The Reverse Pendulum Serve: 3 Easy Steps, 3 Common Problems! (TB EP. 14)
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Luke offers a step-by-step guide to mastering the reverse pendulum serve in table tennis. He emphasizes the importance of wrist acceleration, practicing the motion over the table, and using body movement for a low serve. Common mistakes, such as touching the ball too far in front and incorrect elbow positioning, are also addressed.
Takeaways
- 🏓 Start with wrist acceleration: The first step in mastering the reverse pendulum serve is to practice wrist and forearm acceleration without expecting too much from the ball.
- 🏸 Practice over the table: Next, practice the serve motion over the table to get the feel of the acceleration and not worry about the ball being too high initially.
- 🌐 Focus on body movement: The third step is to integrate body movement into the serve, emphasizing that it's not just the arm but the whole body that helps keep the ball low.
- 🔄 Follow through with your body: A proper follow-through is crucial for a low serve, and it's important not to fall back too much but to move forward and maintain balance.
- 🚫 Avoid touching the ball too much in front: A common mistake is touching the ball too far in front, which can hinder the ability to camouflage the spin and serve effectively.
- 💪 Keep the elbow stable: Another common issue is pushing down with the elbow excessively, which should be avoided for a more natural and controlled pendulum motion.
- 👋 Wrist acceleration is essential: Contrary to some misinformation, wrist acceleration is key to a successful serve, and it's important to control the end point for better control.
- 🎯 Gradually integrate different spins: Start with what you're comfortable with, whether it's topspin or backspin, and gradually integrate more variety into your serve routine.
- 🤔 Be aware of body adjustments: Pay attention to how minor adjustments in body positioning can affect the serve, such as serving diagonally versus down the line.
- 🔄 Keep practicing for the 'click': Persistence is key in mastering the reverse pendulum serve, as the feeling of getting it right can come suddenly and significantly improve your serve.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video?
-The main focus of the video is to teach viewers how to perform a proper reverse pendulum serve in table tennis, highlighting common technical mistakes and providing a step-by-step guide.
What is the first step in learning the reverse pendulum serve?
-The first step is to get the wrist acceleration right. This involves practicing the motion over the table without expecting much from the initial attempts, focusing on speed and rotation generated from the arm.
Why is it important to practice the acceleration on the table itself?
-Practicing the acceleration on the table itself helps to get the feel of the motion and to understand how to get the ball over the net, even if initially the ball might be too high to serve into the table.
What is the third step in mastering the reverse pendulum serve?
-The third step is to go into the serve with your body, focusing on the follow-through to ensure the ball stays low. This involves using the body to control the ball's trajectory rather than just relying on the arm.
Why is it crucial to avoid touching the ball too much in front of you during the serve?
-Touching the ball too much in front of you can hinder the ability to camouflage the spin type (topspin or backspin) and can make the serve more predictable, which is a common mistake among beginners.
What is the common mistake made with the elbow during the reverse pendulum serve?
-A common mistake is pushing down with the elbow instead of using it as a rotating point. This can lead to an exaggerated motion that is not ideal for a smooth and controlled serve.
What is the role of the wrist in the reverse pendulum serve?
-The wrist plays a crucial role in the serve, providing acceleration. It is a misconception that there should be no wrist acceleration; instead, the wrist should stop its movement in time to control the serve.
Why is it important to follow through with the body during the serve?
-Following through with the body helps to keep the ball low and ensures a smooth transition into the next shot. It also aids in maintaining balance and readiness for the subsequent play.
What are some common technical issues that players face when learning the reverse pendulum serve?
-Common issues include touching the ball too much in front of the body, pushing down with the elbow instead of rotating, and misunderstanding the role of wrist acceleration in controlling the serve.
How can players gradually integrate more backspin serves into their routine?
-Players can start by being comfortable with topspin serves and then gradually add backspin serves to their routine. They should also be aware of the differences in body movement and racket angle required for different types of serves.
Outlines
🏓 Mastering the Reverse Pendulum Serve
In this segment, Luke introduces the reverse pendulum serve technique and emphasizes the importance of wrist acceleration as the initial step. He advises practicing this motion over the table to get the feel of the acceleration without worrying about the ball's height. Luke also suggests focusing on the acceleration rather than the serve's outcome at first. The goal is to develop a smooth and controlled motion that can be applied to both topspin and backspin serves. He encourages viewers to practice this step multiple times to get comfortable with the motion before moving on.
🤔 Common Mistakes in Reverse Pendulum Serve
Luke discusses common technical mistakes made while executing the reverse pendulum serve. He points out that many players tend to touch the ball too far in front of them, which can hinder the serve's effectiveness and make it easier for opponents to predict. He advises using the shoulder as a guide to touch the ball at the correct point. Another common issue is the improper use of the elbow, where players push down excessively instead of using it as a rotating point. Luke emphasizes the need for a stable elbow to maintain control. Lastly, he addresses the misconception about wrist acceleration, clarifying that it is essential for a good serve and should not be completely eliminated. He encourages viewers to continue practicing to develop a feel for the serve and to avoid giving up too early.
💪 Integrating Backspin Serves and Overcoming Challenges
In the final paragraph, Luke encourages players to gradually integrate backspin serves into their routine, starting with what they are comfortable with and then expanding their repertoire. He advises being aware of the body's role in serving, particularly the importance of following through with the body to ensure the ball stays low. Luke also highlights the need to understand the differences between backspin and topspin serves, and how to transition between them effectively. He acknowledges the difficulty of mastering the reverse pendulum serve but encourages persistence, emphasizing that once the right feeling is achieved, everything will fall into place. He concludes by thanking viewers for their attention and expressing hope to see them in the next video.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Reverse Pendulum Surf
💡Wrist Acceleration
💡Forearm Acceleration
💡Surf
💡Follow Through
💡Backspin
💡Topspin
💡Camouflage
💡Elbow
💡Technical Mistakes
💡Practice
Highlights
Introduction to the reverse pendulum serve technique and its common technical mistakes.
Emphasis on the importance of wrist acceleration as the first step in mastering the reverse pendulum serve.
Practicing wrist and forearm acceleration without the ball initially to get the right feel.
Moving on to practice the acceleration on the table to get the ball over the net properly.
The third step involves integrating body movement to ensure the serve stays low on the table.
Discussion on the importance of following through with the body to achieve a low serve.
Advice on not falling back too much during the serve to maintain balance and control.
Explaining the difference between top spin and backspin serves and how to gradually integrate them.
Highlighting the need to be aware of body adjustments when serving diagonally versus down the line.
Addressing the common mistake of touching the ball too much in front during the serve.
The issue of using the elbow incorrectly by pushing down instead of maintaining a stable rotation point.
Clarifying the misconception about wrist acceleration in the reverse pendulum serve.
The importance of stopping the wrist movement in time to maintain control over the serve.
Encouragement to keep practicing despite the difficulty of mastering the reverse pendulum serve.
The video concludes with a reminder that feeling the difference in serve technique is crucial for improvement.
Transcripts
cam
Luke
[Music]
Luke
hello guys everybody so I'm uh
completely healthy fine and dandy and so
I welcome you again here to ANP to
kilong hall Hall of my sponsor and today
we're going to look at the reverse
pendulum surf there are some common
technical mistakes they occur quite a
lot and I hope with this video I'll sort
of give you like a step by step to how
you can really get to a proper reverse
pendulum surf so first of all try to get
the wrist acceleration right okay so
this should be your first step you want
to be able to get under this ball and
have this wrist and forearm acceleration
so just practice this a few times by
just doing this over the table okay so
don't expect much from it just as you
would like you know people checking
their rubber another rotation on the
rubber with this okay do the same but
the other way around and try to throw
the ball up a little bit so don't throw
it into your racket so really just have
the speed and this rotation let it yeah
be generated from this acceleration from
your arm so this try this a couple of
times see if the feeling is right and
then let's move on to the next
step okay next step is to try to
practice this acceleration on the table
itself Okay so we're going to do the
reverse pendulum surf we're going to try
it out a little bit okay so now you're
not just doing this acceleration but
we're more so really trying to get it
over the net so don't mind that the ball
is going to be too high that you're not
going to be able to serve into the table
yet okay this is not a problem yet at
first again as I said we're trying to
get this acceleration right and then
we'll look at the other problems that
will come up so here really just try to
get this see
I don't know if you can see it but it's
not a good surf whatsoever
so this I'm just trying to get the feel
of it to really be able to have my arm
to have o that
was you you'll get there you will get
there after at the end of this video no
so just try to get this acceleration a
few times try to get it over the Nets
and then yeah if that step is completed
let's try it a couple of times move on
to the next
step okay now we're looking at the third
step maybe even the last step already
and that is just to try to really go
into the serf with your body so just
follow through and that will make you
surf into the table we'll look into some
common technical mistakes just
afterwards but I just want to get you to
feel that it's not your arm or anything
that you have to serve into the table
with no it's your body that makes the
ball stay low I discussed this in
service 101 basically here I said yeah
okay a reverse pendulum surf like
this nice all all is good but then yeah
once you get really with your body and
you you do this follow through yeah then
you're going to surf nice and low the
way you want it to so then only
then you get a low surf how do you
follow through with your body I just say
yeah go forward don't fall backwards too
much okay don't fall backwards and go
down with it not only for the serve
itself but also for the ball afterwards
so afterwards you can get into this
neutral position of yours so as I said
again just get the rest the acceleration
of the wrist and form arm right then try
to try it out with a surf a little bit
and then follow through with your body
okay those three steps and you'll find
that there are some places on the table
that you're more comfortable uh
comfortable with normally I'd say that
either you're very comfortable at first
at least at first with serving Top Spin
and then afterwards with going backspin
if that is the case then do that
gradually integrate more backspin serves
into your routine okay or let's say if
the case is that you prefer to serve
down the line but you cannot serve
diagonal yet because you get
these double double touches and this
kind of stuff yeah then same thing as as
here okay so serve down the line and
then gradually move up and then try to
feel also for yourself what you what you
do differently when you try to serve 5
cm more to the left or to the right is
your body turning a little bit more can
you serf a bit more to the side and so
be aware of that and then you will see
that your improvement will be much
quicker because you know what is going
on it's not out of your hand so you know
you have full a full grasp of what is
going on and what you need to do to
change from Back Spin to Top Spin from
down the line to diagonal from diagonal
to down the
line now we're going to look at some
technical issues there are a few
I think we'll go over three of them and
the first one will be that you have to
be aware not to touch the ball too much
in front of you this is sort of a
stepping stone that a lot of people use
when they start out with this reverse
pendulum Surf and again it's it's a
question of I want to surf into the
table but I cannot get the feel of it at
the moment yet so what they will do is
they really touch the ball way too much
in front of them get underneath this
ball and as a sort of an attempt to yeah
really serf into the table but again
this is a stepping stone and you should
remind yourself that this is not the
correct way to do it so
here this is what a lot of people would
do so they would really throw the ball
completely in front of them and as I
said in service 2011 video which came
out not too long ago this is a problem
with camouflaging your surf okay if I
were to Surf Top Spin from here yeah
then there's not much that rest for me
yeah apart from yeah really changing my
racket angle way too much way too much
that is way too obvious so you don't
want to do that so instead try to have
your shoulder as a sort of a guideline
to where you want to touch the ball and
this applies to other serves as well but
in a reverse pendulum serve you notice
it more you notice it more when people
make that mistake so instead instead of
really throwing the ball up in front of
you you want to touch the
ball
here just in front of my shoulder okay
and that makes me be able to camouflage
Top Spin Back Spin much more much
better okay second issue is the elbow it
comes back again to the same problem of
people not knowing how to serf into the
table correctly yet so what they will do
is they find their own tricks and little
ways to make this ball stay low and the
second sort of problem they do is that
they will really push down with their
elbow instead of having this as as a
sort of rotating point they will
exaggerate and really push it on yeah
push it underneath the ball so they will
do
this again it's not so it's not it's not
ideal whatsoever and this guy over there
the guy behind the camera he's guilty of
it okay so he's smiling now but you know
he's he's not doing it correctly at
least but you want to have this okay of
course there's going to be some wiggle
room it's not going to stay perfectly
still you don't want that even but you
don't want to exaggerate with it okay so
this ex it should be more like a
pendulum where does the name come from
reverse pendulum surf okay so it
shouldn't be like this but instead you
want this elbow to be relatively stable
so once again try to do it
correctly see like
this again much easier to camouflage the
differences and uh yeah just better
overall
better third of all is the wrist should
you accelerate should you not accelerate
should you let it completely fly loose
or not it's not really a common very
common issue but it's something I want
to address nevertheless because I've
seen some misinformation online there is
one video quite popular though that says
that okay while you do this reverse
pendulum surf don't have any wrist
acceleration at
[Music]
all
[Music]
and that is just completely wrong okay
once somebody is telling you that you
cannot have any wrist acceleration when
serving just ignore them walk away or
yeah report them to the local
authorities doesn't matter but you want
of course wrist acceleration is yeah one
of the main key points of serving but
but I get where they come from in a way
because I think also serves they should
have a sort of an end point and if you
don't you're going to lose a lot of
control and that is the case with the
reverse pendulum surf because if you
were to Surf completely like this it's
not so easy to control it it's not so
easy to control it so that's where they
have this idea that here should be your
end uh your end point but if you look
closely there is still some acceleration
in the surf it's just that you stop the
movement in time no you stop the
movement in time and yeah it's not the
same as no acceleration whatsoever I'm
not advising you against just serving a
reverse pendulum surf with where you let
your wrist really just fly loose because
I think Zang jik he did it uh fandong
also they do it quite a bit like this so
it's not such a wrong way but I think
having this movement stop in time it is
more of an accessible way and I think
that is what my content is all about
trying to be accessible to a lot of
players okay guys that was the video
thank you very much for watching I know
a reverse pendulum surf is very tough is
a very tricky one and I think a lot of
people give up much too early but once
you get this click once you get this
difference in feeling and you know how
to serve into the table you know how to
still serve into the table when serving
with backspin then all of a sudden
everything becomes automatic so just
don't give up yet and just keep
practicing until you get this feeling
right that's also something I cannot
really tell you or coach you because
that is just something which happens
it's something with which happens with
every surf okay just one point you're
going to feel the difference and it's
just going to be a complete 180 a
complete turnaround okay so thank you
very much for watching and hopefully I
will see you in a next
video
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