The Table Tennis Serve
Updated: Mar 3, 2023
Layla Sun (Translated by Kyra Tsen)
Serving is one of the most important parts of table tennis - because every point in the game starts with a serve, and it provides the only situation in which you have total control over how and where you hit the ball. A good serve in table tennis allows you to quickly and easily win a pointdirectly or by causing a loose return which you can take advantage of to eventually win the point. If you have a strong serve you can gain a significant advantage in matchplay. As every player serves two points in a row (prior to 10 points all), you can also build momentum within each game. This is why players need to spend a lot of time practicing their serves and learning to use each serve wisely in the game. You will find that the serve, technique and strategy in table tennis are all interrelated. Hopefully you may learn something useful or interesting while reading our article, and enjoy the fun and challenge in learning the “serve”!
1. Step-by-Step Serve Techniques
Let's take a look at how an effective and legal serve is generally performed…
a. The Toss
The first step in the serve is to place the ball flat in the palm of your hand and above the table. Throw the ball up into the air at least 16 cm (6.3 inches) after leaving your hand, as vertically as possible.
Note that you must toss the ball nearly vertically. If you throw toward your body, the umpire can call a "fault serve". In addition, practicing a straight tossing can also improve the stability and consistency of your serve.
b. The Strike
When we serve, we throw the ball up and then hit the ball as it falls. Remember two important things throughout your strike.
First, the ball’s height at contact. Remind yourself to wait one more second until the ball is lower and closer to the net height (or table height), as low as you can. It is subtle and you may not notice much difference at first, but you will get used to it and you will be able to hit the ball more forward rather than downward. If you contact the ball high above the table, you are shooting the ball down into the table, which makes it bounce up higher on the far side (Figure 3). The height of this bounce has a great effect on how much clearance your opponent has in returning it - that is, a very low serve increases the difficulty of your opponent's return.
Second, the bounce on your side of the table. Figure 1 and 2 illustrate the mechanism of the serve - the relationship between the first and second bounces. In other words, you can serve short or serve long by changing the position of your first bounce. For short serves, make the first bounce close to the net, so that the second bounce on the opponent's side is also short and near the net too. If you are doing a long serve, then you need to aim at your own end line and hit the ball as close as possible to it.
How to Serve Short or Serve Long
c. The Footwork and Weight Transfer
The following explanation applies to right-handed players, while left-handed players can do the opposite.
Forehand Serve:
Start with a good low position and place more of your weight on the left foot (Figure 1). This is the preparation step for the transfer of weight during the serve. Then, throw the ball up into the air and raise your upper body. The weight is now transferred to the right foot (Figure 2). Perform the backswing at the same time (Figure 3-5). When the ball falls and you hit the ball, stamp firmly with your left foot. This shifts the weight from the right foot to the left foot and helps you get ready to the next shot. Keep your body low during the movement, with your head and body close to the ball (Figure 6-8).
Ma Long's Forehand Serve Instruction
Backhand Serve:
Start with a good low position and place more of the weight on the right foot (Figure 1). This is the preparation step for the transfer of weight during the serve. Then, throw the ball up into the air and raise your upper body. The weight remains more on the right foot (Figure 2). Lift the left foot off the ground and lean forward to create more space for your playing hand. Perform the backswing at the same time (Figure 3-5). When the ball falls and you hit the ball, stamp firmly with your left foot. This shifts the weight from the right foot to the left foot and helps you get ready for the next shot. Keep your body low during the movement, with your head and body close to the ball (Figure 6-9).
Ma Long's Backhand Serve Instruction
d. The Finish
Finally, after completing the full serve action, you need to quickly return to the ready position to prepare for the next shot.
🔔 Secrets You Should Know
High-quality serves are built upon technical understanding and adorned with individual expression. However, there are various ways to serve and there is no absolute right or wrong when it comes to developing an array of effective serves. As long as you don't violate the rules, it’s up to you to hone these skills and create your own serves on and off the table. But what can’t be ignored is to recover well after serving and perform an ideal weight transfer before your next shot. This is the main point to consider when developing your own unique serves and playing styles. I hope this has been helpful to you, and you can work through these tips to realize the art of table tennis serve!
2. Serve Practice for Beginners
Apply the step-by-step serving principles explained above. A common service routine for beginners is to practice the long, fast, no-spin serve with the forehand. When doing this serve, you need to serve as fast and as deep on the table as possible. The fast serve basically goes to one of three positions: wide forehand, wide backhand, or middle, as shown in the figure below. To practice this, put targets on the far side of the table and see if you can consistently hit them. Try to do the same serve to the same target first. If you serve from the corner of the table, you make your first bounce close to your own corner, so that the ball travels diagonally into your opponent's backhand corner. Once you have mastered the diagonal serve, try aiming towards the center of the table or down the line. You will find this more difficult as the table is shorter along these lines, but the same principles apply and you will master these serves with practice. After practicing all three landing points proficiently, you can practice doing the same serve but to three different positions.
Long Serve Placement Practice
Long, Fast, No Spin Forehand Serve in Action
