Video:How to Serve in Table Tennis

Transcript:How to Serve in Table Tennis

Hi I'm Jon Gustavson from the Atlanta Georgia Table Tennis Association for About.com.

Take Your Time With Serves in Table Tennis

Today we're going to talk about some things you can do to improve your service game. One of the first things you want to do when you serve is don't rush. Take your time take a deep breath, get focused, think about what you're going to do. The ball is in your court -- literally. Let your opponent get set, think about what you're going to do, stay focused, make your serve.

Follow Regulations When Serving in Table Tennis

You of course want to make sure the serve is legal, you're behind the line, you toss the ball up six inches and you're not hiding the ball with your arm or your body. Whatever serve you decide to do you want to make it as quick as possible so it has some measure of deception to your opponent. Once the ball is tossed then you can decide am I putting sidespin, am I putting underspin am I putting topspin, am I going for a deep serve, am I going to try to keep it short.

Placement for a Serve in Table Tennis

If I'm going for a long serve I actually want to hit it on this part of the table. And with practice it will end up pretty much on the other side of the table in the same place. To get more spin, involves more brushing. It should be a quiet sound. A loud sound with the paddle means that you've put mostly force onto the ball.

Adding Spin to a Serve in Table Tennis

Putting a soft sound should mean that you've got some spin on it you've added some friction and your opponent's going to have to react to the spin that's on the ball which is going to be more dramatic because you've brushed the ball instead of hitting it. Thanks for watching. For more tips on table tennis, watch About.com.