Most players serve from the backhand corner. It’s logical – it allows you to serve and stay in position. A normal ready stance would be with your middle (playing elbow) around the middle of the table, which means your body is mostly to your backhand side. Since many players have stronger forehand attacks or have more reach on that side, many players edge that way even more. And so it’s natural to serve from the backhand side.

But many or most players do it over and Over and OVER!!! Why allow an opponent to get used to where you are serving from? I’ve found that if an opponent gets used to my serve from the backhand side, often all I have to do is use the same serves from the forehand side and they suddenly get very uncomfortable and erratic. So, why not serve from the middle or forehand side, at least as a variation?

Serving from the forehand side also gives you an angle into the forehand, where a short serve can be especially effective against some players. In fact, since forehand short receive is awkward for many players, some will reach over and receive backhand – leaving themselves open if, at the last second, you serve deep to the backhand. When serving from the forehand side, learn to serve both short and long to the both sides, using the same motion.

Serving from the forehand side does mean your opponent can return deep to your backhand, and so you have to be ready for that. But it’s not hard to serve from the forehand side and follow through on the serve by moving back toward your backhand side. And if you are stronger on the backhand side than the forehand, then serving from the forehand side puts you in perfect position to dominate with that backhand.

So, why not experiment with where you serve from? Imagine that look of discomfort from your opponent the first time you do this!

What is a three-point attack? It means attacking all three spots on the table – wide forehand, wide backhand, and opponent’s middle, roughly the playing elbow (midway between the forehand and backhand). It often takes several attacking shots to win the point. Many players can perhaps do one strong attack, then struggle to keep it up unless they get a weak return. How do you keep up a relentless attack? It's all about Placement, Positioning, and Balance. Call it PPB – Ping Pong Basics!

• Placement. Place the ball where the opponent will have the most trouble, while also setting yourself up for the next shot. Most often focus on attacking the middle and his weaker side. But also focus on where he’ll return your shots. If you play a forehand from the backhand corner and go down the line, unless you are very quick you’ll have trouble covering a quick block to your open forehand. So, you’d probably want to attack more to the wide backhand or middle, unless you are ending the point on one shot. If you attack the wide backhand, the most likely return is crosscourt to your backhand (assuming you are both righties or both lefties), and if your strength is your forehand, then (unless you are very fast) you probably want to attack more to the middle or wide forehand. And so on – work out your best placements, based on your game and your opponent’s.
• Positioning. To keep up an attack, you need to recover quickly from the previous shot. That means following through back into position for the next shot. If you move wide to a corner to attack, you don’t finish the shot, stop, and then move back into position. Instead, moving back into position should be part of the follow-through, putting you back in position for the next shot.
• Balance. Balance doesn’t mean weight evenly distributed between both feet; it means your weight is between the feet, allowing you to immediately move back into position. If you finish your previous shot even slightly off balance, you will have a hard time recovering for the next shot. That means learning to attack while staying balanced throughout your swing. I’ve heard coaches say balance is the biggest weakness of many players, and it’s definitely up there. Many players can do one good shot, and then struggle with the next one – and they think they are just slow, when in fact it’s the poor balance that keeps them from recovering for the next shot.

As is often the case, the real reason many players have trouble looping against a heavy backspin is they simply aren’t used to doing so. They are used to less backspin, and so the stroke and racket angle used for that is ingrained into them. When facing heavy backspin, it’s a strain trying to get it over the net. But there shouldn’t be any real strain. It’s usually one of two things – racket and stroke angle, or power.

The easiest way to loop a heavy backspin is simply to lower the racket a lot, tip down, with an open angle, and really stroke up. This means bending your knees (especially back leg), dropping your playing shoulder, and driving both upwards and forward, but with the emphasis on up. Once you get used to it, it’s rather easy to loop either against heavy backspin with slow or medium speed, but with lots of spin, since you’ll be converting the incoming backspin into topspin. If you try this and still go into the net, just lift the ball up even more, even aim to arc the ball well off the end. Once you get the knack of it, it’s easy. (If you have knee problems and can’t bend the back knee much, no problem; just drop your shoulder and spin up, driving your shoulders up and around, producing a slow, spinny loop.)

The other way, often called Chinese style, is to simply overpower the backspin. This means looping with a lot of power, sinking the ball into the sponge, and driving it both forward and up. (It’s easier with a harder sponge.) But because you use a lot of power here, you don’t have to lift as much as you’d think. This method takes athleticism – but at 64 and not really in training, I can still do it (unless I’m tired), though not as well as I used to.

If you aren’t training regularly, are elderly, or aren’t in good physical shape, the latter method likely won’t work very well. But anyone can loop against a heavy backspin by using the first method – just arc that ball up over the net with lots of topspin – and now your opponent has to face his own heavy backspin coming back as topspin!

For this, I’m assuming you know how to flip, either forehand or backhand, preferably both. (If not, YouTube is your friend! Or work on it with a coach.) But many players have trouble flipping against heavy backspin, and so just push those balls back. But that makes you predictable, a serious weakness.

Instead, learn to use all three receives against a short, heavy backspin serves – push long or short, and flip. Perhaps favor one or two of these receives, and use the other one or two receives as a variation.

But how do you flip a ball that’s low and heavy with backspin? It’s all about the racket angle and contact. Most players get used to flipping against moderate backspin. Most players can’t really serve both short and very heavy, and so you get less practice against it. And when they do see it, they fall back on what they are used to – flipping moderate backspin, and since there’s more backspin then they are used to, they go into the net.

Against heavy backspin, open the racket a LOT. Once you do this, lifting it is easy. Just brush under and behind the back of the ball with a topspin stroke, and lift the ball over the net. With practice, you’ll find something amazing – it’s often easier to flip against heavy backspin then against a no-spin ball. Why? Because you can easily convert all that incoming backspin into outgoing topspin. The trick is really just reading the spin and opening the racket more than you are used to.

Work with a coach or practice partner on this – have them serve low, short, heavy backspin over and over as you work on flipping it. Ideally, have a box of balls so you can do this over and over without playing out the point. Once you get used to doing it, you’ll never have trouble flipping against heavy backspin again.

There are really only two things you have to do tactically in a match, sort of a one-two punch. You must figure out:

• How to force your game on them
• How to nullify what your opponent does that threatens you.

What is the strongest part of your game and how can you force that on your opponent? With experience, you’ll learn (or have already learned) how to do this. For example, if your strengths is looping against backspin, and your opponent pushes backspin serves back long, then there’s your answer – serve backspin (short if necessary), they push it back long, and you get to dominate with your strong loop against backspin. Or if you are quicker than the opponent, then perhaps serve topspin, or fast and deep, or topspin their serves back and look to play quick, aggressive shots to all three spots – the wide corners and at their middle (playing elbow). In general, look for ways to serve, receive, and rally so as to set up your strengths.

What parts of your opponent’s game might give you trouble? Just as above, figure out how to use serve, receive, and rallying to avoid those issues. Or, sometimes, play right into what gives you trouble until you get used to it, and then it’s no longer a threat. With experience, you’ll find ways to stop or adjust to whatever it is that gives you trouble.

So, how’s your one-two punch?