The old serve rules

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The older members in our league tend to ignore the serving rules and umpire tend to ignore it too. Typically they service the ball without throwing it at all. It is difficult to tell when they will service, and give yourself very little time t react when the ball comes.

Yeah thats really annoying..
 

JHB

says Aged and infirm of purpose
The older members in our league tend to ignore the serving rules and umpire tend to ignore it too. Typically they service the ball without throwing it at all. It is difficult to tell when they will service, and give yourself very little time t react when the ball comes.

It's strange - or perhaps it isn't when you think about it - how often it seems to be these same people who serve before you are ready. I sometimes wonder what it is about table tennis that attracts so many cheats.......:rolleyes:

Mind you everyone gets it wrong sometimes. I was watching a video not so long ago of a top-level ladies match; one girl did a beautiful backhand sidespin service, then looked up to discover her opponent was still standing at the umpire's table talking to the umpire !!
 
says Aging is a killer
It's strange - or perhaps it isn't when you think about it - how often it seems to be these same people who serve before you are ready. I sometimes wonder what it is about table tennis that attracts so many cheats.......:rolleyes:

Mind you everyone gets it wrong sometimes. I was watching a video not so long ago of a top-level ladies match; one girl did a beautiful backhand sidespin service, then looked up to discover her opponent was still standing at the umpire's table talking to the umpire !!

Please search for that video and post the link. That sounds absolutely hilarious.
 

MOG

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It is the 20 year anniversary of the service rule change.So why the hell are there so many cheats in table tennis at all levels who still shield the ball?Why do so many umpires turn a blind eye?It is PATHETIC and DISGUSTINGThis thread needs reviving IMO!What do others think about this blatant cheating?😺
 
says Table tennis clown
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It is the 20 year anniversary of the service rule change.So why the hell are there so many cheats in table tennis at all levels who still shield the ball?Why do so many umpires turn a blind eye?It is PATHETIC and DISGUSTINGThis thread needs reviving IMO!What do others think about this blatant cheating?😺

I got thrown out of a club because i pointed out the fact that when ever one makes an illegal serve one tries to get an unfair advantage.
With older folks I am not sure if they deliberately want to cheat, they just serve the way they have always served.
With newbies I know that it is normal to play out of the hand without tossing the ball up at all and because they are new nobody wants to
tell them out of fear that they may get frustrated and don't come back to the club.

But the reason why illegal serves are my pet-hate is that I know that it is not really difficult to change from an illegal to a legal serve, and so
my call goes out to ITTF : " If you do not want to enforce a rule - don't make it" 😂

 
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I got thrown out of a club because i pointed out the fact that when ever one makes an illegal serve one tries to get an unfair advantage.
With older folks I am not sure if they deliberately want to cheat, they just serve the way they have always served.
With newbies I know that it is normal to play out of the hand without tossing the ball up at all and because they are new nobody wants to
tell them out of fear that they may get frustrated and don't come back to the club.

But the reason why illegal serves are my pet-hate is that I know that it is not really difficult to change from an illegal to a legal serve, and so
my call goes out to ITTF : " If you do not want to enforce a rule - don't make it" 😂

Last week in the WTT cup finals in Xinxiang it was a disaster I thought. I think WCQ hits about 60% of his serves above the table rather than behind "the base line", and he wasn't alone!
 
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I got thrown out of a club because i pointed out the fact that when ever one makes an illegal serve one tries to get an unfair advantage.
With older folks I am not sure if they deliberately want to cheat, they just serve the way they have always served.
With newbies I know that it is normal to play out of the hand without tossing the ball up at all and because they are new nobody wants to
tell them out of fear that they may get frustrated and don't come back to the club.

But the reason why illegal serves are my pet-hate is that I know that it is not really difficult to change from an illegal to a legal serve, and so
my call goes out to ITTF : " If you do not want to enforce a rule - don't make it" 😂

Same here, well... I resigned cos' after a league match with an old guy throwing tantrums at me because I was pointing out his illegal serves my club's president told me I didn't had to point out that problem.

I replied "hmmm sorry isn't it YOU that told me I was doing illegal serves and I had to change if I wanted to play official league and tourneys ?"

As I've said countless of time: I'm from the time when camo serves à la Waldner were the norm, and nobody was complaining. Camouflage was an art by then.

Now that illegal serve rule and how to enforce it is pure hypocrisy.

 
says Table tennis clown
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Last week in the WTT cup finals in Xinxiang it was a disaster I thought. I think WCQ hits about 60% of his serves above the table rather than behind "the base line", and he wasn't alone!

Yes, I had my suspicions about that but unless we have a camera directly "on the line" and with the possibility of
slow-mo, it would need a very courageous referee to call it.
I still insist that my call to Ittf is valid : If you do not want to police it - don't make the rule.

Last week at the club i got really pissed off about a guy who has a kinda tomahawk serve that makes him take the ball under the table, then it comes up and he virtually plays it out of his hand................AND he is very proud of his technique. 😂
Nobody is willing to destroy his illusion and remind him that his serve might be illegal...........and a pain in the arse 😁

 
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says Fair Play first
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Evolution of Table Tennis rules from 1926 to 2010.
https://www.ittf.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ColinEvolution.pdf

To all evidence, nobody really cared about how to win a point with a tricky serve in the years next to WW II, up to 1970s maybe. All along 50-60"s nobody was able to put a decent amount of spin on the ball while serving/ Hence, the reason for ITTF reforming Serve Rule in the old past years still not apparent, seeng that REALLY tricky serves were unknown with the hardbat players of the past and the receiver had no problem to get the ball back.
 
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says Table tennis clown
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Evolution of Table Tennis rules from 1926 to 2010.
https://www.ittf.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ColinEvolution.pdf

To all evidence, nobody really cared about how to win a point with a tricky serve in the years next to WW II, up to 1970s maybe. All along 50-60"s nobody was able to put a decent amount of spin on the ball while serving/ Hence, the reason for ITTF reforming Serve Rule in the old past years still not apparent, seeng that REALLY tricky serves were unknown with the hardbat players of the past and the receiver had no problem to get the ball back.

iTTF has been changing the serving rules so often that it now does not surprise me that many players are confused . Especially the older players as they would have gone through so many changes that surely at one stage they would have arrived at the point where they made a drastic decision : ""**** the rules"" 😂😂🤣

 
says Table tennis clown
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What you don't think 20 years is long enough to learn how not to shield?

😁

Well, obviously not 😁
But it is not just about the shielding, if you go to the pdf file that igor shows in his post #56 you will
find the changes never stop.
Often, when you criticize an older person about some illegal serves the response is mostly something like:
" I have always done it like this, it was legal when I started to play 20 years ago" !!!🤣

 
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MOG

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MOG

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Well, obviously not 😁
But it is not just about the shielding, if you go to the pdf file that igor shows in his post #56 you will
find the changes never stop.
Often, when you criticize an older person about some illegal serves the response is mostly something like:
" I have always done it like this, it was legal when I started to play 20 years ago" !!!🤣

Yes I have heard that one many times! 😁

 
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Well, obviously not 😁
But it is not just about the shielding, if you go to the pdf file that igor shows in his post #56 you will
find the changes never stop.
Often, when you criticize an older person about some illegal serves the response is mostly something like:
" I have always done it like this, it was legal when I started to play 20 years ago" !!!🤣

The exact words from my uncle:

"This is how we used to play in Malaysia!'

He had an especially annoying service combination of a toss back towards racket, less than 16cm/6inch toss, all hidden with his hand PLUS making a loud grunt noise each time - probably the worst breach of service rules I have ever witnessed 😂

Still could beat him though!

 
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