A reader writes:
Hi Greg,

I'd like your opinion on serve strategy, but first my style as I see it. I am a left hander who stands close to the table with decent reflexes and speed. I play a pure power game, relying mostly on a loop drive versus both topspin and backspin to win points outright. My question is:

What type of serve would you use to generate the most favorable return for a 3rd ball attack?

Also, if during a point a 3rd ball attack is not feasible, how would you play the point to attack the 5th ball?

Since most of the people I play are right handed, and I am left handed, how does that change--if any-- where I stand, what part of the table I serve to, and the length of serve for the 3rd ball, and my positioning, type of return, and to what location for the 5th ball.

Greg replies:

That's all one question?! Where do I start? Well, I'm going to need to make some assumptions about what your best shots are. Assuming you are a typical lefty, I'm going to answer from the point of view that your best shot is the forehand loop played from the backhand side of the table. If the reality is different please let me know and we'll have a look at your specific situation.

With that out of the way, let's get down to the nitty gritty. Is there any differences in your serving strategy when compared to a right hander? In my opinion, the answer is a definite yes. Let's start with the type of serve.

Serve Options

What should be your bread and butter serves? You should be choosing serves that will allow you to get your best stroke in as often as you can. In your case, you want serves that will help force your opponent to play down his left hand side of the table, towards your backhand, so you can use your powerful forehand loop from the backhand side.

1. Forehand Pendulum Double Bounce Serve
   The weapon of choice. The sidespin generated on this serve will help get more returns to your backhand side. Be careful with the placement though - go down the line to the backhand of the opponent and you could be faced with a highly angled return to your wide forehand instead. So stick to the middle and forehand side of the table to encourage the opponent to go back to your backhand - he'll be hesitant to put the return straight down his right hand line into what he perceives as the danger zone for your forehand.
   
2. Backhand Tomahawk Double Bounce Serve
   Kong Linghui has an excellent version of this serve - it's basically the same principle as the forehand version of the tomahawk, but done from the backhand side to get the sidespin that will kick the ball back to your backhand. It's tough to get the heavy topspin version going, but backspin/sidespin of varying degrees can be used quite easily with a bit of practice. Again, go more often to the middle and forehand of your opponent.
   
   Use your other serve variations to keep your opponent on his toes and as uncomfortable as possible. Mixing in the occasional forehand reverse pendulum serve and looking to force a wide return to your forehand that you are expecting and put away will help make the main pattern of forcing returns to your backhand work that much better. Serving the same serve over and over again will reduce the effectiveness of your pattern.
   

Third Ball Attacks - The Magic 5 Criteria

In order to make your best third ball attacks, you want serves that can get your opponent to return balls that meet as many of the following categories as you can:

1. High - well above the net, so you can hit the ball down towards your opponent's side.
2. Mid-table - bouncing only once on the table, not too short or too deep.
3. Slow - so that you have plenty of time to execute your powerful swing.
4. Less spinny and with obvious spin - so that it is easier for you to hit.
5. Easy to pick the direction - so you don't get caught going the wrong way.

Some of these points will be more important to you than others, and this will influence the type of serves you will use to set up good third ball attacks.
Sample Scenario

For example, let's imagine that you have fast footwork and a quick swing with good recovery, but are not so strong at reading spin variation or hitting backspin balls.

You want serves that will encourage your opponent to flip, topspin, or float the ball to you, rather than backspin it. You may also want to cut down the amount of spin on your serve, so that it is easier to decide how much spin your opponent has put on the ball. (The more you spin it, the harder it is to determine how much the opponent has affected the spin - you have to take into account the spin you put on the ball as well.)

You have good speed and a quick swing, so forcing the opponent to hit in a certain direction is not as important. You also have a quick swing, so you should be quite happy to allow the opponent to hit drives or less powerful loops at you, since you are confident you can move and swing fast enough to attack these aggressively.

Go to the next page for Recommended Serve Options