Described for a right-handed server; the tips on reading and returning speak to the receiver.
How to read it
- The server faces you and the black or red backhand face is open, travelling forward under the ball.
- A short, fast forearm with a slow ball means heavy backspin.
- The ball floats and stops short after the bounce.
- The racket travels straight toward you — no sideways movement, so little or no sidespin.
How to return it
- Push with an open racket, short or deep to a corner.
- If it is long, open the racket a little and loop it upward.
- Because the server is already square to the table, avoid a soft long push to the middle.
Common mistakes when serving it
- Moving the whole arm from the shoulder instead of unfolding the forearm.
- A stiff wrist and a slow racket: the ball is pushed, not brushed.
- Hiding the ball with the free arm, which must be moved out of the way at once.
More backhand serves
Learn to serve it
The step-by-step technique — grip, stance, toss, backswing, contact and finish — and a 3D demo you can turn and slow down are in Trainoro’s Service Drills, along with 12 ways to receive. To practise serving with a partner, see the serve and return drills.
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