Illegal Ping Pong Serve And Ping Pong tips

Ping pong is a game of rules. Each and every part of this game must execute by following the rules of the ITTF. To start the game one must serve the ball. But that does not mean one can simply serve as they want. There are a lot of rules one must follow at the time of service. Because of these rules, some players think that service is the most complicated part of this game.

However, the serving rules change after some time. Because the ITTF wants to implement those types of serving rules that can bring the ideal service in the game. As the rules change, therefore, before heading to a tournament one should check the rules so that they can know which types of service are appropriate according to the rules.

Today we have come with some of the illegal ping pong services according to the ITTF rules so that one can avoid them. Also, we give some tips to avoid illegal serve.

Illegal Ping Pong Serves

Those services that have not made by following the ITTF regulations is called illegal serve. The illegal service is most common in the local league. Some players do illegal serve while they are unaware of the rules. Elsewhere, some players do the service with the aim of getting advantages in the game. No matter if you are unaware of the rules or not an illegal serve is illegal and it can even let you lose your points.

Here are most of the common illegal services that can be seen in a league tournament.

Throwback serve- This service is mostly seen among amateur-level players. There are a lot of amateur players who do not know about the rules of how high one must toss the ping pong ball at the time of service. Therefore, they toss the ball back towards the paddle blade.

 This is how they can create more ball speed and spin which gives the opponent a great disadvantage to block the ball or shoot the ball. Though it can provide a great advantage to the server it can also cause the opponent to complain to the referee.

Hidden serve- It is one of the most violated services in any ping pong tournament. Especially, this service is seen among the professional level ping pong paddle players. The opponent must be able to see what type of spin you are providing and how the ball has been strike with the paddle.

But those players who make the hidden service seem to use their free hand at the time of the shot. They use their arm to block the vision of the opponent player. And then shot the ball to keep the opponent unaware about the shot. Previously, this service was not restricted.

But now it is restricted and one must follow this rule. However, if you counter a hidden serve, then inform the referee immediately and tell the opponent to stop this kind of service. Because the referee sits on the side which makes the view hard for them to follow the player’s hand movements.

Bad manner serve- To gain an advantage many players do this serve. It is mostly seen in tournaments. The server waits for the right moment and does the service all of a sudden. The right moment means when the opponent is not ready at all. This type of serving is a totally bad manner.

If the referee does not know you were not ready, then he will definitely count it as a score. So, if you face such a server, then do not hit the ball and tell the opponent to redo the service or inform the referee about the situation.

Long time service- There is no rule on the time limit of a ping pong serve which is why most players take the advantage of time delays. Some ping pong players seem to move across the table with the ball. They change the position and observe the situation. At the time of engaging with the server, they grab the ball and again take time.

The time delay is basically done to confuse the opponent. This also makes the opponent impatient. In this situation, one must not get impatient and stay calm. Simply complain to the referee about this and give more focus on the game.

These are the most common illegal serve that can be seen in most tournaments. However, there are also other illegal services like short service, over the net, etc. All the illegal services are done to gain an advantage on the points. So,

one must keep their eyes while performing in a tournament and whenever one counters an illegal server the person must immediately inform the referee or the organizer. Or not else things can turn upside down.

Illegal Ping Pong Serve And Ping Pong tips

What is a Legal Ping Pong Service

A legal ping pong service is done by following all the ITTF serve rules. There are a lot of rules that one must follow while serving the ball which made the service the most complicated part among all other things. However, some local tournaments may follow their own rules, therefore, it would be wise to know the rules before playing.

Let’s give you the knowledge about ITTF approved ping pong serve rules.

Rule 1- The first rule is the ball toss. The server must toss the ball at least 16 cm high which is at least 6.3 inches. Also, at the time of tossing the ball, the ball must rely on an open palm. The player should not grab the ball while tossing. Some players seem to drop the ball on the table from a short distance and simply proceed with their shot which is called an illegal serve.

Rule 2- As we mentioned in the illegal serve, the backward service is totally illegal, and therefore, one must avoid it. The 2nd rule is about the vertical toss. One must toss the ball vertically upwards of 16 cm. But the question is what a vertical toss is. The answer depends on the referee. One must know about this before serving.

Rule 3- The 3rd rule is about blocking the vision of the opponent. To gain an advantage, some players use their open hands to obstruct the opponent’s view. But according to this rule, one must not block the opponent’s view while shooting so that the opponent can see the service clearly. Blocking the view is strictly prohibited. After tossing the ball into the air, one must move the free hand in front of the ball immediately. Blocking the view makes the opponent confuse.

Rule 4- One must serve the ball from behind the end line and the ball must be served from the table surface. The ball must not be served from the middle of the table which is illegal.

Rule 5- This rule will tell you when you have to shot the ball. Some people hit the ball when the ball is going high in the air. One has to hit the ball when the ball is falling down from the air. Or else it will be an illegal shot.

These are the main rules of ITTF on ball service. However, if you want to know all the rules on the service of the ITTF, then search online.

What is a let serve and how many times you can do let serve

Sometimes it seems that the ball hits the net when it is served. This is known as let serve. Some say it is net serve but it is not. Also, some people say let is an illegal service which is not. The let serve is a legal service. But one would not get any points. If one engages with a let serve, the person has to redo the serve.

There is no rule of limitations about let serve. One can do as many let serve as they want. However, in some local tournaments, the organizers may create rules on let serve.

How to change illegal ping pong service habits

To change the illegal service habit and to stop illegal service one must follow the service rules of ITTF. Before serving the ball, one must hold the ball into an open palm and then toss the ball in the air about 16 cm high. The player must not hit the ball when the ball is rising up.

One must hit the ball when the ball is getting down. Another thing is one should not try to block the opponent’s view with the freehand at the time of the shooting. And to keep the player’s view clear one must remove their free hand in front of the ball when the ball is tossed on the air.

To know more, scroll above. Or simply search online.

Final  Words

The ping pong game is has a lot of rules. If one wants to play in a tournament, then the person must know all the legal rules of ping pong so that the person does not get disqualified. In this article, we have discussed about the legal and illegal ping pong serves. Also, we have given tips on how one will be able to avoid the illegal serve.