5 ways to make your serves much stronger (with Craig Bryant)
Summary
TLDRIn this instructional video, top coach and pro player Craig Bryant shares five essential tips to enhance your table tennis service game. He emphasizes the importance of keeping serves low for strategic advantage, creating spin for unpredictable bounces, and incorporating serve variations to disrupt opponents. Additionally, he highlights the significance of recovery post-service and the necessity of consistent practice with creative targets to improve accuracy and spin. Craig's insights, combined with his experience of transforming from an average player to representing his country, provide valuable guidance for aspiring table tennis players.
Takeaways
- 🏓 Keeping the serve low over the net is crucial to prevent opponents from hitting the ball with power and spin.
- 🤲 The contact point of the serve is essential; hitting the ball at net height can help keep the serve low.
- 🔄 Creating spin on the serve is effective as it results in different bounces and unpredictable ball movement.
- 💨 Brushing the ball with a light contact and using wrist speed can generate more spin, testing the opponent's control.
- 🎨 Variation in serve is key; changing serve location, speed, and spin can disrupt the opponent's rhythm.
- 🔄 Practicing different serve variations, such as pendulum serves to various areas of the table, can improve placement and spin.
- ⏱ Taking time away from the opponent by varying the serve can force them into making incorrect decisions.
- 🔄 Recovery after serving is important; being prepared for the next ball can give an advantage.
- 🎯 Anticipating the return after serving and adjusting recovery position accordingly can improve play.
- 🧘♂️ Practice is fundamental to improving serves; using targets can make practice more engaging and focused.
- 🌟 Serving is a unique opportunity for full control in table tennis, and mastering it can significantly elevate a player's game.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video featuring Craig and Tom Lesniak?
-The main focus of the video is to provide five tips for improving one's service game in table tennis.
Why is keeping the service low over the net considered important in table tennis?
-Keeping the service low over the net is important because it prevents the opponent from hitting the ball back with power and spin, making it more difficult for them to attack.
What is the significance of the contact point when serving in table tennis?
-The contact point is crucial as it determines the trajectory and bounce of the ball. Contacting the ball at net height and pushing it towards the table can help keep the ball low over the net.
How can creating more spin on the serve benefit a player?
-Creating more spin on the serve is beneficial as it results in different bounces and movement directions for the ball, forcing the opponent to adjust their racket and potentially making it harder for them to control the ball.
What is the role of the wrist in creating spin on a serve?
-The wrist plays a key role in creating spin by allowing for a light brush contact with the ball and then accelerating through it at a higher speed to generate more spin.
Why is variation important in a player's serve?
-Variation is important because it keeps the opponent guessing and disrupts their rhythm. It can involve serving to different areas, using different spins, and employing various techniques.
How can a player use the concept of recovery to their advantage after serving?
-A player can use recovery to their advantage by being prepared for the opponent's return based on the type of serve and spin used, allowing them to take control of the next shot.
What is one way to make serve practice more interesting and challenging?
-One way to make serve practice more interesting is by using targets, such as baskets or cones, to aim for specific placements or to spin the ball through obstacles.
How does Craig suggest improving one's serve through observation?
-Craig suggests observing other good servers, learning from their techniques, and incorporating different ideas into one's own serve to improve.
What was the impact of improving Craig's serve on his table tennis career?
-Improving his serve significantly boosted Craig's level of play, allowing him to progress from an average player to representing his country.
Who sponsors the video featuring table tennis tips from Craig Bryant?
-The video is sponsored by Dry Bar Table Tennis.
Where can viewers find more information about Craig's coaching services?
-Viewers can find more information about Craig's coaching services on his website at topedgetabletenniss.com.
Outlines
🏓 Improving Serve Technique in Table Tennis
In this video, Tom Lesniak and Craig Bryan discuss tips to enhance table tennis serve skills. The focus is on keeping the serve low to prevent opponents from hitting with power and spin. The importance of the contact point with the ball is emphasized, with suggestions to hit at net height to achieve a low bounce. The video also covers creating spin by brushing the ball and using wrist action to generate more spin, which can test the opponent's control. Additionally, the video touches on the significance of service variation, such as serving to different areas of the table and using different spins, to disrupt the opponent's timing and decision-making.
🎾 Enhancing Serve Recovery and Practice Techniques
The second paragraph delves into the importance of recovery after serving in table tennis, highlighting that a good server is also adept at capitalizing on the next ball. The video suggests that understanding the type of serve and spin used can help prepare for the opponent's return. Furthermore, the paragraph discusses the value of practice in improving serve skills, recommending the use of targets to make practice more engaging and to work on specific aspects like placement and spin. The video concludes with a testimonial from Tom on how experimenting with and observing other players' serves helped him improve, ultimately leading to a significant jump in his playing level and representing his country.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Service game
💡Contact point
💡Spin
💡Variation
💡Recovery
💡Pace
💡Racket
💡Bounce
💡Placement
💡Practice
💡Backhand serve
Highlights
Craig provides 5 tips to improve your table tennis serve.
Keeping the serve low over the net makes it harder for opponents to hit with power and spin.
Contact point after ball toss is crucial for controlling serve height.
Adjusting contact point to net height helps replicate desired bounce.
More spin on serves creates different bounces and forces opponents to adjust.
Brushing the ball and using wrist speed generates more spin.
Variation in serve location, speed, and spin confuses opponents.
Moving the ball around and changing spin takes time away from opponents.
Recovery after serving is key to capitalizing on the serve.
Anticipating return type based on serve helps with recovery.
Practicing serves with targets improves accuracy and spin.
Serving is the only time you have full control in table tennis.
Craig improved his serve by experimenting and watching other good servers.
Craig's serve improvement helped him progress from an average player to representing his country.
The video is sponsored by Dry Bar Table Tennis and brought to you in partnership with Bribe RTT.
Craig Bryant's coaching services can be found at topedgetabletennis.co.uk.
The video provides useful tips for improving table tennis serves.
Transcripts
hello I'm Tom Lesniak today I'm here
with top coach and pro player Craig
Bryan now in this video
Craig's going to give five really good
tips to help you make your service game
a lot better so service massively
important in table tennis important that
you can develop a very strong service
game so if you want to get better at
serving then keep watching this video is
brought to you in partnership with bribe
our table tennis visit bribe RTT co uk
today for a wide range of rubbers blade
bats balls and clothing from all your
favorite table tennis brands
okay so going to look at five different
ways of improving your serve the first
one we're going to look at is how to
keep your serve nice and low over the
net so we're trying to keep the serve
nice and low to stop your opponent
hitting the ball at you with power pace
spin you know makes it much more
difficult for you if you're able to keep
the ball low over the net then they're
gonna have to flip the ball upwards or
push the ball upwards and that gives you
a chance to come forward with your
attack okay the contact point once
you've thrown the ball up is incredibly
crucial in this okay so we've thrown the
ball up if we contact the ball up here
we're hitting the ball down it's that
that creates that high bounce okay so by
changing where we make contact throw the
ball up if we contact a round net height
and we push that bounce a little bit up
the table half way two-thirds with an
open racket then we should be
replicating the bounce that we've made
with this contact and that should help
keep the ball nice and low over the net
if you still find it's popping up a
little bit just let it drop a little bit
further see if that helps keep the ball
even lower
so the second way to make your serves
better is to create more spin-spin Serbs
are effective because you're creating
different bounces and the balls going to
move in different directions if I'm
hitting the left side of the ball then
on my opponents side is going to move
off at different directions therefore
you're you're forcing your opponent to
move their racket around based on the
different spins that are coming at them
also rubbers are very grippy and when
spin goes into them the ball wants to
jump off so the more spin you can create
you're you're starting to then test the
control of your opponent as well and if
they can't quite control it that's the
ball that pops up or comes a little bit
longer and then you're able to take
advantage of that so we're going to try
and create more spin first of all by
brushing the ball we want that nice
light contact on the ball that's that's
how we're going to first of all create
spin once you've got that nice light
brush then we need to add in the use of
that wrist and then if we can move that
wrist at higher speed and really
accelerate through it then we're going
to create more spin and you'll get more
effect on your serves
so the third way to improve your serves
is variation there are lots of different
variations you can serve in two
different areas you can move the ball
over inch by inch you can use the sides
of the table you can serve long and fast
you can keep the serve short you can use
different techniques so the variation is
huge that you can use so we need to take
advantage of that the easiest way to
change things to begin with is to move
the ball around can you get your
pendulum serve short into the forehand
can you get it short into the middle can
you get it moving off the side can you
do it fast into all these different
areas can you start to change the spin
of your pendulum serve all of these
different variations start to take time
away from your opponent and if you take
time away then they're struggling to
make the correct decision
and again you can start to take
advantage of that
the fourth way to improve our serves is
recovery we need to improve our speed of
our recovery a good server is not just
good at serving they're able to take
advantage of that next ball as well so
recovery is going to be based on where
you're serving what type of spin you've
used and that will help you take
advantage of the serve that you've
delivered for example if I've used my
backhand serve and I've served a topspin
ball short in to the forehand then
there's a good chance it doesn't
guarantee it but there's a good chance
that the ball's going to come back into
this half with a flick if I've got that
in mind then I'm really able to take
advantage of the serve that I've
delivered
because in the fifth way to make your
serves better is to simply practice
sometimes when you've got a box of balls
and it's just you serving it can be
quite boring at times so one way to make
it interesting or to make it more
challenging is to use targets if you
want to improve your placement you might
have some little baskets on the table
and you're just simply just trying to
serve into the various targets that
you've set up if you're trying to
improve your spin you might put some
cups or some cones or something where
you're trying to spin the ball through
the cones and it just helps set a task
it keeps things interesting and that's
another way of trying to improve your
serves
so serving is such a massive part of the
game it's a bit cliche but it's the only
time that you out you have full control
of what you want to happen but we really
need to take advantage of that
I enjoyed serving so it was quite easy
for me to stand with a box of balls and
an experiment and try different things
how I made my serves much better was by
one experiment in to watching other
really good servers and stealing
different ideas from people once my
serve started to come together my level
really jumped and I went from an average
player to two moving on and playing for
my country okay thanks very much for
watching I hope you found it useful and
a big thank you to Craig Bryant for
sharing his table tennis tips if you
want to find out more about crazy
coaching services go to his website at
top edge table tennis
dr. co2 UK and a big thank you also to
dry bar table tennis for sponsoring this
video if you found this video useful
then please subscribe I have more videos
coming soon
so I'll see you then bye bye
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