Rules
Hi Alois,
I see many table tennis players throwing the ball towards themselves before serving. In the rules you said that the ball should be thrown straight up. So, is it allowed?
Hi Abdul,
This is always a point of contention with the rules.
The rule does say that you have to throw the ball up almost vertically but in most cases there is a lot of tolerance for this.
I think the players that gain speed into their bat with the throw up should be pulled up in particular.
When the ball hits the ceiling the point is over. You must hit the ball directly back onto the table otherwise you lose the point. In International tournaments the roof needs to be at least 5 metres above the playing surface but in local competitions you might often encounter much lower ceilings.
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Johnny Mike Posted 6 years ago
I think it depends on the umpire. But in general, it's an illegal serve.