September 25, 2015

Net Visibility Rule

Here is the Net Visibility Rule Proposal, my proposal to solve the hidden serve problem in table tennis. I sent it to the USATT Rules Committee yesterday morning. If they approve it, then they would submit it to the ITTF by Nov. 1, for consideration at the next ITTF meeting at the World Championships in May, 2016. Here's the $100,000 question to ask yourself: Are we better off with this new rule, or with the current untenable situation? (Here's my September 18 blog on hidden serves.)

One thing that's become obvious is the different outlook from those who actually try out the proposal, and those who don't. I've had dozens of people test it, where I'd barely hide the ball from a receiver, and then have them judge it from both sides where the umpires would sit. All said that any ball I tried to hide from a receiver was clearly hidden from at least one net post. To those who have read my blogs about this proposal and reached a conclusion, I hope you will keep an open mind and actually test it. The question to ask is this: If a server hides the ball from the receiver, is the umpire substantially more likely to call it under the current rule (where there's about a 0.7 degree difference between a hidden and non-hidden serve), or this rule (where there's a 45-90 degree difference)?

I was hesitant at first to make the proposal public since it shows so many of our top cadets serving illegally. However the videos are all public, so anyone can see them. But more importantly, showing what we're forcing our kids to do in order to compete fairly may be the only way to cause the outcry needed to get table tennis officials to take action. At the moment, I'm outraged at the lack of outrage.

I don't blame the kids who serve illegally in response to the opponent doing so and the umpire allowing it. But I do blame the one who first does so in a match (or the coach who tells him to do so), and the umpires and referees who allow this. (The most under-used rule in table tennis is Rule 2.06.06.01: "If either the umpire or the assistant umpire is not sure about the legality of a service he or she may, on the first occasion in a match, interrupt play and warn the server; but any subsequent service by that player or his or her doubles partner which is not clearly legal shall be considered incorrect." But my proposal should make such enforcement easier, as a serve hidden from a receiver would now be obviously hidden from at least one net post and so obviously illegal.)

There was a bit of email discussion last night among USATT people about the proposal. At this point I'm not optimistic that USATT will take the lead in this, but perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised. If they don't, then we'll have to rely on the ITTF to do so, whether with my proposal or another.

USATT did propose a few years ago that the ball must be visible throughout the serve to both umpires, but that was voted down. (I'm told because it was considered too extreme). Some believe we should make the same proposal again, but there's no indication that the vote would be any different. Which is why I proposed a less extreme solution. The problem with requiring the ball be visible to both umpires is that it would dramatically change every top player's serve. My proposal wouldn't. Regardless of whether you are for that rule – and I was and still am – we have to face reality that it was voted down, and look for a different solution.

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Space and Moon Pong

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