the server's bat is moving. If it is moving to your left, the ball will jump off your own bat towards the left side of the table, and vice versa if his bat is moving to the right. If his bat is moving under the ball (or down the back of the ball), there will be backspin, and if it is moving over the ball (or up the back of the ball), there will be topspin. Remember that most serves have a combination of sidespin and either backspin or topspin.
6. For topspin and backspin, it is easiest to return like with like. Return topspin with topspin, and backspin with backspin. Your spin and your opponent's spin will tend to cancel each other out, allowing easier control of the ball. Don't be afraid to try it the other way around though for variation, since using backspin against topspin and topspin against backspin can be very effective, although a little more difficult to do.
7. For sidespin, working with the spin is easiest. For example, if the server's bat is moving to your right at contact, put your bat a little to the right of the ball and hit the ball a little on its right hand side, aiming towards the left side of the table. This will keep a lot of your opponent's sidespin on the ball, and he will have to deal with it on his next stroke.
8. Working against the spin for sidespin serves is an advanced tactic that is recommended for advanced players only. Although very effective it requires a lot of control and touch to perform well.
9. It is easiest to always use a little spin at least to improve your ball control. Returning serves using float balls requires very good timing and touch, and an exact reading of the spin, which is difficult. Using a small amount of spin will allow you to be slightly incorrect and still make a good stroke.
10. Most of the time it is easiest to hit the ball at the peak of its bounce. Do not be afraid to change your timing every so often to increase the amount of variation the server has to cope with.
11. When placing the ball, you should stick to a few simple rules. Making the server move to hit the return is always a good idea. Placing the ball into the playing elbow is also a very good tactic if you can hit it with a little bit of speed, but your target is not that big, so be careful of trying this too often. If you keep making mistakes with the placement use the wide angles more often.
12. Some beginners get carried away with flicking, and try to flick every short serve. Don’t overdo it – serves with heavy backspin are difficult for beginners to flick well, and a flick that is badly placed is an easy ball for a server to attack, since flicks don't have much topspin. Again, the fast push can be used effectively to give you more variation, and give the server a harder ball to attack due to the backspin on the ball.
13. Take note of what patterns and favorite shots your opponent uses, and try to return so that he can't do these well or often. Instead, try to return so that you can play your own favorite shot or patterns.
14. Remember that a smart opponent will adjust very quickly if you always use the same return against a particular service. Use your best return the most often, but also use different types of strokes, spin, speed and placement so that your opponent finds it harder to get used to your returns.