It is also illegal for a player to pick up the ball and then toss immediately in the air. It should not shake and move from one position to another. And that will cost your opponent to gain some points.īe reminded that your free hand–or the one that holds the ball–has to be static. Your palm has to be open as possible so that your opponents can see it.Įven if your palms are open, but the ball is still resting on the fingers, that’s still an illegal serve.

Don’t cup your hands when holding the ball.Īs you have guessed it, the correct way in holding a table tennis ball during service rounds is by letting it rest in your open palm.

Don’t place the ball on the fingers of the freehand.

Here are some of the common mistakes when it comes to holding a table tennis ball before the toss: And even if you do, it pays that you know the correct hold. Properly holding the ball before the service takes place is a crucial part of the sport, especially if you are going to play for competitive matches. The section 2.6.1 in the table tennis laws indicates that “ a service shall start with the ball resting freely on the open palm of the server’s stationary free hand.“īy that statement alone, you can already have an idea if the way you serve is correct or not. Just don’t forget that ping pong is a mental game! Holding The Ball That’s why if you don’t want to lose, learning how to serve the right way is crucial. It’s not where you want to be! Much like playing at the net in regular tennis, standing closer to the table is the more offensive, more dominant stance to take.But if you will go against individuals that have experience in the game, they will exploit this weakness of yours. However, it’s a misconception that “the better you are, the further back from the table you stand.” In a professional setting, when a player is far away from the table during a rally, that means they are on the defensive. This is true, and very exciting to watch.

The most common association people have with professional table tennis is that the players stand very far back from the table.

Why do professional players stand so far back from the table? Olympic Table Tennis begins at the Tokyo Summer Games on July 24 (with the time difference, that's July 23 in the United States) and continues through Aug. He is indisputably one of the best (if not the best) player of all time, earning him the nickname: 'The Dragon.'

He will compete in the 2021 Games in Tokyo where he has the opportunity to become the most decorated Olympic Table Tennis player of all the time. He is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. The reigning Olympic champion is Ma Long of China.

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