Spectator Etiquette
As someone who has played,
umpired and spectated at his fair share of table tennis matches, I'm going to
give some advice about how to conduct yourself as a spectator. Hopefully some
of what I write here will catch on at tournaments around the place. Greg Letts
(About.com)
Do's and Don'ts of Table Tennis Spectating
Do: Feel free to applaud
any good shots the players make, or any great rallies that occur. The players
will appreciate your encouragement. Make sure you clap for good shots by both
players though!
Don't: Applaud fault serves
or easy mistakes made by the player you do not want to win. It shows a lack of
class and respect to that player.
Do: Shout words
of encouragement to your favourite player.
Don't: Shout them
in the middle of rallies - wait until
the end of the point.
Don't: Boo the
other player - leave that to the football and soccer fans.
Don't: Offer words
of advice or try to coach a player - the player is only allowed one coach, and
it's not you!
Do: Feel free to
discuss the match quietly with other spectators.
Don't: Argue about
it loudly where the players can hear you - they are trying to concentrate.
Do: Help out the
players by chasing down balls that go off court for them.
Don't: Swap the
good balls over for cheap ones that you have in your pocket!
Do: Offer your
services for umpiring duty to the tournament director - provided you know the
rules of course!
Don't: Try to help
out the umpire by calling
out your opinion on nets, edges and the score, or by calling out 'let' when
another ball comes on the court. Let the umpire do his job - that's what he is
there for.
Do: Turn off
your mobile phone or put it on silent mode while courtside.
Don't: Answer your
mobile phone courtside and conduct loud conversations while on your way outside
- or even worse, while sitting in the stands!
Do: Enjoy a
snack while sitting in the stands and watching the match - if the playing hall
allows it.
Don't: Take the
food on court, or rustle a bag of lollies as a player is about to serve - save
that for the cinemas when you sit behind me like everyone else does!
Do: Take video
footage or photographs of the action, provided you clear it with the tournament
director.
Don't: Use a flash
in the middle of points - it's very distracting for the players when that
bright light suddenly comes out of nowhere in the middle of a point.
Do: Congratulate or
commiserate with players when they come off the court after a match.
Don't: Subject them to a
play by play description of what they should have done - give them some time to
get over the match and compose themselves before talking too much to them.
Don't: Walk around behind
the players during a point in progress if you can help it. Even more so if one
of the players is about to serve - that is the worst time for distractions as a
player.
Club Etiquette
Now that the club is expanding, it is good etiquette for each
member to consider pitching in and lending a hand wherever possible and not
leave the running of the club to an overworked few. Ask any committee member how
you can help. A place where everyone can help is the setup and takedown
segments of each session. During setup, the proper etiquette is to: Arrive early
enough so that you could help. If you don't
know how you can help, ask one of the veterans who will be happy to show you. Do not begin
play until all the tables and partitions are in place. It is discourteous to
begin play while others are still setting up. Takedown and
put away etiquette is a bit different. When you leave, it is discourteous to
leave empty tables for the remaining players to have to put away all by
themselves. Look around and see if there is any unused equipment that you could
help to put away. If you fold up even one table, it will be a big help to the
few tired players who remain. The club has
no paid leaders. It belongs to all of us and its success depends on each of us
putting in at least what we are taking out. That is both common sense... and
good etiquette.
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Player Etiquette
There is an established
culture in table tennis and a set of rules that players should follow
especially in tournaments. Following this etiquette will ensure your matches go
over smoothly without conflict Obey the Rules
There's nothing more frustrating than an opponent having an advantage over
you gained by breaking the rules. Unless you are in an official tournament,
most players are reluctant to "call out" their opponent for rule
violations (unless they are really obvious) just to "keep the peace."
But that doesn't mean your opponent isn't seething inside with bad feelings. In
such a case, it's likely that your opponent will avoid playing you in the
future. Don't be "that" player who gets a bad reputation for cheating
whether it's intentional or merely because of ignorance. Here are the most commonly
broken rules.
1
Service Toss: The rule most
often broken is when the player fails to toss the ball high enough before
striking it. Simply dropping the ball or hitting it out of your hand is not
acceptable and creates an unfair advantage by making it easier to generate more
spin.
2
Service Visibility Part 1: When tossing
the ball, your body must not cover the point of contact between the ball and
paddle. By hiding this contact, the server is able to disguise the serve
illegally. Usually the player will leave the free arm (the one that tossed the
ball) in front, covering the ball when it is struck. Please remove your free
arm so the receiver can see the serve.
3
Service Visibility Part 2: Once the ball
is in your open palm ready to serve, it must remain ABOVE and BEHIND the edge
of the table. In other words, it MUST remain visible above the table at all
times. It is common for players to drop their serving hand below the table
during the service motion--that is illegal and unfair.
4 Keeping
Score: It is the serve’s responsibility to call the
score before serving. Doing so avoids misunderstandings. The server’s score is
said first to avoid confusion. It is also a good idea to state the game score
at the end of each game.
Tournament
Day.
Give yourself plenty of time to get to the competition, and
include enough time for a good warm up as well. Time has a way of getting away
from you - you'd be surprised how often I've ended up going on the table for my
first match stone cold because I couldn't get my act together! If you are going to be there all day, make sure you have some
good food to eat - you can't guarantee you'll get anything suitable at the
venue. Some Gatorade or something similar for energy during play, and some
complex and simple carbohydrates for when you have a bit more time to eat. Once you arrive, report to the Tournament Committee at the
control desk. You are usually supposed to report in 10-15 minutes before the
start of the event, so don't forget to allow time for this. Check with the
Tournament Committee about whether there are any tables set aside for warming
up, or if not, whether you are allowed to warm up on the match tables. Get in a warm up before you start your event - but don't tire
yourself out before you start. Once you have got a light sweat going that
should be enough. Try to finish your warm up 5-10 minutes or so before your
match starts - much more than that and you might start to cool down again. Make
sure you keep yourself warm after the warm up by putting on your track suit if
necessary. Don't be afraid to ask other players for a warm up - just be
polite and don't take it personally if they say no - they may have already
warmed up or they may not be playing for quite a while and are saving their
energy. If you are a bit nervous about asking strangers to warm up then don't
worry, just do some jogging on the spot and then some stretches to get your
muscles ready to go. Keep track of the other beginners during the tournament,
and you can ask them to warm up with you next time! When warming up, try to get a table that is not next to any other
matches if possible. Stick to warming up, and don't goof around or make too
much noise. Take note of any matches nearby that are getting towards the end of
a game or match, and stop for a little while if necessary to avoid hitting your
ball onto their court. It can be
very frustrating for players in a tense situation to have their match
needlessly interrupted by other players who are just messing around on the next
court. If you are playing someone you don't know, introduce yourself
before the match starts and wish them luck. You'll probably be seeing them at
tournaments in the future, so it's a good idea to be friendly to everybody. If
you are lucky enough to have an umpire, introduce yourself to them as well, and
say your name clearly and distinctly, so the umpire will know who you are and
will also have a reasonable chance of pronouncing your name correctly! Nets &
Edges: Nothing is a better show of sportsmanship than simply being honest.
If the opponent's shot barely nicks the table or your winning serve nicked the
net, be honest about it and call a let serve or award the point to your
opponent who earned it. You will be respected for your honesty. Note: The rules
changed many years ago so that once a ball passes the end of the table THE
POINT IS LOST--it doesn't matter if your opponent hits it or not. Inspecting
the Opponent's Racket
You are permitted by the rules to inspect your opponent's racket before your
match. Don't touch the rubber on the playing surface (it's okay to touch it at
the bottom where the labeling is). Touching the surface transfers the oils on
your fingers to the surface and degrades it, so many people will take offense,
especially if you touch the middle or sweet spot.
If you can, just look at the rubber, don't rub the surface. There's not much to
be gained from feeling the surface anyways. As long as you know whether it's an
inverted (smooth), anti-spin or pips-out rubber, you should be good to go.
Once a match has started, neither player can change rackets unless the racket
becomes unfit for play (e.g., broken handle, rubber comes loose, etc.) Warming Up
Before
starting a match, it's customary to have a structured warm-up with your
opponent for 1-2 minutes ONLY. In practice situations when either player has
not warmed up at all a longer warm-up is acceptable. But if players are waiting
for the table then the warm-up should NEVER be longer than 10 minutes. (If no
one is waiting...who cares?)
PLEASE NOTE: It's a WARM-UP...so don't try to "win" the point. That's
rude. If you ACCIDENTALLY mis-hit the ball off the table or to a place that
your opponent wasn't expecting it (since this is a WARM-UP), then apologize and
continue the warm up routine. During a warm-up you are trying to be consistent
so concentrate on feeding your opponent good balls (and your opponent should do
likewise).
Block for your opponent. Undoubtedly they'll want to warm up their loop, so you
need to passively block to let them do that. If you block it back too fast or
keep smashing the ball back, they can't comfortably warm up their strokes.
Typical Warm up: If you watch the
pros play, they generally follow a structured flow as follows:
Forehand-to-forehand rally (30 seconds). Simply hit back and forth to your
forehands (this assumes both of you are righties or lefties). These are regular
counter hits, not loops. One player starts looping (20
seconds) and the other should block passively to allow them to loop
comfortably. Other player
starts looping (20 seconds). The first player will stop looping and start to
block back passively, this indicates that they're done looping.
Apologizing for Nets and Edges
It is customary to lift your index finger as an apology when you win a point
due to an accidental net or edge shot. Since the point wasn't won due to skill,
but rather luck, this is a suggested motion. Celebrating these unfortunate
points will anger a lot of players.
Excessive "Cho'ing" and
Shouting
Many players, including professionals, will shout in celebration.
"Cho" is the most common word of celebration. While celebration is
good, excessive (and excessively loud) celebration is often considered rude and
distracting. Loud celebration at a tournament can be a major distraction to
players in the court next to you.
Towel Breaks, Timeouts, & Advice
Each player is allowed only a single one-minute timeout per match.
Likewise, the break between games should never exceed one minute.
A towel break is permitted after every six points (e.g., 1-5, 3-3, 4-8, 10-2,
9-9, etc). This is a very short break just to towel off and play must resume as
soon as possible. During a towel break (or any time out situation) the racket
must be left on the table.
No player may receive advice once a match has started EXCEPT from a single
coach during the break between matches or the allotted one-minute time out.
Spectators and team members may not give advice unless designated as the
player's coach before the match. Any kind of coaching during play of the
match--verbal or otherwise--is DISTRACTING and RUDE to your opponent.
Shaking Hands
When a match is over, it is customary to shake the hands of the opponent,
the umpire(s), and the opponent's coach (as well as your own coach). This is
the proper sign of respect.
Practice Matches
During practice sessions you may "challenge" the winner at a
table for the next game. Generally, players should try to only challenge
opponents who are close to you in ability. But if you happen to be the better
player challenged by a weaker player, be a good sport about it. Play your game
but there is no reason you have to be arrogant and try to humiliate a fellow
club member. If the difference in playing ability is too much, use the time as
a chance to "give back" and coach the lower-level player and perhaps
do some practice drills.
Setup and Teardown
It is just common courtesy for all players (unless physically handicapped)
to help with setting up and tearing down the tables and barriers. If you are at
the club late and it looks like play is winding down for the night, take down
the net, fold up your table, and put away the barriers! If not sure where
something should go, just ask!
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