short service (2)

short service
by butike 22 years ago

Re: short service
by Donald 22 years ago

The following message (subject: Re: short service) was posted by Donald, on 11/10/2002 9:51:17 AM:

Hello butike,

Is there a short service rule? I cannot find a rule which addresses itself specifically to short services. The service rules apply to services which are both short (serves where the ball would bounce two or more times on the opponents side of the court) and long (serves where there is room for only one bounce on the opponents side of the court and subsequently go past the endline or sideline of the table).

"</B>2.6.3 As the ball is falling the server shall strike it so that it touches first his court and then, after passing over or around the net assembly, touches directly the receiver's court;....</B>"

Since a short service would comply with the requirements of Section 2.6.3 contained in the "Laws of Table Tennis," then a short service is a legal service.

Given your example; If my opponent made a service which went just above the net and landed one inch on my side of the table then my opponent has made a good service and the ball is in play. I will need to deal with it.

The short serve is actually the length of serve which one finds at the higher levels of the sport. Watch any video of the professionals and you will see that short services are the norm whereas long services are utilized only on occasion. The reason for the short serve is simple; it is used in order to prevent the receiver from opening an all out attack of your serve and also utilized so that the server might potentially receive a long return which will allow the server to open an attack (called a "Third ball attack"). Of course, the receiver who has developed a good 'short ball' game will simply return the short serve with a short return or will attack the short serve with a flick/flip stroke. The receiver is not without a choice of responses to the short serve.

I think developing a 'short ball' game is essential to any player who wishes to play at the advanced level. It may look easy but it is more difficult than one might think - at least in my experience. I have really come to appreciate the subtleness and touch of the professionals who do this all too well.

Take care,
Donald

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