November 9, 2015 - Sidespin Serves that Break Away Tend to Be More Effective

A backhand sidespin serve tends to be more effective to an opponent's forehand, while a forehand pendulum serve tends to be more effective to the backhand. This is both because players often have to lunge after the ball as it breaks away, and because the racket angle needed to return these sidespins is less natural when done this way. Because the balls are breaking away from the table, it effectively increases the width of the table, forcing receivers to cover more ground. This doesn't mean only serving these serves to the side that they would break away from, only generally serving it more to that side. Each opponent is different, so try out each combination and see what happens.

Using this principle, you might want to develop the following four serves. 

• Big breaking sidespin serve (from the backhand side) deep into the backhand that breaks away from the receiver, usually done with a forehand pendulum serve. This is very difficult for many receivers to handle as they often don't have as much range on the backhand as the forehand, and so end up reaching for the ball as it breaks away.
• Big breaking sidespin serve (from the forehand side) deep into the forehand that breaks away from the receiver, usually done with a forehand tomahawk serve. This serve is extremely effective through the intermediate level, but doesn't work very well at the higher levels, where they just loop it. But it's often a free point against many club-level players, who lunge for the ball as it breaks away and so lose control, usually lifting it off the end or side.
• Short sidespin serve (from the middle or forehand side) to the wide forehand that breaks away from the receiver, either bouncing twice on the table (given the chance) or going off to the side, usually inside the corner. It is usually done with a tomahawk, backhand, or reverse pendulum serve. Many players find this serve very awkward to receive as they have to reach over the table with their forehand, and then often end up lunging at the ball when it breaks away. Below the advanced level players almost always return this crosscourt, so you can almost camp out on that side and wait for the return. 
• Short sidespin serve (from the backhand side) to the wide backhand that breaks away from the receiver, either bouncing twice on the table (given the chance) or going off to the side, usually inside the corner. This is usually done with a forehand pendulum serve. This often isn't as effective as one that breaks short into the forehand, but many players will have trouble with it, plus it takes out the extreme angle into the forehand, which is important for players who strongly favor the forehand.

So add these breaking sidespin serves to your repertoire, and give your opponents a case of the lungies!