New rule to invalidate the ghost serve.

[igorponger]

heh, it looks a prohibitive rule directly designed to invalidate the "ghost serves" once and for all

 

[Matt Hetherington]

No chance this gets through, how can you objectively measure this? Add another line on the table like tennis and pickleball?

I would imagine it's a result of the para showcase final at the US Smash where the Italian player used those serves against Ian Seidenfeld in the final. It was definitely not nice to watch, but I just don't see how a rule can objectively prevent it.

 

[plunder]

can anyone propose (= official submission) a rule change, and will all propositions be discussed there?

 

[lightspin]

Maybe only have the rule applicable for para and youth events? Maybe u-13?

For regular play this rule is definitely unenforceable.

 

[Gtsnake]

Maybe only have the rule applicable for para and youth events? Maybe u-13?

For regular play this rule is definitely unenforceable.

Yeah that would never work for regular players. Unless they can leave up to umpire discretion of unsportsmanlike play.

 

[Archosaurus]

While we're at it, maybe remove short serves entirely, and to make it more fair, maybe make it against the rules to put spin on the ball as well.

 

[Zwill]

Why don't they punish the player who can't reach the ball instead? Sounds like it's their fault to begin with? 🌚

 

[igorponger]

Here is an exemplary ghost serve. Yes, we strongly feel like to ask for a let in this case. Furthermore we gonna to upraise a penalty yellow card for indecent conduct by the server.

 

[Reaper]

i can't reach the ball neither when someone hits the net during the rally and the ball drops dead on my side. Therefore a let.

... a man can dream

 

[larrytt]

"If the serve, after bouncing on the receiver's court, bounces backwards, it shall be a let serve."
This would make it very difficult (not necessarily impossible) to serve so shorter players can't reach it. I've seen players use these serves against younger players and it's sickening. I once coached a very short 2200-rated kid against a 1700 player who did this on every serve, and the kid lost, deuce in the fifth, with both winning nearly every point on their serve. (The other guy got the match and rating points, but everyone booed him.) As an exhibition trick, I use to practice these serves so that the ball would bounce backward to my side on the first bounce, and once did 14 in a row.
-Larry Hodges

 

[Ninja26Go]

This casually being the dumbest and most useless rule the ITTF have ever issued.