7 most effective table tennis serves (with Ferenc Horvath)

Tom Lodziak

6 Sept 202315:49

Summary

TLDRIn this informative video, Tom Nodziak introduces seven highly effective table tennis serves utilized by top players, from amateurs to professionals. Coach Forensics from Paragon Table Tennis demonstrates these serves, emphasizing a clean, efficient service action with optimal wrist and body usage. The video covers various serves, including the forehand pendulum, reverse pendulum, and no-spin serve, highlighting the importance of grip, wrist action, and body rotation for disguising spin and controlling serve length. It's an excellent resource for players looking to enhance their serving skills and repertoire.

Takeaways

🏓 The video features seven effective table tennis serves used by top players, which can be incorporated into one's game to improve serve variety and effectiveness.
👨‍🏫 The demonstration and tips are provided by coach Forensic, who is known for a clean and efficient service action with minimal wasted movement.
🤲 The forehand pendulum serve involves a combination of wrist, forearm, and body rotation, with an emphasis on accuracy and setting up the next shot.
🔄 The reverse pendulum serve requires a relaxed grip and exaggerated wrist action to maximize spin efficiency, with less reliance on body rotation.
👐 Changing the grip slightly can provide more control over the serve, especially for the backhand side, allowing for a more forceful release of the bat.
🔽 The underspin serve involves going underneath the ball to generate backspin, with the bat and elbow kept close to the body for momentum and control.
🔼 The no-spin serve mimics the backspin action but involves a forearm rotation instead of a wrist whip, creating disguise without affecting the serve's spin.
📏 Keeping the serve short is crucial, achieved by limiting power with the upper body and rotating the body slowly during execution.
💥 The hook serve's key is a tilted bat angle for far-side topspin, with a flick of the wrist and body rotation creating a curving effect away from right-handed opponents.
🏹 The tomahawk serve involves a lower contact point close to the table and can generate side backspin, side spin, or side topspin, depending on the angle.
🤚 The backhand sidespin serve is useful for curving the ball away from right-handed opponents, with an emphasis on a short action and pulling the ball towards the server's right side.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the video?
-The primary focus of the video is to demonstrate the seven most effective table tennis serves used by top amateur and professional players.
Who provides the demonstration and tips in the video?
-The demonstration and tips in the video are provided by Coach Ferenc from Paragon Table Tennis.
What are the key elements of the forehand pendulum serve?
-The key elements of the forehand pendulum serve include taking a balanced stance, keeping the bat and ball close to the body, using a combination of wrist and forearm action, and incorporating body rotation to set up the next shot.
How does the reverse pendulum serve differ from the forehand pendulum serve?
-The reverse pendulum serve involves a different grip and exaggerated wrist action. The wrist is pulled back towards the armpit and released forward and downwards, with less body rotation compared to the forehand pendulum serve.
What is the importance of grip adjustment in serving?
-Adjusting the grip, such as covering the backhand side with fingers, allows for maximum wrist movement and a more forceful serve. It helps in creating different spin variations and adding power to the serve.
What technique is used to generate backspin in serves?
-To generate backspin, the bat must go underneath the ball, and the elbow should be close to the body. The combination of wrist action, forearm rotation, and body rotation creates enough momentum for an effective backspin serve.
How can a no-spin serve be disguised?
-A no-spin serve can be disguised by making it look similar to a backspin serve. Instead of using a wrist whip action, the forearm is rotated to create a hit on the ball. The follow-through rotation of the forearm after contact helps in imitating a backspin serve.
What is crucial for a good hook serve?
-A good hook serve requires a tilted bat angle, contact on the far side of the ball, and a combination of wrist flick and body rotation. The direction of the bat can vary the spin, but maintaining the tilted bat angle is essential for creating topspin.
What technique is involved in the Tomahawk serve?
-The Tomahawk serve involves creating contact on the far side of the ball, using a lower position close to the table, withdrawing the wrist towards the right shoulder, and releasing it towards the opponent. The key is a fast elbow wrist action to generate speed.
How is the popular backhand serve executed effectively?
-The popular backhand serve is executed by curving the ball away from right-handed opponents, using a short action to keep the serve short, and employing a right-side swing from the elbow and wrist to create spin. Adjusting the elbow and wrist positions can enhance the serve's effectiveness.

Outlines

00:00

🏓 Introduction to Effective Table Tennis Serves

Tom Nodziak introduces a video showcasing the seven most effective table tennis serves used by top players, from amateurs to professionals. The demonstrations and tips are provided by Coach Forent Ordat from Paragon Table Tennis, known for his clean and efficient service action. This video aims to help viewers improve their serves or develop new ones. Tom hands over to Forent for the detailed breakdown of the serves.

05:11

👋 Forehand Pendulum Serve Techniques

Forent explains the forehand pendulum serve, highlighting the importance of positioning, balance, and close contact between the bat and the ball. He emphasizes using the entire arm, combining wrist and forearm action with body rotation to set up the next shot. Forent describes creating a whip-like action with the bat and using body rotation to enhance the serve's effectiveness.

10:12

🌀 Mastering the Reverse Pendulum Serve

Forent discusses the reverse pendulum serve, focusing on maintaining a relaxed grip and bringing the wrist back towards the armpit before releasing it forward. The serve relies on an exaggerated wrist action combined with forearm movement, as body rotation is less helpful in this serve. Forent advises over-pulling the wrist to maximize spin efficiency.

15:12

🖐️ Adjusting Grip for Maximum Spin

Forent advises changing the grip slightly for certain serves, where players cover the entire backhand side with their fingers for maximum wrist action. He explains how adjusting the grip and bat angle can enhance the serve's power and spin. This adjustment helps in creating forceful and effective serves.

🔄 Enhancing Backspin and No-Spin Serves

Forent explains how to generate more backspin by going underneath the ball and using the wrist and forearm in conjunction with body rotation. He describes the no-spin action, where the bat angle is slightly open, creating a hit on the ball that disguises the serve as a backspin. Forent emphasizes using body rotation to keep the serve short and limit power.

🏌️‍♂️ Executing the Hook Serve

Forent details the hook serve, focusing on a tilted bat angle that contacts the ball on the far side. He explains how this angle and body rotation create a curving topspin serve that can deceive opponents. The key elements include wrist flick, body rotation, and maintaining the bat angle to produce a spinning, curving serve.

💪 Tomahawk and Backhand Serves

Forent describes the Tomahawk serve, which requires a lower position and a quick wrist action towards the opponent. He also covers the popular backhand serve, particularly the sidespin version, which curves the ball away from right-handed opponents. Forent explains how to use the wrist and forearm to generate spin and control the serve's direction and length.

📚 Conclusion and Additional Resources

Tom wraps up the video, thanking Forent for the demonstrations. He encourages viewers to bookmark the video for future reference and visit Paragon Table Tennis's website for more information. Tom also hints at more tutorial videos coming soon and suggests viewers check out other related videos.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Table Tennis Serves

Table tennis serves are the initial shots played by a player to start a point in a match. They are crucial as they can dictate the direction, speed, and spin of the ball, affecting the opponent's response. In the video, the focus is on seven effective serves used by top players, emphasizing the importance of mastering various serves to improve one's game.

💡Forehand Pendulum Serve

The forehand pendulum serve is a specific type of serve in table tennis where the player uses a pendulum-like motion of the arm, combining wrist and forearm action with body rotation. The script describes how to position the body and bat for accuracy and how the serve sets up the next shot, illustrating the technique's role in strategic play.

💡Reverse Pendulum

The reverse pendulum is another serve technique where the player exaggerates the wrist action more than body rotation. It is characterized by taking the wrist back towards the armpit and releasing it forward and downwards to maximize spin efficiency. The script mentions this serve to highlight the importance of wrist movement in creating different spins.

💡Backhand Serve

The backhand serve is executed using the backhand side of the player, often with a grip that allows for maximum 'badness' or spin on the ball. The script describes how players can adjust their grip and wrist position to generate different types of spin, such as backspin, side spin, or topspin, showcasing the versatility of the backhand serve.

💡No Spin Serve

A no spin serve is a deceptive technique that appears similar to a backspin serve but without the actual spin. The player opens the bat angle slightly and rotates the forearm after ball contact to disguise the serve. The script explains how this serve can trick opponents into expecting spin that isn't there, adding an element of strategy.

💡Hook Serve

The hook serve is characterized by a tilted bat angle that allows the player to make contact on the far side of the ball, creating topspin. The script emphasizes the importance of the bat angle and the player's body rotation to generate a curving trajectory away from the opponent, making it difficult to return.

💡Tomahawk Serve

The tomahawk serve is a backhand serve that involves creating a contact point close to the table and varying the angle to produce side backspin, side spin, or side topspin. The script describes the technique of withdrawing the wrist towards the shoulder and releasing it to generate different spins, demonstrating the serve's adaptability.

💡Forensic

In the context of the script, 'forensics' likely refers to the detailed analysis or demonstration of the serves, akin to the meticulous examination in forensic science. The term is used metaphorically to describe the in-depth breakdown of the serve techniques shown in the video.

💡Wrist Action

Wrist action is a critical component of table tennis serves, allowing players to generate spin and control the direction of the ball. The script repeatedly mentions the importance of wrist action in various serves, such as the forehand pendulum and the tomahawk serve, to illustrate its role in executing different serve types.

💡Body Rotation

Body rotation is another key element in table tennis serves, providing momentum and power to the serve. The script explains how body rotation complements wrist action in serves like the forehand pendulum and hook serve, emphasizing its contribution to the serve's effectiveness.

💡Disguise

Disguise in table tennis serves refers to making a serve look like it has a certain spin or characteristic when it does not, confusing the opponent. The script discusses the no spin serve as an example of using disguise to mimic a backspin serve, highlighting the psychological aspect of the game.

Highlights

Introduction of seven most effective table tennis serves used by top amateurs and professional players.

Demonstration and tips provided by coach from Paragon Table Tennis.

Coach Forensics has a clean service action with efficient use of wrist and body.

Importance of a balanced stance and keeping the bat and body close for accurate contact.

Forehand pendulum serve technique involving wrist, forearm, and body rotation.

Creating a VIP-like action with wrist delay for forehand pendulum serve.

Reverse pendulum serve emphasizing relaxed grip and wrist action.

Exaggerated wrist action for reverse pendulum serve with less body rotation.

Changing grip for backhand serve to maximize wrist power and spin.

Backhand serve technique with emphasis on going underneath the ball for backspin.

No spin serve resembling backspin but with a forearm rotation for disguise.

Key to a good hook serve is a tilted bat angle for far side topspin.

Jab topspin serve technique creating a curve away from right-handed opponents.

Tomahawk serve with a focus on contact point and fast elbow rest for speed.

Backhand sidespin serve curving the ball away from right-handed opponents.

Short serve technique using upper body to limit power and keep the serve short.

Flicking wrist across for an alternative backhand serve effect.

Encouragement to bookmark the video for reference and further learning.

Information on Paragon Table Tennis and upcoming video tutorials.