Well here are a few strange Table Tennis rules that you probably weren’t aware of.
In Table Tennis, the player serves by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it with the bat. However, the rules say that he ball must be tossed at least 6 inches, or 16 centimetres, into the air during the serve. This is primarily due to the fact that most people simply perform a ‘drop hit’ where they simply drop the ball from their hand and hit it immediately.
This is quite unfair as it takes a lot more skill to actually set up a shot with a ball that’s moving in the air. When you drop the ball out of your hand, it is practically stationary and can be hit with ease.
It is mandatory that you toss the ball near vertically upward when performing the serve. You cannot toss the ball diagonally or horizontally or in any other way! You’d think that this was obvious, but no, it is an official rule, and the referee can call you out on it.
Of course this is all up to subjectivity, and if the referee feels like you haven’t thrown the ball vertically upward, they may call a foul. So just to be safe, be sure to throw the ball, at worst, 15 degrees off from a vertically straight angle.
This rule is very important, as most beginners actually make this mistake all the time.
While serving, you are not allowed to hit the ball while it’s still rising in the air. You can only make contact with it after it finishes its ascent and begins to descend. Of course, it doesn’t have to drop all the way down to where you tossed it, but the ball has to reach its peak before you hit it.
Posted by : Social Sportz, Posted on 30-08-2017.