First legal serves

Setup

1. Pairs at each table: a server at one end with a small pile of balls, a receiver at the other end who catches.
2. Mark a 16 cm height with a hand or a card held beside the server so players can see how high the toss must go.
3. Keep spare balls in a box or tube, not loose on the floor.

How it runs

1. Step 1, toss and catch: the ball rests still on the open, flat palm of the free hand. Toss it nearly straight up, at least 16 cm, with no spin, and catch it. Five good tosses.
2. Step 2, toss and hit: toss the same way and hit the ball as it falls, from behind your end line and above the level of the table.
3. The serve must bounce once on your side, then once on the receiver's side. In singles it can land anywhere on the receiver's half.
4. Keep the ball in view: the receiver must be able to see it all the way from the toss to the hit, so move the free arm out of the way after the toss.
5. The receiver catches each serve and counts it; ten serves, then swap roles.
6. If a serve clips the net and then lands correctly, it is a let: serve again, no point either way.

Coaching points

• Palm flat and open, fingers together, thumb free; the ball sits in the middle of the palm.
• Toss with the arm, not the fingers, so the ball goes up straight without spin.
• Let the ball drop before hitting; hitting it on the way up is a fault.
• Aim the first bounce on your own half, not too close to the net, then let the ball travel.

Common mistakes

• Holding the ball in cupped fingers or throwing it from the fingertips.
• A tiny toss, or serving straight out of the hand.
• Tossing the ball backwards or across the body instead of near vertically.
• Leaning over the end line so the ball is struck above the table.
• Hitting the ball straight over the net without a bounce on the server's side.