Can You Lose On A Serve In Ping Pong? (Interesting Facts About Making A Serve In This Classic Sport!!)

Last Updated on October 26, 2020 by

Yes! Of course! A player can lose a game while making a serve. If the server fails to put the ball into play legally, the points will be counted against him, to the opponent. In this article, we are going to talk about the game of Ping Pong ( Table Tennis) in detail and some other things you didn’t know about this classic sport. 

Table tennis is a sport where a small, light ball is hit by two or maybe four players in a forth and back manner across a table using a little bat. The light ball used is also known as ping-pong ball, the game of the tennis is also likewise referred to as whiff-whaff or ping-pong. A net divides the hard table in which the game is being played. The guidelines are usually as follows aside from the first function: players should allow the tennis ball bounce once on the side of their table when played towards them, and also should ensure the ball bounce on the exact opponent’s side when sending it back at a minimum of one time. When a player fails to return the ball according to the guidelines, a point is scored. Play demands fast reaction since the gameplay is fast. The hitter is provided a fantastic advantage when he spinning the ball, which then alters its trajectory and restricts an opponent’s options. 

It was in 1926 that the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), a global organization was created, and they govern the game of Table tennis. 226 member associations are presently included in the ITTF. The  ITTF handbook has all the table tennis official regulations in it. It was in 1988 that Table tennis was included to  be an Olympic sport, with many event categories. From 1988 until 2004, these were female’s singles, male’s singles, female’s doubles as well as male’s doubles. However, a team event continues to be played rather than the doubles since 2008. 

It was in Victorian England that the sport was originated, where it was played as an after-table parlor game by all the upper class. The British army officers in India around the 1860s or perhaps 1870s, who brought it too with them, created the makeshift variations of the game. For the net in the middle of the table, a row of newspapers was used, two additional books were utilized as rackets and also to constantly hit a small ball

Before the British manufacturer J. Jaques & Son Ltd trademarked it in 1901, The title “ping-pong” has been in usage. Although some big companies back then started calling the game, Table Tennis, but the title “ping pong” was as a result of the costly Jacques’s gear that the game had been established from. Jaques sold the rights to the “ping pong” brand to Parker Brothers which made a comparable circumstance arose in the United States. In 1920s, Parker Brothers, then enforced the trademark of its for the word, which earn the different associations (rather than the more frequent, but trademarked term), change the names of theirs to “table tennis”. 

A British fan of table tennis, James W. Gibb, made following main development. On his visit to the US in 1901, James found novelty celluloid balls and recommend them being great for the game. In 1901, E.C. Goode followed James recommendation and created the contemporary model of the racket. He accomplished this by repairing a sheet of stippled, or perhaps pimpled, rubber on the cork blade. In 1901, Table tennis was growing in popularity to the extent that an unofficial world championship was held in 1902, books being composed on the topic, and also competitions have been getting organized. In all those first times, the lawn tennis scoring system was exactly the same scoring system that was used in Table Tennis. 

In 1910, there are two Table Tennis organization, “Table Tennis Association” &  “Ping Pong Association”. However, in 1921, a brand new Table Tennis Association was created, although it was later renewed in 1926, to the English Table Tennis Association. It was in 1926 that the now famous International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) followed. In 1926, the very first official World Championships was hosted by London. The USA Table Tennis, formerly known as United States Table Tennis Association was created in 1933. 

In the 1930s Soviet Union, Table Tennis acceptance as a sport dwindled, partially due to that most people believed that the game leads to some negative health consequences, and partially due to the army athletes and group promotion. 

Paddles with an underlying sponge level coupled with a rubber sheet, (which brought about an increase in pace and spin), changed the game of Table Tennis significantly in the 1950s. It was in the mid-1980s that the quickness glue was brought into use, and it led to changes on the gear to “slow the game down”, having improved the spin as well as pace, even more. In 1988, Table tennis was officially made an Olympic sport in the Olympics. It was sports commodities supplier S.W. Hancock Ltd that brought this new invention to Britain.

Many rule modifications were instituted by the ITTF in the 2000 Olympics that was held in Sydney, to make table tennis even more practical as a televised spectator sport. In October 2000, newly modified balls of forty millimeters (1.57 inches) succeeded the earlier thirty-eight mm (1.50 in). This newly modified ball efficiently slowed down the game and also enhanced the ball’s air resistance. By that time, the game was made too fast and rapid, because players had started raising the thickness of the quick sponge coating on their paddles, making the game hard to be viewed on TV. The ITTF brought the point scoring system from a 21 point to an 11 point scoring system a number of weeks later. Also, ITTF lowered the serve rotation from five points to only two, and the new guidelines were made effective in September 2001. Making the game more thrilling and fast-paced was the main objective of the new guidelines. In order to stop a player from concealing the tennis ball while making a serve, the ITTF additionally altered the guidelines on a service, to lower the server’s advantage and then to boost the typical duration of rallies. Although the new guidelines were made effective in 2002. Furthermore, the ITTF stated that the ball should be tossed no less than sixteen centimeters (6.3 in) in the air, so as to give the opponent enough time to get ready for a serve. 

Tennis Ball

The ITTF stated some international rules which says that Table Tennis should be played with a sphere-like ball having a diameter of forty millimeters (1.57 in) along with a mass of 2.7 grams (0.095 oz). Furthermore, the guidelines stated that when the ball is dropped out of a level of 30.5 cm, it should bounce up 24 26 cm (9.4 10.2 in) therefore making a coefficient of restitution of 0.89 to 0.92. As of 2015, rather than celluloid, balls now are produced of a polymer with an orange color or even colored grey, with a matte finish. 

The table color and the color of its surrounding determines the selection of ball color. For instance, you can easily see a white ball on a blue or green table, but it will be difficult to see on a grey table. Producers usually have a star rating system and they indicate the caliber of the ball. The star rating system is typically from 1 to 3, the highest quality being 3. The only way a ball might be utilized in recognized competition is upon ITTF endorsement, that’s why you would always see a print on the ball representing ITTF approval.  

At the end of the Summer Olympics that was held in year 2000, the forty millimeters ball was produced; earlier a thirty eight mm ball was customary. This campaign created several controversies. ITTF threatened Vladimir Samsonov, the world’s number one table tennis professional to move from the World Cup. 

Parameters	Table Measurement
Width	1.525 m (5.0 ft)
Height	76 cm (2.5 ft)
Length	74 m (9.0 ft)

Table

The measurements of the table used for table tennis is seventy six cm (2.5 ft) extremely high, 74 m (9.0 ft) in length, and 1.525 m (5.0 ft) wide. The table was well built that when a standard ball is dropped on it from a level of thirty centimeters (11.8 in), or perhaps approximately seventy seven percentage, it will consistently bounce off approximately twenty three cm (9.1 in). The table is split into two halves by a net at 15.25 cm (6.0 in) in height and the playing surface or even the table is uniformly black colored along with matte. Wooden tables or their derivatives are approved by the ITTF. The ITTF also approves Concrete tables with a good concrete partition or perhaps a steel net are occasionally allowed to be used in outdoor sports events. 

Service And Return

In game play, the play is started by the player serving the ball. The server initial stands with his palm open (the ball held on the open palm) without holding the paddle (popularly known as the freehand), and then without spinning, tosses the ball straight upward, not less than sixteen cm (6.3 in) up. The server hits the ball with the racket on the ball’s descent therefore it touches the side of his table first before   touching the receiver’s side of the table without hitting the net. a lot of players don’t toss the ball upward in local and casual table tennis games; this is however, provide the server an unfair advantage and also illegal. 

The ball should stay right above top of the surface area and behind the end line of the table, referred to as the playing surface area, at all times while in the gameplay. The sight of the ball should not be obstructed by the server’s body or maybe clothes; the umpire as well as the opposition should have a clear view of the ball at all times. Umpires might initially interrupt play and also offer a warning on the server in case they are uncertain of the legality of a team. The receiver scores a point in case the serve is a definite disaster or perhaps the umpire doubts it once again after the warning.

Subsequently, the receiver should generate a “good” return by hitting the ball back before it bounces another time on edge of his table in case the serve is “good”. It is usually difficult for a receiver to return the serves successfully, because service return is among the toughest part of the game of table tennis. The servers always try to gain pints from their service in order to have an added advantage in the game. 

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Legal Service

The ball must rest on the open palm hand. Then, it should be flung up nothing less than six inches and struck so that the ball will bounce on the server’s side of the table first before going to the opposition’s side of the table. Illegal serves are scored against the server unless it touches the net, normally called a let serve. Let serve are not scored and are reserved by the server. 

1. A serve can bounce multiple times or once on the opposition’s side and can be long or short. 
2. There are no limitations to the number of times the ball should hit the net (popularly known as to let) serves
3. There is no opportunity for a second serve in case of a fault in Table Tennis unlike how it is done in Tennis.
4. The server must make serves from the table baseline and above the table height.
5. The receiver may lose points if he/she does not return the serve after one bounce. 

Final Thoughts

We’ve come to the end of this blog post, we hope you found resources in your quest to know whether you lose on a serve in Ping Pong (popularly known as Table Tennis). Please do not hesitate to drop your comment or questions in the comment box. Enjoy!