The Service has caused problems in Table Tennis for over 100 years - Yes, even in 1900 there were problems! Of recent years, the "concealed" service has been the biggest controversy.

The service rule introduced last season forbade the concealing of the ball and it has been strengthened this year by stating that the free arm must be removed from the front of the body once the ball has been projected upwards.

There are a number of infringements to the service rule, the two main ones being concealing the serve and not throwing the ball up at least 6 inches. Younger players have been brought up during the concealed service era and they tend to use the same serve action with the result that many of their serves are marginal and many older players do not throw the ball up far enough.

Are Umpires to blame?

The short answer is NO! Many people blame umpires for not taking a stronger line, but when they do they get castigated. There has been some quite aggressive behaviour towards umpires from players, coaches and team mates when they penalise a player for a bad serve. In any case by the time most players encounter an official umpire their service action has become ingrained because in most events, like local league, we don't have "umpires" we have "scorers" and we don;t want to create a bad atmosphere by penalising services.

So what is the sensible way to deal with the problems?

There are 3 groups of people who can do something about it: Coaches, Umpires and the Rest of Us.

Coaches

Ensure that the players you coach know the rule and abide by it. We have heard that some coaches in the past have told young players that if you can get away with a foul serve then do so. This is clearly unacceptable, silly and unhelpful to the player concerned. If a young player continually foul serves he/she will come to rely upon it. They should be taught a number of different serves because the rule might well change again in the future so they must be flexible. The main problem is getting those who have been around a few years to change and are unlikely to change unless influenced.

Umpires

Umpires can play their part. If a player has a serve which is technically not perfect but is doesn't give them an advantage the umpire is fully entitled to penalise them. But this can cause problems. At your discretion allow them to continue with it and speak to them or their coaches and team mates after the match. In this way the matter can be discussed in a calmer atmosphere and will be much more effective in the long run. The smae would apply to "marginal" services.

The Rest of Us

Its up to all of us as individuals to ensure that our own service is correct - you cannot criticise others if your own serve is not perfect even if you think you don't gain any advantage from it. Why not get together with your team mates and appraise each others serves and discuss it at the end of the evening. Don't get annoyed if your serve is criticised and don't say "Well I don't get any advantage from it" Often players DO get an advantage without realising it. Remember younger players tend to copy older players in the early stages of their career.

The 4 Main Points of the Rule

* The ball must be thrown up near vertically

* It must be thrown up at least 6 inches

* No part of the server's body, clothing or partner must shield the ball from the receiver

* The free arm must be removed from the front of the body once the ball has been thrown up

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