The pendulum serve is the benchmark serve at the highest level. Its name comes from the swinging motion of the arm, similar to that of a clock. Its strength lies in its versatility: with exactly the same toss and starting motion, a player can produce three or four completely different spins, making the return extremely difficult for the receiver to read.

The Technique of the Swinging Motion

To succeed with a good pendulum serve, everything starts with body position and the racket grip.

• The Racket Grip: Most players release the handle with the last three fingers to hold the racket only with the thumb and index finger. This completely frees the wrist, allowing for maximum acceleration at the moment of impact.

• Body Placement: The server generally stands in their backhand corner (left for a right-handed player), with the body profile to the table.

• The Motion: The arm performs a semi-circle. The racket starts high, descends to strike the ball, then rises. The precise point where the ball is touched during this "pendulum" determines the spin.

Varying Spins with the Same Gesture

The pros' secret is to mask the impact so the opponent doesn't know how to angle their racket on the return.

• Backspin: The ball is struck during the downward phase of the motion, brushing well underneath it. The ball will tend to dive into the net if the receiver doesn't open their racket enough.

• Topspin or "No-Spin": The ball is touched at the top of the curve or while slightly moving upward. The ball will have a flatter trajectory and will pop up upon contact with the opponent's racket.

• Sidespin: This is the main component of the pendulum. By brushing the ball on the side, you make it spin on its own axis. On the return, the ball will fly off the side of the table if the receiver does not compensate for the angle.

How to Mask Intent?

The pendulum serve is useless if it is predictable. The best servers use tricks to deceive the opponent:

• The Follow-Through: After hitting the ball, the player continues their motion exaggeratedly (upwards or downwards) to suggest a spin that wasn't actually applied.

• The Contact Point: One tries to touch the ball as close as possible to the handle or the tip of the racket to vary the amount of spin without changing the arm speed.

• Depth: Alternating between a very short serve (two bounces on the opponent's side) and a long, fast serve into the corners to prevent the receiver from settling in.

Conclusion: The Serve as the First Attack

The pendulum serve is not just a way to start the point; it is the beginning of the attack. By mastering spin variation and masking the gesture, the server ensures they receive an easy ball to attack with a forehand. It is an essential technical investment for anyone wishing to progress in competition.