
The reverse pendulum serve is executed by swinging the wrist and forearm away from the body while contacting the bottom half of the ball. An extensive look at the actual execution by Zhang Jike can be found in this video:
What are some tips for serving with the reverse pendulum?
Big tip: When you are serving with the reverse pendulum, timing is extremely important. More important than any other serves. The moment when you're executing the serve, as the ball is threw, the placement of the ball in the near side of the table, etc. Variation of any of that will create a different result.
What is a reverse pendulum serve in table tennis?
As modern table tennis continues to develop, many techniques and tactics change at high levels of play. One of these changes is that the reverse pendulum serve has become much more popular. The reverse pendulum serve is executed by swinging the wrist and forearm away from the body while contacting the bottom half of the ball.
What is a reverse serve?
The reverse serve is one that many players want to learn and add to their game, when executed correctly you can create deadly amounts of spin and it can be very hard to return. Many professional players such as Timo Boll and Fan Zhendong use this serve to devastating effect, so we've created this step by step guide so you can master it too!

How do you get a pendulum served?
7:2110:20How To READ & RECEIVE Pendulum Serve | Table Tennis / Ping PongYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipHowever the best. Return is your backhand. Drive loop and the best way to do a pendulum receive fromMoreHowever the best. Return is your backhand. Drive loop and the best way to do a pendulum receive from your opponent is a nice little wrist action so don't punch a lot of power.
How do you counter backspin serve?
0:482:53Returning a Heavy Backspin Serve | Table Tennis | PingSkills - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipFocus on getting that returner. Just to the top of the net. Don't try and think about pushing itMoreFocus on getting that returner. Just to the top of the net. Don't try and think about pushing it forward too much just try and think about touching. It so it's going to touch.
How do you do a reverse tomahawk serve?
0:442:00Tomahawk Serve Tutorial - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBut this surf can be done with many variations of spin the key is making them look similar sideMoreBut this surf can be done with many variations of spin the key is making them look similar side topspin straight side spin side under spin and you can even start by showing your receiver the opponent.
How do you serve a pendulum in table tennis?
1:055:15Pendulum Serve and Service Rules - Table Tennis Basics [Subtitles ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAs the ball's on its way back down contact it make the ball bounce once on your side of the table.MoreAs the ball's on its way back down contact it make the ball bounce once on your side of the table. Clear the net completely without touching it. And then bounce on your opponent's side of the table.
How do you smash backspin?
0:462:12How to Smash a High Backspin Ball - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipI think ideally you do want to be smashing it just because it's high. Especially. If it's if it'sMoreI think ideally you do want to be smashing it just because it's high. Especially. If it's if it's short or slightly close to the net you should have a good angle to actually smash that straight down.
How do you return a backspin shot?
There are two ways to return spin serves… You can work out what the ball wants to do and then select the correct stroke to counter that action. For example, a backspin ball wants to go down, but if you use a push and get underneath the ball you can stop that from happening and direct it over the net.
What is the best table tennis serve?
Having a good serve gives you many advantagesSet-up serve.Ace serve.5 Amazing serves in table tennis.#1 – Short Sidespin Pendulum Serve.#2 – Short Sidespin Reverse Pendulum Serve.#3 – Fast Nospin Cross Court Serve.#4 – Fast Nospin Down The Line Serve.#5 – Long Sidespin serve.More items...•
What is a Tomahawk serve?
To perform the tomahawk serve, first, imagine that you are throwing an actual tomahawk. In a squatting position, lift your elbow and extend your arm outward, striking the ball with your forehand rubber. Try to make sure you don't contact the ball too directly; you're aiming to brush the ball to produce spin.
Who invented Tomahawk serve?
Kenta Matsudaira (松平 健太, Matsudaira Kenta, born April 11, 1991) is a Japanese table tennis player. Winner of the 2006 World Junior Championships in singles, he was the world number one junior player in 2008. He is world-renowned for his tomahawk serve, which he has popularized throughout his career.
What is the hardest serve to return in table tennis?
reverse pendulum/shovel serveThe reverse pendulum/shovel serve is certainly the hardest to perform out of the three table tennis serves.
How do you do the ghost serve?
1:198:413 Steps To Master The Backspin GHOST SERVE | Table TennisYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo finger and thumb onto my back that gives me a good control with my hand to back and then theMoreSo finger and thumb onto my back that gives me a good control with my hand to back and then the three fingers come off my back like. So so i'm just focusing on the finger. And thumb.
How do you return a long backspin serve?
0:093:56Options Against a Long Backspin Serve - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThere's this player that always says the same a long backspin serves to my backhand. I've alwaysMoreThere's this player that always says the same a long backspin serves to my backhand. I've always tried counter hitting the serve with my backhand topspin.
What is the hardest serve to return in ping pong?
reverse pendulum/shovel serveThe reverse pendulum/shovel serve is certainly the hardest to perform out of the three table tennis serves.
How do I get less spin on my wedges?
1:483:17How to control spin with your wedges - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipLittle low shot it's kind of pitched on to the grain worked its way down towards the hole as.MoreLittle low shot it's kind of pitched on to the grain worked its way down towards the hole as. Absolutely. Right it took the spin off it made.
How do you hit a wedge with backspin?
5:2310:41How to MASTER BACKSPIN with your WEDGE SHOTS - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIf for example you're hitting off a tight lie. Downwind. It's going to spin a bit but it's going toMoreIf for example you're hitting off a tight lie. Downwind. It's going to spin a bit but it's going to run on because the wind is going to push the ball forwards. And knock spin off the ball.
What is the reverse pendulum serve?
And to counter this spin, when the opponent returns this ball, the ball will go more to the right. (That’s is the mechanism of returning serve: you hit the ball on the opposite flying direction of the ball. If the ball spins from your left to your right, you will hit it mostly from right to left)
Why does Zhang Jike use Reversed Pendulum Serve?
The normal pendulum serve has a side spin: left to right spin. Zhang Jike’s serve has the reverse spin: Spin from right to left (anti-clockwise). That’s why this service is called “Reverse Pendulum Serve”.
What is the backhand serve of Ovtcharov?
This is the Backhand serve of Ovtcharov. This serve has the same principal of Reverse Pendulum serve. It has side spin: Spin from righ to left. After the serve, Ovtcharov stays at the middle of the table, as he knows the ball will be returned to the middle position where he is standing.
Where does Zhang Jike's backhand go?
The mechanism of Backhand stroke is: Striking in front of the body, so Zhang Jike wants the return ball goes into his standing position (near the middle of the table or near his elbow).
Where is the ball returned in Zhang Jike?
It’s very hard to return this ball to Zhang Jike’s wide Backhand or wide Forehand. The ball will be returned normally near the middle of the table. This is the advantage of this serve.
Do all backhand dominating players have their own serving system?
However, not many of you understand that almost all of the best Backhand Dominant Players have their own serving system. In general, best Backhand dominant player out there has a “very good serve” or “best server of all time”.
What is reverse pendulum serve?
One of these changes is that the reverse pendulum serve has become much more popular. The reverse pendulum serve is executed by swinging the wrist and forearm away from the body while contacting the bottom half of the ball.
What is the most common return for a reverse pendulum serve?
With the reverse pendulum serve, a nospin or topspin variation is likely to produce a flip to the middle or backhand as the most common return if the opponent reads the serve correctly. This will likely create a backhand exchange, allowing the server to take the initiative with the backhand, or give the server an opportunity to attack with the forehand from the middle. If the receiver decides to push or drop shot, this will likely produce an attackable ball that is again an attacking opportunity. If the serve is backspin, the most common return will be a push to the middle or backhand side. The server can open with either the backhand or step around and open with the forehand. Often the push will be half long, so the server should make a low, consistent loop to the middle of the table. If the receiver drops short, the server has the option to drop shot in return or attempt to attack with a flip over the table. The receiver can also try to flip the ball, which can be risky, which should again produce a backhand exchange or a forehand attack for the server. With both types of reverse pendulum serves, most returns to the forehand will be either slightly high or half long, also giving the server and opportunity to open if desired.
What is reverse serve?
In general, the reverse pendulum serve produces slightly less spin than a regular pendulum serve for most players . There are of course exceptions, such as Fan Zhendong and Zhang Jike, who can produce a large amount of spin using this serve and still control the service location. However, the general idea with the serve is to force a lot of returns to the middle and backhand half of the table due to the direction of sidespin that is on the ball, especially when served crosscourt. The serve makes aggressive returns to the forehand corner and drop shots to the forehand side risky and difficult to control. Much of the time, returns to the forehand off this serve will be of a lower quality and easier to attack. This causes many opponents to shy away from these types of returns.
What is the most common return in a backspin server?
If the serve is backspin, the most common return will be a push to the middle or backhand side. The server can open with either the backhand or step around and open with the forehand. Often the push will be half long, so the server should make a low, consistent loop to the middle of the table.
Why does Zhang Jike stop his follow through?
A couple things to note about Zhang Jike’s execution are that first of all, he stops his follow through very short to keep control of the service location and to keep it short. It’s very easy to serve reverse pendulum serves long or half long when going for extra spin.
Why do players mix pendulums?
Both players mix in pendulum serves with reverse pendulum serves to keep the opponent guessing and prevent too many strong opening banana flips , but when they do use reverse pendulum serves the pattern of the rally is quite predictable for the server.
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