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13 serve and return drills

Every point starts with a serve and a return, and they are the strokes you can practise most precisely. These drills train serve length, spin and disguise, the third ball after your serve, and reading and returning your opponent’s.

Updated 21 October 2026

Beginner

Topspin Serve Introduction

  • Beginner
  • 12 min
  • Solo
  • Serve, Placement

Learn the basic forehand topspin serve to put pressure on the opponent and establish first-strike advantage.

Common mistakes

  • Tossing the ball too close to the body — restricts the swing.
  • Hitting flat instead of brushing over the top.
  • Toss tilting forward or sideways instead of going straight up.

Push Serve Return

  • Beginner
  • 10 min
  • Partner
  • Return of Serve, Push, Ball Control

Develop a reliable return of short backspin serves using a controlled push, building reading and footwork skills.

Common mistakes

  • Standing too far from the table to reach short balls.
  • Using the wrong bat angle — causes the ball to go into the net.
  • Rushing the stroke before the ball reaches you.

Serve Length Ladder

  • Beginner
  • 10 min
  • Solo
  • Serve, Placement

Learn to control the length of your serve: short, half-long and long with the same backspin motion.

Common mistakes

  • Changing the whole motion for the long serve, which tells the receiver what is coming.
  • Serving high to make the short serve short — a high serve gets attacked.
  • Judging length by where the ball first lands on the far side instead of by where it would bounce a second time.

Intermediate

Short Serve + Third-Ball Attack

  • Intermediate
  • 15 min
  • Partner
  • Serve, Forehand, Loop

Practice the serve-attack combination: serve short to force a push, then attack the expected return.

Common mistakes

  • Not recovering to ready position fast enough after serving.
  • Over-committing to one side when the return can go anywhere.
  • Serving too deep, making your own serve attackable by the opponent.

Receive Short Ball (Push & Flick)

  • Intermediate
  • 15 min
  • Partner
  • Return of Serve, Push, Flick

Master two receiving options for short balls: the controlled push and the aggressive wrist flick.

Common mistakes

  • Moving the ball too high on the flick — gives opponent an easy attack.
  • Failing to lean into the table to reach short balls early.
  • Same preparation stance for both push and flick — opponent reads your choice.

Attack the Long Serve

  • Intermediate
  • 12 min
  • Partner
  • Return of Serve, Loop

Punish the fast long serve: read the length early and open with topspin instead of pushing.

Common mistakes

  • Pushing a long serve, which gives the server an easy first attack.
  • A big backswing that makes you late against a fast ball.
  • Standing so close to the table that the long serve reaches your body.

Advanced

Side-Spin Serve with Placement Variation

  • Advanced
  • 15 min
  • Solo
  • Serve, Placement

Develop deceptive pendulum and reverse-pendulum side-spin serves with precise placement control.

Common mistakes

  • Body rotation telegraphs the serve direction before contact.
  • Contacting the ball too late in the swing — reduces spin dramatically.
  • First bounce too deep on the server's side — makes the serve long.

Backhand Banana Flick

  • Advanced
  • 15 min
  • Partner
  • Flick, Backhand, Return of Serve

Master the backhand banana flick to attack short topspin or no-spin balls with a curving, aggressive trajectory.

Common mistakes

  • Contacting the ball too late — behind the body — losing the curving trajectory.
  • Using too much arm and not enough wrist snap — reduces speed and spin.
  • Trajectory too high — gives the opponent time to reset and counter-attack.

Third- and Fifth-Ball Attack Sequence

  • Advanced
  • 20 min
  • Partner
  • Serve, Loop, Forehand, Counter

Combine serve, third-ball attack, and fifth-ball counter into a complete tactical sequence used at elite level.

Common mistakes

  • Over-committing on the third ball — leaves no energy or position for the fifth.
  • Using the same serve every sequence — opponent reads the pattern.
  • Not recovering to center between third and fifth ball shots.

Reverse Pendulum Serve

  • Advanced
  • 15 min
  • Solo
  • Serve, Placement

Master the reverse pendulum (tomahawk) serve — one of the most deceptive serves in elite table tennis.

Common mistakes

  • Sweeping too slowly — produces weak, easily read spin.
  • Contacting the center of the ball instead of the outer edge — no side-spin.
  • First bounce too deep on the server's side — the serve becomes long.

Match Simulation Drill

  • Advanced
  • 20 min
  • Partner
  • Forehand, Backhand, Footwork, Placement, Counter, Serve, Return of Serve

Realistic coached match-play simulation covering all tactical scenarios — the capstone advanced drill.

Common mistakes

  • Playing too safely — the risk-free shot that applies no pressure loses points at advanced level.
  • Forgetting the tactical plan under match pressure — rehearse decision trees before starting.
  • Not adapting after the opponent reads and exploits your pattern.

Serve Disguise Pairs

  • Advanced
  • 15 min
  • Solo
  • Serve, Placement

Make two serves look like one: the same motion with heavy backspin or with no spin, so the receiver pushes into the net or pops the ball up.

Common mistakes

  • Slowing the arm down for the no-spin serve — the difference in speed gives it away.
  • A higher or longer no-spin serve because the ball was pushed too hard.
  • Adding a different follow-through for each version instead of one identical finish.

Patterns Against a Left-Hander

  • Advanced
  • 20 min
  • Partner
  • Placement, Serve, Return of Serve

Prepare for the opponent whose angles are reversed: where to serve, where to place the ball and which of their shots to expect.

Common mistakes

  • Playing your usual backhand crosscourt and feeding their strong forehand.
  • Standing in your normal receive position and being pulled wide by the serve.
  • Avoiding their wide forehand completely — one ball there opens up the backhand corner.

More drills

Train with Trainoro

The step-by-step instructions and an animated diagram of every ball — who hits, from where, to where — are in Trainoro’s Table Drills, along with training plans and a training diary.

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