Serving behind the table
Table Tennis Rules
Last updated 8 years ago
Prabhat nag Asked 8 years ago
Is it OK to serve from over the table? Also I have seen some of my friends tap their feet while serving why do they do that?
Alois Rosario Answered 8 years ago
Hi Prabhat,
The ball has to be behind the end line when you hit it for the serve. If you hit it when it is over the table you lose the point.
One thing players do often get confused about is that you can also be behind the extension of the end line. So you don't need to be directly behind.
Players sometimes tap their feet as part of their serving action as they then move to the next ball.
Thoughts on this question
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Prabhat nag Posted 8 years ago
Thank you for your quick reply. Appreciated!
Also do you have any video from where we can learn this tapping action?
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 8 years ago
No we don't have a video on it. It is not something that you need to do but is more something that happens with your action sometimes.
Arjan van Luttikhuizen Posted 8 years ago
Alois, what would you say about a person who tosses the ball from 5-10 cm in front of the end line? They toss the ball fairly high and fairly straight, only slightly backwards so the contact point is always behind the end line. Is this a legal serve?
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 8 years ago
Hi Arjan,
The rule states that it needs to be behind the end line from the start of the service so it would be a fault.