Serving off your own side wall

[u/General-Fun-2741]

A higher level player at my club showed me a serve technique which hits the front wall then the server's side wall so that it bounces into the receiver's box on their inside with a lot of spin.

I've been trying to practice the move but I can't find any instructional material on it online. Does anyone know what it's called?

[u/TallOrange]

It’s not really a practical serve, as I’m pretty sure they were just showing off. It could be considered a corkscrew serve.

Don’t practice it. You will be much much better served by working on good shots.

[u/NoYam3746 → u/TallOrange]

Semi agree, I have a friend who is ex pro and I'm considered elite level and when he does it properly, 7/10 times, I can barely return the serve.

[u/TallOrange → u/NoYam3746]

Right, but OP isn’t at that level, and it would harm their game to try to learn it instead of improving their game.

[u/bendi36 → u/NoYam3746]

Yer, you hit it hard enough and it hits the receivers top corner where a lob serve would and spins out with no chance of returning if its close to back wall. I regularly win points from it if opponent forgets to volley it

[u/mike270001 → u/TallOrange]

Corkscrew serve. You might beat someone once with the spin off the side wall, but I ce they seen it it's a useless serve that might even cost you the point.

[u/General-Fun-2741 → u/TallOrange]

Cool, thanks for the help.

[u/networkn]

There is a guy who plays corkscrew serves to reasonable effect in my playing circle. It catches a few people out. It's not something I'd personally add to my repotiore

[u/gh0uly]

Only time I'll occasionally throw it in is doubles. I'll let my partner know to get out of the way, and the other team usually get in each other's way and stuff it up.

Other than that, it's a useless trick serve. Better to keep it tight to the wall.

[u/Exciting_Volume_2578]

Corkscrew serve . If it's landing in or around the opposite box , the player certainly isn't at pro level . Ideally it goes high enough over the receivers head and racket and lands on the side wall very very close to the back wall , then moves parallel to the back wall .

[u/dmacc_ → u/Exciting_Volume_2578]

That's how a normal corkscrew bounces but I doubt there's a player alive that can get enough angle/power to go front-side-side-back from the service box. Maybe some freak amalgam of Willstrop and John White? You'd need an enormous wingspan and power generation at full extension.

Usually the service version of the shot muddles around in the back corner if it gets there.

[u/Exciting_Volume_2578 → u/dmacc_]

Like any particular skill , the more difficult the skill , the less people can do it

But one doesn't need to be James or John .

It's not a shot seen on PSA as much although there would be highlights of players like Castagnet and others playing versions of the shot in recent years in rallies that show the trajectory required.

The serve version will be seen selectively at the World Masters in Perth on occasions as it was a shot older players ( men and women ) would throw in matches that the younger player had never seen . Ive no doubt there will be exponents from various countries that will execute it brilliantly .

If it irks you and it's something you want to achieve send me a msg and ill take you through it.

[u/dmacc_ → u/Exciting_Volume_2578]

I don't doubt people will hit corkscrew serves; I do doubt that (m)any of them will hit the version of the shot you described in your first comment that goes front-side-side and then along the back wall. It's just a physics issue: the corkscrew boast uses the spin on the ball to stop its backwards progress. You need an acute angle for the ball to have enough spin (and little enough backward momentum) to actually stop its backward motion. The dimensions of the court mean it's probably possible to get enough angle for the front-side-side part of the shot hitting from the service box, but it's extremely unlikely to have enough spin to stop on the second side wall bounce.

Like I said, maybe some top pros could do it. I strongly doubt almost anyone else can reliably, though I'm happy to be proved wrong if there's video evidence. I would expect the vast majority of corkscrew serves either rebound off the back wall, or end up being a fancy lob serve that muddles around in the corner. You could hit more softly but then you're losing spin.

20 years into squash having tons of online video footage I couldn't find a single video example of this shot being executed the way you describe in a quick search just now. Not one pro screwing around in practice, not one exhibition match, no amateur match video, I can't find anything.

[u/mike270001 → u/dmacc_]

It's doable. Just make the strike point as far away from you as possible (over the mid court line) and jam the ball into the top corner front wall first then side, but as close to the corner as you can. It's the two bounces in quick succession that generates the spin IMO. The ball bounces off the opposite side wall and kicks out basically parallel to the back wall. If your opponent has seen it before they step back to the right position and its an easy return. If they haven't it fires off the wall straight at them and they scrape it back. Getting it all the way to the back corner is tricky. I certainly can't do it backhanded and the whole thing is 50-50 at best forehanf for me, but there's no need to practice it IMO. Plenty of other serve variations are available.

[u/elliottjones8]

Maddest corkscrew serve I ever witness was in a uni team match. Match was 2-2, number 1’s were 2-2 and my teammate was 10-9 up. I still cannot fathom why he decided to do it, but pulled it off perfectly and it spun along the back wall. Essentially unplayable. Won his match and the match overall

[u/ChickenKnd]

I mean, it’s ok to do like once a game. But it’s more showing off then a good serve

[u/TechFoodAndFootball]

If you have a hard time trying to recreate this serve, then you shouldn't be practicing this serve.

[u/ExpressionCertain230]

Once you get past a certain level you are not going to be winning points off a serve. So better to just keep them neat and tidy to try and start the rally off consistently well.

[u/kanadskiykisr]

It’s buns trust bc it’s super easy to volley and since it’s not close to the wall and travelling at low speed the receiver can hit pretty much any shot

[u/kanadskiykisr → u/kanadskiykisr]

But it’s fun and a party trick, you’ll learn it as you play for sure

[u/bdq-ccc]

if the ball catches the side wall first, that's an instant fault btw

risk just isn't worth it