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A Legal Serve

August 4th, 2013 Leave a comment Go to comments
A club member complained that a few of us are not serving legally.  By rule, the ball is tossed from an open hand out of the palm and tossed at least 6 inches in the air straight up and not hidden by any body parts.  I know we don’t have referees and most of us are not playing for the national championship, but let’s try to make an effort to attempt a legal serve, me included. Thanks, James Kahn, President SDTTA For reference, here are the actual ITTF rules:
2.06 THE SERVICE
2.06.01 Service shall start with the ball resting freely on the open palm of the server’s stationary free hand.
2.06.02 The server shall then project the ball near vertically upwards, without imparting spin, so that it rises at least 16cm after leaving the palm of the free hand and then falls without touching anything before being struck.
2.06.03 As the ball is falling the server shall strike it so that it touches first his or her court and then, after passing over or around the net assembly, touches directly the receiver’s court; in doubles, the ball shall touch successively the right half court of server and receiver.
2.06.04 From the start of service until it is struck, the ball shall be above the level of the playing surface and behind the server’s end line, and it shall not be hidden from the receiver by the server or his or her doubles partner or by anything they wear or carry.
2.06.05 As soon as the ball has been projected, the server’s free arm and hand shall be removed from the space between the ball and the net. The space between the ball and the net is defined by the ball, the net and its indefinite upward extension.
2.06.06 It is the responsibility of the player to serve so that the umpire or the assistant umpire can be satisfied that he or she complies with the requirements of the Laws, and either may decide that a service is incorrect.
2.06.06.01 If either the umpire or the assistant umpire is not sure about the legality of a service he or she may, on the first occasion in a match, interrupt play and warn the server; but any subsequent service by that player or his or her doubles partner which is not clearly legal shall be considered incorrect.
2.06.07 Exceptionally, the umpire may relax the requirements for a correct service where he or she is satisfied that compliance is prevented by physical disability.
  1. tsunami
    August 6th, 2013 at 6:48am | #1

    When you serve the ball your palm should lift up not going down. OBSERVE your self.

  2. retrokat
    earl alto
    August 6th, 2013 at 1:51pm | #2

    We cant possibly enforce this. 90% of the players there are recreational and we dont have anyone who is a certified umpire.

  3. Sheriff
    August 11th, 2013 at 11:27am | #3

    Not All the time their always a police in all the STOP SINGS, but you still stop on a stop sign. Think…