MLTT (USA Professional table tennis league) has implemented a number of new innovations regarding the rules.
One of them is the above mentioned service rule for doubles where players can serve from anywhere and to anywhere (not only on diagonal), so it's just like serving in singles play. This is a pretty good idea and might make the game more interesting to watch. ITTF should consider adopting that rule.
Another innovative idea that MLTT has implemented is that a player doesn't need to win a set by 2 points. If the score is 10-10, then whoever wins the next point, wins the set. In other words, it reduces the overall number of "game points" or match points". I don't like that rule as it may reduce the number of points being played when everything is on the line. Those points during the "deuce" play are often the most exciting to watch. I actually love it when the score is something like 15-13 or 19-16. Lots of suspense. I hope that ITTF does NOT adopt that rule.
Another new concept that they implemented is a "service clock" where a player has a maximum of 18 seconds to serve. Great idea as it eliminates any lack of clarity about delaying a game between services. It's good to have something like that clearly defined. ITTF should consider adopting that rule as well as a maximum number of seconds for a towel break.
Yet another innovative concept from MLTT is the "Golden Game" where the players play a maximum of 4 consecutive points and then the next players take the places of the first players and they play a maximum of 4 points and then the next 2 players take over the table and play 4 points, etc. I believe that a total of 5 players from each team participate in the Golden Game and the first team that scores 21 points, wins the Golden Game. I don't like this innovation as it seems a bit amateurish to me and reminds me of people playing pingpong in the park or at the camping ground or games that coaches let young kids play to make it more interesting for those youngsters. I hope that ITTF does NOT adopt this innovation.
indeed innovative, need more of that indeed.
the 11 point and finish rule however is not new.
Its a very good idea to not go into deuces, which could drag the matches too long and out of the idea TV coverage time.
Overall, I respect MLTT for being innovative. Kudos !! I hope that they can now figure out how to draw a lot more than a hundred or two hundred live spectators on a regular basis and that they figure out how to get hundreds of thousands or millions of people watching their matches online as opposed to a few hundred or a few thousand. They also need to figure out how to get sponsors that are household names (e.g., BMW or Pepsi). The "product" that MLTT has is pretty good (probably at the level of a WTT Feeder or maybe maybe a WTT Contender), but it's such a pity to watch matches in an almost empty stadium.
I think league or pro sport can only do so much.
You need a big push on the grassroots and schools, and I just am not sure if the local guys there are doing enough - ie, how many schools are there in USA and how many of them have table tennis, for starters.
chatgpt tells me there is around 23000+ public high schools. If only 1% of them have table tennis in the next 12 months, each school has 20-40 players, that is 5000-10000 new kids.
then that is a brilliant and if they can grow to 10% within 5 years and avg of 50 kids, then that is 100k kids, and hopefully few hundred of them become regular audiences in the pro side of things.
PS chatgpt says usatt membership is at 14k, of which 9k active? not sure how true this data is.
