(By Larry Hodges)

I had trouble with his serve” is likely the most common reason given for losing a competitive match. There’s a good reason for this – receive is the only time when the opponent can throw just about any spin at you, along with varied serving motions, placements, depths, and speeds. I know when I don’t play for a time, returning serves is the most difficult thing to get back.

So, when you go into a match, when the opponent is serving, your first priority should be to get used to his serves. At the start, that usually means focusing on pure control. Just get it back at first, playing it mostly safe but with good placement, without worrying too much about being aggressive. If the opponent has tricky serves, then you may have to play much of the match that way.

It’s only when you feel comfortable against the opponent’s serves that you should begin to up your receive game. If you are playing someone you are used to, it might be from the very start. If the opponent has very good serves and perhaps not an overwhelming attack, you might play safe the entire time. But once you do get used to an opponent’s serves, then it’s time to consider turning your receive into a weapon where you use it to control the point, whether it be by playing aggressive with loops and flips, or controlling play by varying short and long pushes.

But only after you are comfortable with the opponent’s serve! If that never happens, then you need to find someone with good serves like the ones that gave you trouble, and practice against them.

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