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Table Tennis/ Ping-Pong Basic Strokes - Forehand Loop Return of Serve

From Greg Letts,
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Ready Position

Photo of Forehand Loop Return of Serve - Ready Position
Ready Position
© 2007 Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc.
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In this tutorial, we will be looking at how to perform a forehand loop return of serve in table tennis/ping-pong. The loop is an aggressive return used by the receiver against a long or high serve to take the initiative in the rally and make the first attack.

View the Forehand Loop Serve Return Video - 720x576 pixels Version. (2.4MB)
640x480 pixels Version (1MB)

Points to look for:

  • The player is in his basic ready position, waiting for the server to contact the ball. He is hoping for a long serve that he can attack with a loop, but is also ready to move in case his opponent serves a short serve.
  • The player is in a wide stance, with the left foot slightly in front of the right (i.e. a forehand stance). His bat is held above and behind the playing surface, and is in a neutral position (pointing about a foot to the right of the ball, so the player can play a forehand or backhand with ease).
  • His opponent is serving from the backhand corner, so the player is standing a little further towards his backhand side. Also, since the player has a longer reach on his forehand side, that will also make the player stand a little to the left of the center of the line of play.
  1. Ready Position
  2. Beginning of Stroke
  3. Moving Towards the Ball
  4. Pre-Contact With the Ball
  5. Contact With the Ball
  6. Beginning of Follow Through
  7. End of Follow Through
  8. Beginning of Return to Ready Position
  9. Return to Ready Position

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