How to Forehand Serve in Table Tennis

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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The most common serve in table tennis is the forehand serve. Once you master the basic principle, there are many variations that can be done on this serve.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Stand with your hips and shoulders 45 degrees to the base-line. Your paddle foot and paddle arm are back away from the table.
Step 2

Hold the ball in the palm of your non-paddle hand, just behind the edge of the table.
Step 3

Hold the paddle near your paddle-side hip.
Step 4

Look at your opponent's position and decide where you will serve the ball to.
Step 5

Throw the ball straight up about chest high to head high.
Step 6

Bend your elbow to raise your paddle up to a height between your waist and shoulders. The exact height will be determined by the type of serve you wish to hit.
Step 7

Swing from the shoulder with a bent arm.
Step 8

Hit the ball with a flat paddle (unless you are adding spin) and a slighlty downward swing. The ball must bounce on your side of the table before it passes over the net.