Why Ma Long Favors Regular Forehand Serves While Wang Hao Loved the Hook Serve
This is a brand-new, technique-focused column in a Q and A format. The mystery guests providing answers are two former national team players (both veteran coaches) who prefer to remain anonymous.
Question: What makes a good beginner coach for children just starting the sport?
Don’t rush kids to produce results. Above all, do not teach them to use power too early. In the early stage, require the child to:
- Plant the feet solidly
- Find the ball using body weight transfer
- Let the body lead the arm
- Do not use power
- Learn weight shift between feet
- Lean the body forward
Once these six are in place, then start paying attention to arm mechanics. If your coach emphasizes these points, the child will not go wrong. If the coach starts with power right away, the child will rarely develop far — because once these six points are established, the body stays compact and the vertical and horizontal axes of the body are stable. That’s the foundational requirement for non-fixed-point hitting and rapid swing recovery.
If power is required from day one, the arm replaces the body one hundred percent of the time. Stability disappears, and swing recovery speed follows.
Question: Wang Hao used hook serves a lot, Ma Long uses regular forehand serves a lot. Fan Zhendong (“Xiao Pang”) used to serve mostly from the forehand but now also has reverse-spin. Is there a direct connection between serve type and playing style?
Hook serves and reverse-spin serves are more favorable for backhand technique. Wang Hao and Zhang Jike used them a lot.
Forehand serves favor the forehand. Ma Long uses them a lot.
Take right-handers as an example. Say you serve a forehand sidespin-backspin. If the opponent pushes it back loosely, the ball tends to drift toward your backhand side or into the net. To make sure it stays on the table, the opponent will generally push toward your middle or forehand — which sets up your forehand loop nicely. That’s why it favors the forehand.
If the opponent loops it back, the incoming spin will also tend to curve toward your forehand, letting you ride the spin and loop it back with even heavier topspin.
Question: In today’s fast-paced game, is it basically impossible to loop with thick, full contact on both wings simultaneously the way players like Grubba did? Most players today seem to be strong on one wing and thinner on the other — for instance, players with a very deep backhand contact often have shallower forehand contact.
This is true even away from the table. It’s not just topspin — flat attacking is the same. Look at Ma Long and Fan Zhendong. Even someone known for speed like Lin Gaoyuan relies mainly on borrowing speed, quick loops, and quick flicks.
(Blogger’s note: I read this question twice and realized it might actually be an equipment question. I need to think more carefully before answering.)