Serve: How Far Does the Ball Need to Fall?

Stephen Young Asked 6 months ago

Re serving height, is it permitted to hit the ball at the top of the trajectory of the toss? I.e. does the ball have to drop by 6” first?

Alois Rosario Answered 6 months ago

Hi Stephen,

The main requirement is that the ball must be tossed at least 16 cm (about 6 inches) vertically upwards from the flat, open palm of the free hand, and it should not be spinning. Once the ball has been tossed and reaches its peak, you can hit it on the way down.

There's no requirement for it to drop a specific distance beyond reaching its peak. So, in short, you are allowed to hit the ball as soon as it starts descending after reaching the peak of its toss. You need to hit it somewhere between it starting to fall and before it goes below the surface of the table.  Just make sure the serve is done correctly in all other respects according to the rules.