Serving Tips for All Players

By Sean O’Neill

Coaching at the Paralympics has made me see that solid technique is not exclusive to the Olympic Games. While sometimes the initial look might be a bit different, due to a missing body part or physical condition, the mechanics are often identical between these two groups of extraordinary players.

If you have the privilege to coach or work with any wheelchair or standing disabled athletes, remember that the basics of solid ball contact, complete strokes, and balance are universal for all types of players. In this month’s feature, I would like to focus on “How to Serve Like the Pros” to help all players to gain control of the point right off the bat!

Serving while seated would make it tougher for anyone to deliver a tricky serve, but we see Xing Yuan Guo (China), Stéphane Molliens (France), and Rolf Erik Paulsen (Norway) employing a number of elements that will give anyone an advantage.

· Make it legal. If you want to take the umpire out of the match, don’t give him a reason to decide if your toss is not high enough. Toss the ball clearly more than 6 inches, preferably 8-12. The added height will allow you more time for an adequate backswing and thus extra spin. Try varying the height of the toss to keep your opponent guessing.

· Move your eyes, not your head. This will help you keep your contact point consistent. It will also allow you to stay more relaxed while executing the serve. Practice your toss off the table to make sure it is accurate and straight.

· Keep your racket low. If you are going to keep your serve low then you need to make contact as low as possible. Remember, the serve should follow a flat trajectory, not a bouncy one.

· Make it whip. Your backswing, contact, and follow through should be one motion. The longer you can wait to start your service motion after the toss the more explosive it will be. Keep your wrist relaxed on the backswing and then snap through the contact zone past the ball. The thinner the contact, the greater the spin.

· Use the KISS (Keep It Simple, Sean) technique! It is better to have one serve with multiple spins to a variety of locations than many different serves that are one-dimensional. The reason should be obvious: it will be more difficult for your opponent to guess what and where you are serving.

· Control the bounce. Many players focus solely on the opponent’s side of the table when serving; this is a huge mistake. It is smarter to focus on the bounce on your side of the net as this is the real factor that determines whether your serve will go long or short. For short serves, make the bounce be closer to the net. For deep serves, closer to your own end line.

· Set yourself up. Too many players hope to have their opponents miss their serves outright; the best players don’t think this way. Their goal is to get a return they like or can use to play their favorite shot. Prior to serving, have a clear picture of “how” and “where” your opponent is likely to return your serve and get ready to respond to it.

· Not too short. A serve that barely bounces twice on the opponent’s side is often more difficult to return (and keep the return short) than a serve that would bounce 3-4 times on the table. If you can force indecision, then you will get many weak returns.

· Practice, practice, practice. Thanks to the recent rule changes, you will now be serving every two points, so there is every reason to buy a bucket of balls and work on your serves regularly as part of your training program.

Special thanks to Gaël Marziou for his world-class photographs and Stellan Bengtsson for a number of tips he shared with the U.S. Paralympic Team during our San Diego Camp.