December 7, 2015

Tip of the Week
Use Simple No-Spin Serves in Doubles.

Importance of No-Spin Serves
We'll call today the "No Spin Zone," since it's featured in the Tip of the Week, here in the blog, and in a link to another Tip of the Week below.

I've been surprised several times by players, even relatively advanced ones, who don't really know how to do a no-spin serve. Now obviously any player can serve no-spin by just patting the ball over the net, but what surprises me is how many can serve backspin over and over, but cannot execute a no-spin serve with the same motion. By having this combination, receivers can't just mindlessly push every serve back - if they do, the no-spin serves will pop up.

To execute a no-spin serve that looks like backspin, imagine doing a normal backspin serve, where you graze the ball toward the tip of the racket (the part of the racket that's moving fastest as it rotates around the wrist). Now contact the ball closer to the handle without as much grazing motion. Use the same follow-through or even exaggerated it - you have to sell it as a backspin serve. Result? The receiver likely will read it as backspin and pop it up.

Even if they read it correctly and chop down on the ball to keep the push low, it'll come out with less backspin than if they pushed against your backspin serve. When pushing against backspin, the backspin rebounds out as backspin as the ball changes rotation. There doesn't happen against a no-spin serve, and so the ball has less backspin. Also, a short backspin serve is easier to drop short than a short no-spin serve, since the backspin makes the ball die off your racket. 

The main problem with a non-spin is that it often is easier to attack. But that's mostly because players don't keep the serve low to the net. A non-spin serve that is very low is actually tough to attack, and when it is attacked, it's often done so weakly. Also, once a player is used to a no-spin serve, you can't really vary it - no-spin is no-spin, while you can vary backspin from light to heavy. Some players even hold back on their heaviest backspin serves, pulling them out at key times, with opponent predictably putting them into the net. 

As you play better players, you might need to serve both your backspin and no-spin serves short, i.e. if given the chance the ball would bounce twice. At the higher levels, many players base their games around mixing up short backspin and no-spin serves. 

Here's what I usually advise players - and these are guidelines, not rules. When serving short backspin, be ready for a deep backspin push, and if you get it, loop from either side, and focus on both spin and speed. When serving short no-spin, be ready for slightly high returns, pushes with less backspin, and weak attacks, and be ready to end the point against these. (Here's my Tip of the Week from 2012, "Those Dizzying No-Spin Serves.")

Playing with Purpose Early in the Point
Here's the new coaching article by Han Xiao.

Challenge: Learn how to take down the top dog!
Here's the new coaching article from Samson Dubina.

Ask the Coach Show
Episode #200 (31:39) - Competition Time (and other segments)

World Junior Championships
They finished yesterday in Vendée, FRA, Nov. 29 - Dec. 6. As noted last week, the USA Junior Girls Team got the bronze! Here are some links.

History of U.S. Table Tennis, Volume 16, Chapter 20
Another chapter is online! Why not buy your own set of these incredible histories?

Club Pride on Display at 2015 Butterfly Thanksgiving Teams Tournament
Here's the article by Barbara Wei.

11 Questions with Fede Bassetti
Here's the USATT Interview with the USATT Coaching Chair.

Interview with Rajat Hubli
Here's the USATT interview by Rahul Acharya with the Indian star now living in the U.S.

Tribute to Jean-Michel Saive
Here's the ITTF video (7:19) on the retiring star.

Top Players in Training!

Incredible Drop Shot
Here's the video (26 sec, including slow motion replay).

Five TT Players Go Sledding
Here's a new JibJab production (67 sec) by Jimmy Butler. Can you name all five players?

Chinese Table Tennis Comedy?
Here's the video (2:03) of some sort of table tennis comedy, but I have no idea what's going on. The table tennis scene is the first 53 seconds, and then they go to what looks like a car dealership.

First a Plastic Ball, Now a Plastic Table?
Here's the picture of the Lego table!

Having a Ball
He has ten reasons to be happy.

Stick Pong
Here's the picture!

Non-Table Tennis - Odyssey and Odyssey Online Workshop
Here's my weekly Science Fiction Blog, where I talk about the Odyssey Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Workshop.

***
Send us your own coaching news!