I hope this cleared up some rules for you. If you are interested we have a whole series of videos on the rules which you can find on our website: www.pingskills.com/tutorials/table-tennis-rules Cheers, Jeff & Alois
ZIOM CZŁOWIEKÓW, I have seen Quadri Aruna serve like that. I think it is legal to serve with your body behind the table if the ball is behind throughout the serve :)
is a serve valid if it barely crosses the net and bounces multiple times on the receivers side? winning the point for the server? I always played it could only bounce once on the opponents side.
Four service rules missing. 1. As someone has already pointed out, the ball should be descending, you can't strike the ball on the way up. 2. The hand that the ball is resting on must be stationary before the ball is tossed up. 3. The ball must bounce on your court before going over the net and then touch your opponents court. 4. If the ball touches the net or its supports on the way over it's a let (no ball) serve, and must be served again. NOTE No.3 The word touch was substituted for bounce for the opponents court, as if the ball clips the edge of the table (not side) the ball does not effectively bounce. If the ball does touch (clip) the edge of the table, the service is deemed good.
We've had some weird situations that as the service goes, the ball is thrown from a flat palm, on the way down it's contacted by the paddle... but then it seems to 'bounce' on the very edge (almost like it 'clips' the top and vertical surfaces) and then the next bounce lands on the opponents side. What would the call be there? Thanks!
Just remembered another service rule: As soon as the ball is tossed up, the free hand must be removed from between the bat and the table. (so that the receiver can see the ball being struck)
Damn it. Just realized I’ve been serving illegally for damn near 40 years. Now I’m gonna have to relearn the game, playing by the rules. Kinda sucks when you realize the best part of your game is illegitimate. Great videos, appreciate the knowledge!
Unfortunately VERY common. I would say that among social players, more than 70% of serves are technically illegal. But who is going to risk being a "service nazi"?
Thank you. When I was at school we had a ping pong table and once when I was playing with a mate, a teacher came and told me that I was serving illegally as the ball has to bounce diagonally. The worst part was it wasn’t just that one person, so many people have been telling me I served wrong.
- serve behind the end line and over the table height - have your hand flat and stationary and ball placed on your palm before throwing - throw the ball up as straight as possible and at least 6 inches (16cm) in height - when striking the ball, it must be descending (falling down) - the ball must always be visible during the serve - don't cover it with you arm
I heard somewhere that you have to contact the ball as it drops, I.e. It'd have to be descending when you hit it. Is that true? Thanks for the great vids!
Excellent video. As a regular table tennis player I am amazed that many so-called "good players" utilise illegal serves to achieve a supposedly higher skill level. Not just in social play, but many competition players are allowed to serve illegally, or they push the limits to deliberately cause frustration to opponents.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I think part of the problem is that the rules are quite complicated and it can be difficult for umpires to know exactly when the rules have been broken especially at lower levels where the umpires aren't as experienced. I wouldn't mind seeing an experiment where the service rules are simplified.
Thanks for the video! So just to clarify. In singles, I can serve from anywhere to anywhere, is that right? For example from the right side to the right side. It does not need to go to the opposite side? Also, when I serve, can the ball, after touching my opponent's side of the table, go outside from the side of the table? Thanks again!
Almost none of the top players throw the ball straight up, and I dont mean they have a small angle, they have a huge angle. Its a big white elephant that no one talks about in table tennis. The umpires never point it out which is sad, unlike tennis where the umpiring is getting better and more strict and hawk eye helps as well. And if the empire cannot see the toss and hit from one side, then the rules should be amended and multiple umpires should be involved like tennis where there are line judges for example. Saying that the umpire cant see is a bad excuse.
The most common illegal serves are the ones with a tiny toss. Some players also do not throw the ball vertically. Some old schools players still hide the ball pretexting they have been serving like this for years. Eventually, you have this guy who does the 3 illegal serves in 1: Tiny hidden toss backward or in a side direction: you have to give him some credit to succeed in gathering all those skills in 1serve.
Thank you for the video! Wow! Until today I thought it was illegal to start the serve outside of the lateral limits of the table. Maybe I interpreted the "behind the end line" too literally.
So you must launch the ball prior to the line and you must strike it prior to the line. And in the video he stops the swing prior to the line but is this mandatory or can you follow through over the table?
PS! The height of the net is supposed to be 15,25 cm and the toss is supposed to be above 16 cm. Many table tennis rackets are exactly 15,25 cm in width, so this is handy to measure the height of the net ;-)
Can you serve from the right hand corner of the table? I always see right handed players serving only from the left hand side at all times. Can you serve from anywhere on your side of the table as long as it’s behind your line
That is right, you can serve from anywhere as long as it's behind your line. I think a lot of players serve from the backhand side as they often hope to play a forehand as the next shot but I think it's a good idea to mix up the angles from time to time. Give it a try!
Hello Pingskills! We were playing mixed double 21 points game of 5 sets. After 4 set score were 2-2 then 5th game my opponent(A and B) ask to change serves (I was serving to-A and asked to serv to B) when I were 10 and they were 7 as a international rule, is it correct ? even if this is correct if they reach the score to17 (7+10) dose serve will change again(I mean i will serve back to A).
Hi PingSkills thanks for the video. I read some of the video comments but I couldn't find the answer to this one question. Can you serve the ball so that, after bouncing once on the opponent's side, it goes off the side of the table. It seems that you can, but I've always played you can't because it's so easy to do and very hard to return. If you can do that, how do pros deal with it... does it leave the server vulnerable for example? Just wondering why you wouldn't do this all the time.
This is allowed. The problem is that if the ball goes off the side, the opponent can get quite a big swing on the ball if they move into a good position and put a lot of topspin on their return putting you on the defensive. A better serve is one where if left alone the ball would bounce twice on the table. It's hard to play a very aggressive stroke against this type of serve.
I must say u Guys are Just Awesome..YOur passion for the game backs me up everyday to be like you...In short I have learned a lot from u guys and you both are great source of inspiration for me.
Thanks for your kind words and good luck with your table tennis. If you ever have any questions on your journey be sure to "ask the coach" on the PingSkills website.
Hi PingSkills! I have a question about the serving rules. If you hit the ball and it doesn't go over the net does the opponent get the point or do you serve it again?
In that case you lose the point. In fact as soon as you throw the ball up it is considered in play so you must make a legal serve or you will lose the point (unless it's a let :))
“Must serve from a stationary/set position” if I am “set” on my forehand side of the table for a serve, then change my mind and want to serve from my backhand side of the table, is it illegal to move to the other side as long as you set and present the ball? I am not talking about every service, maybe 1 or 2 times in a match. I appreciate any clarification to this question.
Another rule you might mention, and is very is to correct if you're not doing it, is to always stop and present the ball just before you throw it up. Some players, even very good players, fail to do this in the heat of the moment.
What about a condition in which a person throws the ball up for serve and without touching the racket/bat misses the ball. Will this give a point to the opponent or it just will be served again?
I had some other doubts besides serve: (1) Can we hit the ball using the EDGE of the bat while the match is going on. (not both the sides of the bat, but the edge) (2)Sometimes times the ball only hits some part of my fist or fingers but no part of the bat, but still it lands into opponents side. Is it legal? If yes than with how much part of our hand is allowed?
I assume that implies the hand holding the bat? Like you can't just sneakily smack the bat with your off hand. Can I act like I'm going for a little drop shot, and then flick out a couple fingers from the bat hand and flick the ball in an unexpected direction?
Hello, Alois, is there a rule defining how far away from the table should the player stay? Could I serve from further back, like 1-2 meters away from the table?
Nice vid! Does the bat have to remain behind the line (table edge, -not the line down the middle) of the table, or can it proceed forward to cross that edge with the follow through of the serve?
This explains a lot thanks. On a serve does the ball HAVE TO "go off" the very end of the opponent side of table or can it go off the sides of opponent end of table?
When you serve and the ball bounces on your opponents side does it have to clear the end of the table? Is a dink serve allowed where it barely clears the net and if not touched could bounce two or three times on the other side before clearing the end? Does that make sense? thx
You are allowed to serve the ball so it bounces twice on your opponents side of the table. This is in fact a very good tactic as it makes it hard for your opponent to play a large attacking stroke. Take a look at this video for more information about serve placement: ruclips.net/video/1c1MMBe23e4/видео.html
If you mistakenly throw the ball not vertical straight but for example a little bit in front of you, are you allowed to catch it and re-throw it or not ? and if you dont hit it with the bat and it falls on the ground are you allowed a retake ?
Are there any restrictions applied to where you curve the ball on the opponents side? Could I for example do a simple side spin which curves the ball out to the side close as possible to the net? Or does one have to stay within the table width?
Cheers guys thanks for the vid but is legal for the ball to hit the opposition's side on the edge? Like an easy serve to win the point but not easy to perform ?
Yes that is legal. Unfortunately it's pretty hard to hit the edge on demand! You can try it thought. Most people serve nearly as many faults as they get edges, or the serve is pretty easy to return if it lands normally. Experiment though and see if you can do it.
Dear Sir, is it really necessary that you should stand behind the end line of the table? I have read somewhere that you can stand partly inside the line as long as the ball and the contact of the ball remain behind the end line. Also you can always see top players like Ma Long, Lin Yun Ju, etc always standing inside the end line.
Is it considered an illegal play if after being served, the ball (because of spin) bounces twice on the receiving side. Is it a point for the serving side or the serve receiving side? I verified the ITTF rule book, but found nothing. Thanks in advance.
The opponent has to hit the ball after the first bounce on his side of the table. If he fails to do so and the ball bounces again it's a point for the serving player. There are no special rules regarding the serve, at any point in the game if the ball bounces twice on one side of the table, the player from that side loses the point.
Hey there, i want to know that suppose while doing serve the ball strikes on our side and then it strikes twice on other side then is it considered legal or not ?
On receiving a serve, can the receiver first bend his half of the body over on top of his side of the table with the racket ready to take the serve? Is his stance legal?
Can you let the ball drop the required 15-16cm during service instead ? or does it specially have to be a toss UP ?? back in the stone age when I played competitively at regionally level .. that was legal. but obviously haven't played recently. thx.
Hello Alois...a question today... one of my opponent gives me very little to settle while he serves. Many times I am not ready while ball reaches me... however I pick the the ball as a reflex action (mostly wrongly). He is like walking and suddenly he serves... now his serve is good by the definition. My problem is readiness while receiving... is his serve illegal or he should give some before tossing the ball... e.g. showing the ball for 1 seconds is must ?
+Ujjval Verma I'm not quite sure what you mean? Does he serve the ball very fast and deep? If so you may want to take half a step back to give yourself some more time when returning his serve.
Sounds like the opponent is not getting into a set position to present the ball. It is illegal to spring a surprise serve like that to catch your opponent off guard, you have to serve from a stationary initial position.
You can stand wherever you feel comfortable. Normally right handers stand a step to the left so they can use their forehand a little more. But as the backhand is becoming more popular for returning with this has changed a little. To keep it simple stand where you feel comfortable you can reach any serve with one step.
In doubles do you have to serve from the right hand square every time? So to take turns serving you actually have to move into the right hand square when it's your turn to serve?
+Blake Heiner Yes that is correct. Here are the 4 extra rules you need to know when playing doubles: 1. You must take it in turns with your partner to hit the ball 2. You always serve from your right hand box to the diagonal box 3. You serve your 2 serves at a time to the same person for the whole game up to 11 4. When your team has finished your 2 serves, you swap sides with your partner. The person you were serving to now serves and your partner is the new receiver.
Don’t know if you’ll answer this question, but when you serve, are you allowed to hit the ball over the sideline on your opponent’s side, or do you have to hit the ball over the end line?
You don't have to serve through your own endline, it just has to be from behind that axis. Can serve through your side line as long as you are past the end of the table.
helloo, I was wondering if there's any rule as to how close to the net the ball can bounce on the opponent's side after you first serve. like, wouldn't doing a purposefully light serve be an advantage? thank you
I like your thinking. There is no rule about where the ball lands in singles and yes a ball that bounces twice on your opponents side is a good serve. We call this a short serve. Experiment with your speed, spin, and placement of your serves. Variation is the key to a good serve. Keep enjoying your table tennis!
I have a question regarding a service that hits the edge of the table on the receiver's side. That is the ball bounces on server side, then bounces on the receiver side where the table is no longer flat, but the 90 degree angle where the side and top meet. We have been playing it as a do-over, but am hard pressed to find a hard and fast rule regarding it. Is this just a lucky point for the server, or are there any rules regarding this?
+DeadZergling If you follow the rules you shouldn't play it again. If it hits any part of the top of the table it is in. If it only hits the side then it is a fault. Either way the point is over. Let me know if that clears up your doubts.
Question: if the receiver waits and the serve is very short and hits the table twice on the opposite side before the ball is touched, is that a point to the receiver? I once heard that 😊
this is an old post so I wonder if anyone will answer, but I'm trying anyway :) is it true that as soon as the ball leaves my hand the serve is begun and I cannot take it back to repeat the toss? and that anything happens after the toss the service won't be repeated? (i.e. no contact with the bat, no contact with the table, ball going backwards and so on). Thank you!
That is correct, once you start the service motion essentially by throwing the ball up you must make a legal serve or you lose the point. So if you throw the ball up and then don't swing at the ball and it just bounces on the ground then it is a fault and your opponent wins the point.
Can you post a video on how to receive several kinds of spins? Because i am having a hard time to differentiate which spins the players are using and how to receive it.
We have a whole course on this topic. There are some free videos and some are for our premium members. Take a look and see if it helps you. www.pingskills.com/table-tennis/receiving-secrets/
Can you serve the ball to the side of the table on the opponents side? (So u serve after one bounce on both sides of the table can the ball go out from the side) is it illigal or not?
hi! i have a question about the clear vision of the serve from every angle of the opponent! i'm righthand player and sometimes when i play against lefthand player..because we are on the same side of the table ... i'm not able to see the serve because he hits the ball near low cest and cover the ball with his body! is this illegal ? or its about me.. that i should move my receving position a little bit on the center of the table? thank (sorry if i made some gramatical errors :D )
+Ripanu Raymond Unfortunately it's up to the umpire to call a fault if the receiver is hiding the ball but from where the umpire sits it's hard for them to judge :( I really don't like the current serving rules. You could try moving over a bit to get a better view, or you could chat to the opponent about their serve and the rules. Here are the important ones: 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.
Only if the ball subsequently lands on the table (in doubles in the correct court) If it hits the net and then goes off the table, or into the wrong court in doubles, the server loses the point.
Only if it goes over to the opposition's side and redo the serve and fail that one anyway, shape or form then you lose a serve otherwise if it stays on your side then you lose a serve !
Thanks for the vid! This is very useful for my friends who are begginers but I this was useful for me too becuase i might have been making some easy mistakes before I watched this!
Is it okay to server from the side, where the server and ball are behind the line, but also so far to the side that the ball enters from the side of the table?
Hi Jeff and Alois, love your videos, thank you so much. I have a question about this video on serving. You said that the rule about the opponent being able to see the ball for the whole of the serving action is "quite contentious". It seems to me that the non-racket arm will often hide the ball after it as been tossed even if it is only briefly and even for many of the top players. Is this something you are aware of and if so can you explain why this is allowed when it is illegal and can you also explain why you said this rule was "quite contentious" please?
+Furthy Thirtyfour The issue is that it used to be legal to hide the ball behind your non-playing hand or your body. Now some players still do hide the ball when serving at in particular at the point of contact so it's even harder to tell what type of spin is on the ball. The problem I have with the rule is that from where the Umpire sits, they can't tell whether the ball has been hidden! And I guess that's why it's hard for the Umpires to enforce.
+PingSkills Thank you guys. But can you confirm that from the time when the server tosses the ball until the time he makes contact the ball should never at any time be shielded by his hands, arms or body, not even for a spilt second?
+Furthy Thirty-four Yes that is right. Here is the rule: 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.
My friend kept arguing it's illegal to serve the ball from one side to the same side.. He insisted it had to be cross court. Clearly he was thinking 2 player rules vs singles
Can you serve the ball at an angle so that it goes off the side of the table after hitting the returners side? And one more question. What happens if you do an otherwise legal serve with a lot of backspin so that it bounces on the return side then bounces back over to the serving side without the return guy touching it?
so if I throw the ball up and then catch it, or it hits the ceiling then I catch it, it's still automatically my opponents point? also I can serve it so it comes back over the net without my opponent touching the ball, it's my point? are you absolutely sure? I've heard conflicting things about this
If you catch the ball after throwing it up at the start of your serve then you lose the point. If it hits the ceiling you also lose the point. Luckily for the professionals they have a large ceiling :) You also win the point if you get it to come back to your side, and yes I am sure about this :)
What are rules of facing the serve. Not doing the serve. If I M facing the serve in doubles. Can I lean forward even before serve is started and without touching table and hit the ball
You can lean forward but you aren't allowed to hit the ball on the full. Here is an overview of the rules that may help you: www.pingskills.com/tutorials/table-tennis-rules/overview
While serving how many time a lit can be allowed I meant if I'm serving the ball and the ball touches the net and bounces on the opponent's table how may times that can be allowed ??
I've got a question. What happens if when you serve the ball bounces off the net and into the opponents court? Do you serve again? If you do how many re-serves are you allowed
That is called a let and you replay the point. There is not limit on the number of lets you can serve but it's unlikely that you'll serve many in a row.
if I'm serving can I hit it with backspin so that it hits once on my side, once on the opponents side and come back toward me so they have to lunge for it? or does it have to hit only once on each side on a serve? basically if I'm serving and the ball hits twice on my opponents side....whose point is it?
That is a very effective serve. If the ball bounces once on your side and then twice on your opponent's side, you win the point. We think you should serve 70 to 80% of your serves like this as it is much harder to attack these short serves and then hopefully gives you the first chance to attack in the rally.
Jeff and Alois, I have a QUESTION PLEASE! I know that you are supposed to throw the ball up at least 16cms. But let's suppose that a player throws the ball up but his throwing hand follows the ball upwards; in other words, whilst the ball travels upwards for at least 16cms it never gets more than say 5cm above the servers hand, would that be a legal serve?
Yes, as long as the ball travels 16cm upwards from when it left the hand then it is a legal serve. You can't simply raise your hand 16cm and then drop the ball from that height though.
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I hope this cleared up some rules for you. If you are interested we have a whole series of videos on the rules which you can find on our website: www.pingskills.com/tutorials/table-tennis-rules
Cheers,
Jeff & Alois
PingSkills can I serve like this :
Ball and racket are behind the table but my body is not?
Sathwik
ZIOM CZŁOWIEKÓW, I have seen Quadri Aruna serve like that. I think it is legal to serve with your body behind the table if the ball is behind throughout the serve :)
if you start with your hand higher than the net do you still need to throw the ball at least 6 inches into the air?
is a serve valid if it barely crosses the net and bounces multiple times on the receivers side? winning the point for the server? I always played it could only bounce once on the opponents side.
This video definitely resolved a lot of fights
I'm glad to hear it :)
Guys How can i train myself in home ?? Without A table?
You need an opponent and play it on a table
You can practice serving onto your bed or onto the kitchen table.
@@pingskills i did that for 3 months VSVAHSHAHHAHAHAAHSHSHAHAHAHAH
Four service rules missing.
1. As someone has already pointed out, the ball should be descending, you can't strike the ball on the way up.
2. The hand that the ball is resting on must be stationary before the ball is tossed up.
3. The ball must bounce on your court before going over the net and then touch your opponents court.
4. If the ball touches the net or its supports on the way over it's a let (no ball) serve, and must be served again.
NOTE No.3 The word touch was substituted for bounce for the opponents court, as if the ball clips the edge of the table (not side) the ball does not effectively bounce. If the ball does touch (clip) the edge of the table, the service is deemed good.
Thanks for adding these to help the viewers.
We've had some weird situations that as the service goes, the ball is thrown from a flat palm, on the way down it's contacted by the paddle... but then it seems to 'bounce' on the very edge (almost like it 'clips' the top and vertical surfaces) and then the next bounce lands on the opponents side. What would the call be there? Thanks!
If the ball clips the edge of the table on either or both sides of the table (servers side and receivers side) it's a good serve.
Thanks for answering :)
Just remembered another service rule: As soon as the ball is tossed up, the free hand must be removed from between the bat and the table. (so that the receiver can see the ball being struck)
Beginner: Does literally any easy serve.
Pingskills: Wait, that’s illegal.
Yeah, unfortunately the service rules are very complicated.
Damn it. Just realized I’ve been serving illegally for damn near 40 years. Now I’m gonna have to relearn the game, playing by the rules. Kinda sucks when you realize the best part of your game is illegitimate. Great videos, appreciate the knowledge!
What were you doing wrong?
Unfortunately VERY common. I would say that among social players, more than 70% of serves are technically illegal. But who is going to risk being a "service nazi"?
@@gggnumber1 late reply, but i imagine it's the hidden ball thing. i tend to do that as a surprise factor, didn't know it was illegal!
@@Lord_Zed - Thanks
Same here.
Welp, it turns out me and my friend have been serving illegally all along!
You're certainly not alone. Not many people know all of the service rules! I personally think they are a little complicated.
Spazzies
thanks dude. Helped my son and I after purchasing our first full table , never would have though there was so many rules .
Great to hear you are playing with your son. Keep enjoying this great game!
mr Forest you are so good a ping-pong
If you throw the ball up and don't hit it or catch it is it a point for the other person or is it a fault and redo?
Thank you. When I was at school we had a ping pong table and once when I was playing with a mate, a teacher came and told me that I was serving illegally as the ball has to bounce diagonally. The worst part was it wasn’t just that one person, so many people have been telling me I served wrong.
Glad we could help you out. Keep enjoying this great game.
This is one of the channels on youtube with proper pedagogical content.
Thanks :)
- serve behind the end line and over the table height
- have your hand flat and stationary and ball placed on your palm before throwing
- throw the ball up as straight as possible and at least 6 inches (16cm) in height
- when striking the ball, it must be descending (falling down)
- the ball must always be visible during the serve - don't cover it with you arm
I really love this channel last year i didnt know how to play table tennis now i am a semi-pro thank u very much keep up the good work!
+OP LEBANON Great. It's really nice to hear stories like this. Keep training hard and I'm sure you'll continue to improve.
I'd be interested to know what you meant by "semi pro" after only a year.
I heard somewhere that you have to contact the ball as it drops, I.e. It'd have to be descending when you hit it. Is that true?
Thanks for the great vids!
+Siuil Yes that is true.
Siuil even if it wasn’t true then it would just be harder to hit it when it’s ascending
WhyBotherTry na it’s easier for me ascending
Obviously spaz
Excellent video. As a regular table tennis player I am amazed that many so-called "good players" utilise illegal serves to achieve a supposedly higher skill level. Not just in social play, but many competition players are allowed to serve illegally, or they push the limits to deliberately cause frustration to opponents.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I think part of the problem is that the rules are quite complicated and it can be difficult for umpires to know exactly when the rules have been broken especially at lower levels where the umpires aren't as experienced. I wouldn't mind seeing an experiment where the service rules are simplified.
Thanks for the video!
So just to clarify.
In singles, I can serve from anywhere to anywhere, is that right?
For example from the right side to the right side. It does not need to go to the opposite side?
Also, when I serve, can the ball, after touching my opponent's side of the table, go outside from the side of the table?
Thanks again!
Yes and yes!
Almost none of the top players throw the ball straight up, and I dont mean they have a small angle, they have a huge angle. Its a big white elephant that no one talks about in table tennis. The umpires never point it out which is sad, unlike tennis where the umpiring is getting better and more strict and hawk eye helps as well. And if the empire cannot see the toss and hit from one side, then the rules should be amended and multiple umpires should be involved like tennis where there are line judges for example. Saying that the umpire cant see is a bad excuse.
+Siddharth Vyas I think they need to change the rules.
Simple fix. Get rid of most of the toss rules.
@@parkercrossland410 You must be one of those finger spinning cheaters. I'd beat you even with your basement serves.
The most common illegal serves are the ones with a tiny toss. Some players also do not throw the ball vertically. Some old schools players still hide the ball pretexting they have been serving like this for years. Eventually, you have this guy who does the 3 illegal serves in 1: Tiny hidden toss backward or in a side direction: you have to give him some credit to succeed in gathering all those skills in 1serve.
damn is it hard to unlearn when you've served "hidden" for years! But you're right, it's no excuse.
Service changes to your opponent after 2 shots? Am I right? These videos are amazing!
Yes each player gets 2 serves and then it's swapped around
Jeff is incredible ...what a teacher , soft and strong ...easy to follow.
Thanks :)
Thank you very much for this video. Very nice and informative video. Good for the starters.
enlightening video tutorial to follow the rule of tabble tennis. many thanks PingSkills
Thank you for the video!
Wow! Until today I thought it was illegal to start the serve outside of the lateral limits of the table. Maybe I interpreted the "behind the end line" too literally.
You're welcome. It's quite common for people not to know about that situation.
So you must launch the ball prior to the line and you must strike it prior to the line. And in the video he stops the swing prior to the line but is this mandatory or can you follow through over the table?
You can follow through over the table.
PS! The height of the net is supposed to be 15,25 cm and the toss is supposed to be above 16 cm. Many table tennis rackets are exactly 15,25 cm in width, so this is handy to measure the height of the net ;-)
Can you serve from the right hand corner of the table? I always see right handed players serving only from the left hand side at all times. Can you serve from anywhere on your side of the table as long as it’s behind your line
That is right, you can serve from anywhere as long as it's behind your line. I think a lot of players serve from the backhand side as they often hope to play a forehand as the next shot but I think it's a good idea to mix up the angles from time to time. Give it a try!
Hello Pingskills! We were playing mixed double 21 points game of 5 sets. After 4 set score were 2-2 then 5th game my opponent(A and B) ask to change serves (I was serving to-A and asked to serv to B) when I were 10 and they were 7 as a international rule, is it correct ? even if this is correct if they reach the score to17 (7+10) dose serve will change again(I mean i will serve back to A).
Hi PingSkills thanks for the video. I read some of the video comments but I couldn't find the answer to this one question. Can you serve the ball so that, after bouncing once on the opponent's side, it goes off the side of the table. It seems that you can, but I've always played you can't because it's so easy to do and very hard to return. If you can do that, how do pros deal with it... does it leave the server vulnerable for example? Just wondering why you wouldn't do this all the time.
This is allowed. The problem is that if the ball goes off the side, the opponent can get quite a big swing on the ball if they move into a good position and put a lot of topspin on their return putting you on the defensive. A better serve is one where if left alone the ball would bounce twice on the table. It's hard to play a very aggressive stroke against this type of serve.
I must say u Guys are Just Awesome..YOur passion for the game backs me up everyday to be like you...In short I have learned a lot from u guys and you both are great source of inspiration for me.
Thanks for your kind words and good luck with your table tennis. If you ever have any questions on your journey be sure to "ask the coach" on the PingSkills website.
And BTW, I LOVE Alois' facial expression in the still shot next to the do's and don'ts - an umpire's scowl if ever I saw one, LOL!
Hi PingSkills! I have a question about the serving rules. If you hit the ball and it doesn't go over the net does the opponent get the point or do you serve it again?
In that case you lose the point. In fact as soon as you throw the ball up it is considered in play so you must make a legal serve or you will lose the point (unless it's a let :))
Thanks!
If non-let do overs were allowed, people would just attempt their sneakiest unreturnable trick shot serves over and over until it lands.
Hi, thanks for having these great videos.
My question is that can a serve be started with a backhand serve or only has to be forehand.
Thank you
I know this reply is late but it doesn't matter what spin you put on the ball, it just has to abide by the rules
@@johnfinitygaming7307 thank you so much 😊
@@skyaboveearth6622 np man
“Must serve from a stationary/set position” if I am “set” on my forehand side of the table for a serve, then change my mind and want to serve from my backhand side of the table, is it illegal to move to the other side as long as you set and present the ball? I am not talking about every service, maybe 1 or 2 times in a match. I appreciate any clarification to this question.
Yes, you can change your mind and move to a different position as long as you have not yet thrown the ball into the air.
Another rule you might mention, and is very is to correct if you're not doing it, is to always stop and present the ball just before you throw it up. Some players, even very good players, fail to do this in the heat of the moment.
+jamey9758 Thanks for the feedback.
What about a condition in which a person throws the ball up for serve and without touching the racket/bat misses the ball.
Will this give a point to the opponent or it just will be served again?
One you throw the ball up it is in play, so if you miss the ball it is a fault and you lose the point.
What if while serving I touch the ball behind the line but my TT racket crosses the end line of table after touching...is it still legal??
That is OK. Your bat is allowed to cross over the line, just not the ball.
@@pingskillsok thanks
I had some other doubts besides serve:
(1) Can we hit the ball using the EDGE of the bat while the match is going on. (not both the sides of the bat, but the edge)
(2)Sometimes times the ball only hits some part of my fist or fingers but no part of the bat, but still it lands into opponents side.
Is it legal? If yes than with how much part of our hand is allowed?
Yes you can use the edge of your bat, and up to the wrist is considered part of the bat.
I assume that implies the hand holding the bat? Like you can't just sneakily smack the bat with your off hand. Can I act like I'm going for a little drop shot, and then flick out a couple fingers from the bat hand and flick the ball in an unexpected direction?
Meant sneakily smack the ball, not bat.
Hello, Alois, is there a rule defining how far away from the table should the player stay? Could I serve from further back, like 1-2 meters away from the table?
You can serve from as far back as you like. However I wouldn't recommend going to far back or you might not be in a good position for the return :)
Nice vid! Does the bat have to remain behind the line (table edge, -not the line down the middle) of the table, or can it proceed forward to cross that edge with the follow through of the serve?
The bat is allowed to cross the line.
@@pingskills Thanks!
This explains a lot thanks. On a serve does the ball HAVE TO "go off" the very end of the opponent side of table or can it go off the sides of opponent end of table?
It can go off the side.
Hi ping skills, I have a stiga legend bat and it has gotten dirty. Have you got any tips of cleaning your bat, if so then let me know 😉 thx
If the ball touches the net and goes over when you're serving do you have to then reserve or is it your point ?
Sir is it compulsory in singles that when you serve the ball it must hit your side of table first then the opponents side ?
Yes that is correct.
Lol, no you can't just smash it directly to your opponent's side.
@@Kune35 yep
When you serve and the ball bounces on your opponents side does it have to clear the end of the table? Is a dink serve allowed where it barely clears the net and if not touched could bounce two or three times on the other side before clearing the end? Does that make sense? thx
You are allowed to serve the ball so it bounces twice on your opponents side of the table. This is in fact a very good tactic as it makes it hard for your opponent to play a large attacking stroke. Take a look at this video for more information about serve placement: ruclips.net/video/1c1MMBe23e4/видео.html
If you mistakenly throw the ball not vertical straight but for example a little bit in front of you, are you allowed to catch it and re-throw it or not ? and if you dont hit it with the bat and it falls on the ground are you allowed a retake ?
No, as soon as you throw the ball up it is in play so you must make a valid serve or you lose the point.
Thank you for your response.
Just got eleven VR table tennis and this helps me so much
That damn rule of throwing the ball up made me look dumb for days!
Are there any restrictions applied to where you curve the ball on the opponents side? Could I for example do a simple side spin which curves the ball out to the side close as possible to the net? Or does one have to stay within the table width?
Another example is if I did an under spin which bounces on my opponents side and right back to mine as close as possible to the net...
As long as you serve it from behind your end line, then in singles you can serve wherever including curving out wide over the side of the table.
That is fine too.
Cheers guys thanks for the vid but is legal for the ball to hit the opposition's side on the edge? Like an easy serve to win the point but not easy to perform ?
Yes that is legal. Unfortunately it's pretty hard to hit the edge on demand! You can try it thought. Most people serve nearly as many faults as they get edges, or the serve is pretty easy to return if it lands normally. Experiment though and see if you can do it.
PingSkills I'll try my best thank you!
Dear Sir, is it really necessary that you should stand behind the end line of the table? I have read somewhere that you can stand partly inside the line as long as the ball and the contact of the ball remain behind the end line. Also you can always see top players like Ma Long, Lin Yun Ju, etc always standing inside the end line.
That is correct. You can stand wherever you like. You must however hit the ball from behind the end line.
@@pingskills Thank you very much for the worthy clarification🤗🙏
@@aalokatmaa1606 You're welcome.
These are very important rules which I never knew but thanks now I know , this will help me a lot 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤜🤛
Can you serve to the sides in singles? My friend always serves from the back of the table to the sides instead of front right or front left
Is it considered an illegal play if after being served, the ball (because of spin) bounces twice on the receiving side. Is it a point for the serving side or the serve receiving side? I verified the ITTF rule book, but found nothing. Thanks in advance.
The opponent has to hit the ball after the first bounce on his side of the table. If he fails to do so and the ball bounces again it's a point for the serving player. There are no special rules regarding the serve, at any point in the game if the ball bounces twice on one side of the table, the player from that side loses the point.
Hey there, i want to know that suppose while doing serve the ball strikes on our side and then it strikes twice on other side then is it considered legal or not ?
Yes that is a legal serve an you would win the point if that happens.
On receiving a serve, can the receiver first bend his half of the body over on top of his side of the table with the racket ready to take the serve?
Is his stance legal?
Yes, that is a legal stance. However it might not be very good since a long fast serve will be difficult for them to return.
Can you let the ball drop the required 15-16cm during service instead ? or does it specially have to be a toss UP ?? back in the stone age when I played competitively at regionally level .. that was legal. but obviously haven't played recently. thx.
+Dan Yeh You must actually throw the ball up. So you can't just let it drop.
Hello Alois...a question today... one of my opponent gives me very little to settle while he serves. Many times I am not ready while ball reaches me... however I pick the the ball as a reflex action (mostly wrongly). He is like walking and suddenly he serves... now his serve is good by the definition. My problem is readiness while receiving... is his serve illegal or he should give some before tossing the ball... e.g. showing the ball for 1 seconds is must ?
+Ujjval Verma I'm not quite sure what you mean? Does he serve the ball very fast and deep? If so you may want to take half a step back to give yourself some more time when returning his serve.
Sounds like the opponent is not getting into a set position to present the ball. It is illegal to spring a surprise serve like that to catch your opponent off guard, you have to serve from a stationary initial position.
In service, when the ball contacts with the opponent's table(area) is it leagal that it passes through side line or it should be in front of him?
It's legal to go off the side of the table.
can you stand far back from the table and serve? or dose the ball half to be in line with back of table?
+Jeff Lillie you can stand as far back from the line as you like.
Nicely explained. Good video
When you are receiving a serve, is it okay to be in the middle of the table, or do you have to be on either edge?
You can stand wherever you feel comfortable. Normally right handers stand a step to the left so they can use their forehand a little more. But as the backhand is becoming more popular for returning with this has changed a little. To keep it simple stand where you feel comfortable you can reach any serve with one step.
Thank you! I'm already subscribed, your videos are really helpful
Awesome. Keep enjoying your table tennis!
In doubles do you have to serve from the right hand square every time? So to take turns serving you actually have to move into the right hand square when it's your turn to serve?
+Blake Heiner Yes that is correct. Here are the 4 extra rules you need to know when playing doubles:
1. You must take it in turns with your partner to hit the ball
2. You always serve from your right hand box to the diagonal box
3. You serve your 2 serves at a time to the same person for the whole game up to 11
4. When your team has finished your 2 serves, you swap sides with your partner. The person you were serving to now serves and your partner is the new receiver.
thanks, im gonna be playing in a real match after a while so just needed to confirm I got all the rules right
Don’t know if you’ll answer this question, but when you serve, are you allowed to hit the ball over the sideline on your opponent’s side, or do you have to hit the ball over the end line?
You have to serve the ball from behind your own end line but you can hit it over the sideline on your opponents side, that is perfectly legal.
You don't have to serve through your own endline, it just has to be from behind that axis. Can serve through your side line as long as you are past the end of the table.
helloo, I was wondering if there's any rule as to how close to the net the ball can bounce on the opponent's side after you first serve. like, wouldn't doing a purposefully light serve be an advantage? thank you
I like your thinking. There is no rule about where the ball lands in singles and yes a ball that bounces twice on your opponents side is a good serve. We call this a short serve. Experiment with your speed, spin, and placement of your serves. Variation is the key to a good serve. Keep enjoying your table tennis!
thank you! time to practice tricking opponents haha
Good luck!
got to learn new things about service rules in table tennis .Thanks a lot
You're welcome!
Hello! thanks this was helpful
I have a question regarding a service that hits the edge of the table on the receiver's side. That is the ball bounces on server side, then bounces on the receiver side where the table is no longer flat, but the 90 degree angle where the side and top meet. We have been playing it as a do-over, but am hard pressed to find a hard and fast rule regarding it. Is this just a lucky point for the server, or are there any rules regarding this?
+DeadZergling If you follow the rules you shouldn't play it again. If it hits any part of the top of the table it is in. If it only hits the side then it is a fault. Either way the point is over. Let me know if that clears up your doubts.
I believe so, just consider the edge part of the top of the table in that scenario. Thank you very much for your quick response :)
+DeadZergling You're welcome. Make sure to check out the PingSkills website :)
Very informative and helpful video thank you.
Question: if the receiver waits and the serve is very short and hits the table twice on the opposite side before the ball is touched, is that a point to the receiver? I once heard that 😊
No, the receiver must hit the ball before it bounces twice or they lose the point.
this is an old post so I wonder if anyone will answer, but I'm trying anyway :) is it true that as soon as the ball leaves my hand the serve is begun and I cannot take it back to repeat the toss? and that anything happens after the toss the service won't be repeated? (i.e. no contact with the bat, no contact with the table, ball going backwards and so on). Thank you!
That is correct, once you start the service motion essentially by throwing the ball up you must make a legal serve or you lose the point. So if you throw the ball up and then don't swing at the ball and it just bounces on the ground then it is a fault and your opponent wins the point.
Much harder to play legally
Underrated comment
Love it.. and now i know the legal rules of service
+asif ali jaedi tamim I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and learnt something too!
Thank You very much. You guys are just awesome ..:)
how many times the ball should bump/drop at the other side of the table?will it be a wrong serve if ball bumps twice on the table on the other side?
Assuming it hit your side of the table first and went over the net (without touching it) you get a point. They have to hit it before it bounces again.
Excellent video, thank you
You're welcome.
Can you post a video on how to receive several kinds of spins? Because i am having a hard time to differentiate which spins the players are using and how to receive it.
We have a whole course on this topic. There are some free videos and some are for our premium members. Take a look and see if it helps you.
www.pingskills.com/table-tennis/receiving-secrets/
Can you serve the ball to the side of the table on the opponents side? (So u serve after one bounce on both sides of the table can the ball go out from the side) is it illigal or not?
Yes that is a legal serve.
When you through the ball up on serve, does the ball have to go up 6 inches or can it be thrown up more, like 10 12 or more
You can throw it up higher, in fact as high as you can! The 6 inches is a minimum distance that you must throw the ball up.
hi! i have a question about the clear vision of the serve from every angle of the opponent! i'm righthand player and sometimes when i play against lefthand player..because we are on the same side of the table ... i'm not able to see the serve because he hits the ball near low cest and cover the ball with his body! is this illegal ? or its about me.. that i should move my receving position a little bit on the center of the table? thank (sorry if i made some gramatical errors :D )
+Ripanu Raymond Unfortunately it's up to the umpire to call a fault if the receiver is hiding the ball but from where the umpire sits it's hard for them to judge :( I really don't like the current serving rules. You could try moving over a bit to get a better view, or you could chat to the opponent about their serve and the rules. Here are the important ones:
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.
+PingSkills thank you!! :D now that i know the rules.. they will not have any excuse !!!
is it ok if the ball touched the net?
Then you just serve again and your opponent does not get a point
Opponent gets a point if it doesn't go to their side. It's a redo if it hits top of the net during serve and lands on their side.
Saad Majed no , if u touch the net ! u need to reserve
Only if the ball subsequently lands on the table (in doubles in the correct court) If it hits the net and then goes off the table, or into the wrong court in doubles, the server loses the point.
Only if it goes over to the opposition's side and redo the serve and fail that one anyway, shape or form then you lose a serve otherwise if it stays on your side then you lose a serve !
Thanks for the vid! This is very useful for my friends who are begginers but I this was useful for me too becuase i might have been making some easy mistakes before I watched this!
Is it okay to server from the side, where the server and ball are behind the line, but also so far to the side that the ball enters from the side of the table?
Yes, as long as you are blind the extension of the baseline.
Hi Jeff and Alois, love your videos, thank you so much.
I have a question about this video on serving. You said that the rule about the opponent being able to see the ball for the whole of the serving action is "quite contentious". It seems to me that the non-racket arm will often hide the ball after it as been tossed even if it is only briefly and even for many of the top players. Is this something you are aware of and if so can you explain why this is allowed when it is illegal and can you also explain why you said this rule was "quite contentious" please?
+Furthy Thirtyfour The issue is that it used to be legal to hide the ball behind your non-playing hand or your body. Now some players still do hide the ball when serving at in particular at the point of contact so it's even harder to tell what type of spin is on the ball.
The problem I have with the rule is that from where the Umpire sits, they can't tell whether the ball has been hidden! And I guess that's why it's hard for the Umpires to enforce.
+PingSkills Thank you guys. But can you confirm that from the time when the server tosses the ball until the time he makes contact the ball should never at any time be shielded by his hands, arms or body, not even for a spilt second?
+Furthy Thirty-four Yes that is right. Here is the rule: 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.
My friend kept arguing it's illegal to serve the ball from one side to the same side.. He insisted it had to be cross court. Clearly he was thinking 2 player rules vs singles
Yeah, perhaps point him to this video and the official ITTF rules.
I hope I can spot when they fault
Thank you for teaching me the rules!!!!
You are so welcome!
After I toss up the ball, if the ball drop directly on the floor without touching my bat or table, will my opponent get a point? Or It’s a reserve?
In singles we can serve from any side court(left or right) to any side of the opponent's court. Is it correct..
In singles you can serve from anywhere to anywhere. The centre line is only relevant in doubles.
Can you serve the ball at an angle so that it goes off the side of the table after hitting the returners side? And one more question. What happens if you do an otherwise legal serve with a lot of backspin so that it bounces on the return side then bounces back over to the serving side without the return guy touching it?
Both of those serves are legal. If your opponent does not touch the ball with his bat and it bounces back to your side then you win the point.
Thanks :)@@pingskills
How far behind the table can i be? Is that restricted, or can I be several feet behind the back line?
so if I throw the ball up and then catch it, or it hits the ceiling then I catch it, it's still automatically my opponents point? also I can serve it so it comes back over the net without my opponent touching the ball, it's my point? are you absolutely sure? I've heard conflicting things about this
If you catch the ball after throwing it up at the start of your serve then you lose the point. If it hits the ceiling you also lose the point. Luckily for the professionals they have a large ceiling :) You also win the point if you get it to come back to your side, and yes I am sure about this :)
What are rules of facing the serve. Not doing the serve.
If I M facing the serve in doubles. Can I lean forward even before serve is started and without touching table and hit the ball
You can lean forward but you aren't allowed to hit the ball on the full. Here is an overview of the rules that may help you: www.pingskills.com/tutorials/table-tennis-rules/overview
Can we serve the ball below level of table that is blind serve ?
Great🌹
Thank you
I lreaned the rules completely 🌹
Thank you sir... Nicely explained 👍
You're welcome.
Should the contact point be above the table level when serving?
Yes, in fact the ball must be above the table level from the time you throw it and you must hit it above the level of the table.
Um is my way of serving against the rules cause I bounced it in the table and when it's on top I hit it??
Yes, that would not be a legal serve.
While serving how many time a lit can be allowed
I meant if I'm serving the ball and the ball touches the net and bounces on the opponent's table how may times that can be allowed ??
The rules provide for no penalty whatsoever for repeatedly serving a let due to touching the net.
great videos! Where do you guys get the background music from? It rocks!!!
+Nikhil Sohoni From the RUclips music library :)
can i serve wider (outside vertical line) from veryical line but behind horizontal line ?
Yes, you can serve from wider, as long as you are behind the baseline.
behind base line means behind horizontal line ,am i right?
I've got a question. What happens if when you serve the ball bounces off the net and into the opponents court? Do you serve again? If you do how many re-serves are you allowed
That is called a let and you replay the point. There is not limit on the number of lets you can serve but it's unlikely that you'll serve many in a row.
thank you very much
You're welcome.
PingSkills i thought its 3
No, there is no limit to the number of lets.
if I'm serving can I hit it with backspin so that it hits once on my side, once on the opponents side and come back toward me so they have to lunge for it? or does it have to hit only once on each side on a serve? basically if I'm serving and the ball hits twice on my opponents side....whose point is it?
That is a very effective serve. If the ball bounces once on your side and then twice on your opponent's side, you win the point. We think you should serve 70 to 80% of your serves like this as it is much harder to attack these short serves and then hopefully gives you the first chance to attack in the rally.
+PingSkills you are the best ever teachers Alois and Jeff.......
Thanks Vijay :)
Jeff and Alois, I have a QUESTION PLEASE! I know that you are supposed to throw the ball up at least 16cms. But let's suppose that a player throws the ball up but his throwing hand follows the ball upwards; in other words, whilst the ball travels upwards for at least 16cms it never gets more than say 5cm above the servers hand, would that be a legal serve?
Yes, as long as the ball travels 16cm upwards from when it left the hand then it is a legal serve. You can't simply raise your hand 16cm and then drop the ball from that height though.