Many players assume their serves are perfectly legal so long as the vast majority of opponents
do not complain about them. You would be wise not to make that assumption. Since becoming
a club level umpire my awareness of the legality of serves has been heightened. What I have
noticed is that a great
majority of players, at all skill levels, have at
least one flaw in how they
serve the ball; particularly in regard to the tossing hand. Here is a checklist to use to see if your
serves have the proper "hands on" approach:
Your hand before the toss;
- Is it above the table surface up until just after the toss?
- Is it behind the endline or the extended endline?
- Is it stationary for a second or two, prior to projecting the ball upward?
- Is the ball resting motionless in your palm - not the fingers?
- Is your hand flat enough; no excessive cupping around the ball?
Your hand during the toss;
- Are you tossing the ball near vertically enough - not backwards, nor forwards, nor
sideways? (Dont expect an umpire to allow a toss beyond 10 degrees of vertical.)
- Are you getting an actual separation between the ball and your palm, which at a
minimum, is 6 inches - not simply lifting the ball with little or no separation?
After the toss;
- Do you immediately remove your tossing hand, so that it is no longer between your
body and the net? This most recent stipulation to the service rules was added to
guarantee that your opponent is able to see the ball at the critical moment it is struck.
- Do you wait until the descent of the ball from your toss before striking it with the
racket - not during the rise of the toss, nor at the top of the toss?
Finally;
- Perhaps the most important item included in the service rules is that you must serve
in such a way that if an umpire were present, he/she would have no doubt that your
serves are in complete compliance of what constitutes a good service.
Please be aware that if an umpire has
any concerns regarding the legality of your serve, he/she
is under
no obligation to warn you first. The responsible action of the umpire with regard to the
serve is often abrupt. He/She is required to call "fault" and
award the receiver a point whenever
the server is in violation of a service rule.
I strongly urge
all of you, particularly tournament players, to have at least one other player
observe your serves to see whether you are conforming to
all of the items in the checklist
above. Remember, the rules are meant to ensure that no contestant gain an unfair advantage.
I have no doubt that most of us intend to play honestly, as well as resolutely and therefore hope
you will accept this advice in the spirit given.
For additional information as to what constitutes a "good service", visit
http://www.ittf.com/ittf_link_main.html : Click "regulations" in the far left menu.
When "ITTF Handbook 2004" appears mid-screen, scroll down and click on 2.06 ("A GOOD SERVICE").
Sincerely,
Ron Arcaro
Lake/Geauga TTC
