Tossing the ball when serving.

Andres Figueroa Asked 10 months ago

Hi, 

I think people forget how low 15.25cm. is.  I have lately been serving putting lots of attention to how high I toss the ball and there have been lots of complaints about me tossing it too low. The truth is that 15.25 cm is very little and I believe the lower or closer you are to 15.25 the lower it will bounce when it hits the table. I have two questions. The toss height is with respect to the hand or the table? and my second question is, is there a way to come to an agreement when the opinions about low or high differ from each other. Do you have a video when you try to aim at the 15.2 cm instead of tossing it high like most people do.

Alois Rosario Answered 10 months ago

Hi Andres,

Great to see that you are focusing on the correct technique and adherence to the rules in table tennis, especially on the serve where many players tend to be a bit lax. The service toss height of 15.25cm (the height of the net) is the minimum height the ball must be tossed vertically from the palm of the free hand before being struck. The ball needs to move that distance away from your hand after it is tossed up.  So if you throw the ball up and follow the ball with your hand the distance is measured from wherever your hand is.

The main purpose of this rule is to eliminate hidden or trick serves where the ball can be obscured from the opponent's view, ensuring a fair opportunity to see the serve.