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Topspin serve

Table tennis / Popular

Serve fast topspin to force a weak return.

What coaches agree on

  • Brush upward across the ball right at contact - an upward racket path is what creates topspin, while a downward path creates backspin.
  • Make contact with the ball low, around waist or stomach height, so your racket can stay vertical and brush upward through it.
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  • Generate your racket speed from relaxed fingers, wrist, and forearm snapping explosively at contact, not from a stiff, whole-arm swing.

Common mistakes

  • Serving the same fast topspin motion over and over without any disguise or variation lets opponents anticipate it and return it comfortably.
  • Hitting through the ball with a flat, solid stroke instead of grazing it produces little or no spin, leaving an easy ball for the opponent to attack.