Why Yoshimura Serve is so effective? 

► Read more: pingsunday.com/the-secret-of-yoshimuras-serve/

Yoshimura Serve is very effective because he brushes the ball first with his head (for additional spin) and then the rubber.

It is illegal, ball cannot be hidden from opponent at ' any point' after toss.

The name of his serve is called “illegal”? Hey I realised that the other players like Xuxin made the same errors

The serve is illegal. This is no "opinion" it is a FACT. In the ITTF rules from 2019 it says: "From the start of service until it is struck, the ball shall be above the level of the playing surface and behind the server's end line, and it shall not be hidden from the receiver by the server or his or her doubles partner or by anything they wear or carry." So it is not a question whether he hides it during the contact point, because the ball must be visible from the moment he throws it upwards till the moment he strikes it. He clearly hides the ball with his head. And it is written: "... it shall not be hidden from the RECEIVER..." So whether the umpire sees the ball or not is not important. It is the receiver who must see it. If the umpire sees it, but the receiver does not, it is illegal. There is no discussion. Yoshimuras serve is illegal, because he hides the ball with his head and the receiver cannot see the ball. The fact, that nearly all top players hide the ball with their head (Ito, Lin Yun Ju, Petrissa Solja, and so many more) doesnt make it legal. It makes them all cheaters.

His serve is very borderline. The umpires need to call him on it more frequently to keep him honest.

1:05 Xu Xin exe. Stopped Working

He is playing against world players in a world competition who never complained about his serve at any point in all his competitions..Do we have here the right to say its illegal? If we do so, then we are far better than the whole world class players and the organization. just some points to ponder....

It makes me so salty to see that. Many pros have used and still use illegal/borderline serve and he's not the one that we should blame. But I don't have respect for any player having such a borderline serve because I think that it's disrespectful/unfair for the opponent.

I could imagine how a left-handed player standing on the same side of the table as Yoshimura would have difficult time seeing the contact point of his serve. Xu Xin's trouble as shown in your video exemplifies this point. Timo Bol's recent loss to Yoshimura is another example. For a right-handed player standing diagonally across Yoshimura probably can see the serves better. But in my opinion, dipping his head while serving appears intentional to obscure the contact point, and thus his serves should be deemed illegal.

maybe hugo calderano receptive position can see this contact point

"this is illegal"😅

ITTF rule 2.6.4 states "From the start of service until it is struck, the ball shall be above the level of the playing surface and behind the server's end line, and it shall not be hidden from the receiver by the server or his or her doubles partner or by anything they wear or carry."

NOT SURE WHY WE ARE PICKING ON YOSHIMURA; look at Xu Xin or many many many other players and freeze frame during flight or at contact and the ball is not in sight!

"This is illegal. And this is the main reason that his server is very effective." BRUH haha 1:46

I can't entirely agree that his serves are illegal; they are probably closest to but definitely not illegal. The video clearly shows he covers the ball but not at the moment of impact, which is what decides the legality. The serves are very spiny, but its strength comes from his deceiving strategy at the very moment when it touches the ball.

Isn’t this just an aggressive reverse pendulum ?

the ball must be seen for as long as it is in the air... 100% illegal

I have noted many comments saying this serve is illegal so I am really wondering why it has been allowed to play for so many games at international levels? Were all those games illegal then and we all watched unfair games and competitions??? Are those umpires not qualified??

Others are doing it(hiding the contact) so why do you only show his stlye? Is it because yoshimura embarrasses top chinese players who have a hard time returning his serve? I believe that even without hiding it, the opponents will still be guessing which kind of serve yoshimura will do because the serve is fast and it has the same motion. Soon, the chinese will copying that serve if they haven't done it yet (they are good at copying/ reproducing fake stuff anyway).

LA CHINA VA A DAR LAS PAUTAS DE QUÉ SERVICIO ES LEGAL Y CUÁL NO... QUÉ CAGUÉ DE RISA ELLOS QUIEREN QUÉ SUS JUGADORES TENGAN TODO EN BANDEJA...ELLOS JUEGAN LAPICERO,CON RAQUETAS CON UNA SOLA GOMA,CON MANGOS MAS CORTOS Y CON TACO SIN EMBARGO EL SERVICIO DEL JAPONÉS NO ES LEGAL???????????

Coach EmRathich is absolutely correct in everything ! It's a borderline serve just like many, many players (in terms of hiding) ! I was particularly interested in this topic because I have a similar serve (but I am not Maharu !). The difference is that I don't use my head in front, this requires a lot of training since one must be sooooo precise with perfect timing ! What makes this serve deadly is the fact that the execution is LIGHTNING FAST using an exact similar motion. Just like a magician with a deck of cards, his hands move the same way but the cards move differently. In my case, opponents complain very often about being a net-ball, because the kick serve sometimes is soo fast (when they expect an underspin serve) they DON'T understand why... and figure it must of clipped the net ! Conclusion: this is a purely tactical strategy against top players (the head hiding) because until he's told he cannot do it ....HE JUST WON'T CHANGE IT! There was a Polish national player that he would kill everyone with his serve "while laying his left arm and body practically on the table and serving under his body. When the new rule kicked in he quit. I am also curious, if we start making everything illegal then what is fun about our game ?! Just be creative within the rules. Also if you SNAKE a ball........ should that be illegal because you don't see it ?! Or hit the ball from behind your back ? I think that it is spectacular and that becomes very attractive to watch. Just like in other sports ... "dribbling" in soccer is a way doing : "Now you see it now you don't !" - and people like to see that !!! If we start making rules that referees cannot act accordingly then it becomes chaotic .. like some matches that I have seen where the Ref keeps taking away points from the players, just ridiculous. BTW, if Maharu would serve without the hiding of the head against a "normal good" player, him the opponent WOULD STILL MAKE A RETURN MISTAKE, GUARANTEED ! ... he is just VERY FAST. (Sorry if I was a bit long... but I hate this service rule which nobody can judge properly) P.S. I love our game

The biggest problem is the rule itself. It says you're not allowed to hide the ball from the opponent, but how can the umpire see that so clearly while sitting aside the table? Secondly, what if the receiver goes to the right corner, so that he can't see the tossed ball any longer? Should then the serving opponent adapt his serve? Maybe we'd need some rule changes and some slow-motion cameras to judge on every serve unprejudiced immediately during the match. But one more question? Why do you care so much about the serve rules and so little about the booster rules?

In table tennis,when you hide the ball contact,it is illegal..definitely..players like yoshimura is not profesional...better you lose the game with fair play styles rather than illegal serves🤦

I am a good player in Belgium for my age and I am left-handed. I have a lot of problems with the serves on higher niveau because of the fact that I can 't see it because I am left-handed. They said to me that if the umpire can see the ball it is not illegal but I find this not really fair because I try to serve everytime legal. In this case you see that left-handed players will have a lot of more problems Than right-handed players. I find this not fair as Good player.

110 % ILLEGAL !!! HE SHOULD AT LEAST BE WARNED☝️. IF HE KEEPS DOING IT, HE SHOULD BE DISQUALIFIED✋👉.

Can you make a video for the correct technique for chopping and moves to intervene with chopping and the technique for backspin

“This is illegal.” Burying the lead here... 😂

One reason why Yoshimura serve can be spinny is because he jerk the racket at point of ball contact , thus generating great amount of spin with sudden short movement making it hard to read the spin. You can clearly see the jerking from his movement.

Not only this is heavy underspin serve but this is also heavy illegal serve.

U are partial. There are many chinese player who use their hand and body to hide service 🤨🤔🙄

I need to develop a serve that's borderline. I will win a lot more matches because my serves now are too legal....

I thought the rules were changed a long time ago about serving - one of which is open palm; the other one is once tossed, the opponent is supposed to be able to see the ball. I can only see it in slow motion. I gave up TT a long time ago due to failing eye-sight; not sure what the new rules regarding serves are! Many thanks for a great video.

ITTF needs to enforce strict rules. There should be post match video analysis. Not just Yoshimura, but many players cheat including Chinese. And why is tuning/boosting of the rubbers still allowed ? They should ban all the players who boost their rubbers.

Illegal , 51 % because der Referees Sleeping with open eyes, therewhere 49 % legal. The wrist position before contact the ball ist the key ... for the player, which return it (...)

Hey, don't be too hard to Yoshimura - he's just a fan of 90s tabletennis *ironyoff*

I will name this Ultra Hyper Head Serve...more cool name thou

It seems like a few people read the rules on serves. The ball is to be tossed upwards, and not to be obstructed by body or clothing. Its not even just the point of contact that can't be obscured. But really only Samsonov serves properly at the pro level, at least consistently.

Xu Xin and Timo Boll are both left-handed players! Do right-handed players have the same Problem with this serve?

Cheaters gonna cheat

Thanks for the video , i think if the opponent can't see the contact point , he probably would protest , and the empire will pay more attention

The name of his serve should be Pee-ka-boo!

Use short pips to receive it easily 😎

Its jenius....

Many players at the professional-level have illegal serve and hide the flight or contact point or ignore other service rules; especially left-handers who turn body anti-clockwise and throw the ball towards themselves with pendulum serve; players use head or free hand to block or obscure; many players have the ball touching their fingers on throw up or the ball is not free in the palm,; often ball is not thrown vertically or close but towards body to hide or towards blade to increase spin! NOT SURE WHY WE ARE PICKING ON YOSHIMURA; look at Xu Xin or many many many other players and freeze frame during flight or at contact and the ball is not in sight! The interpretation of the rules needs to be tightened for ALL players if you are to start calling this. And I wish they would because the service rules are not followed at all and this leads to club players doing the same, and who can blame them.

This video could have been 20 seconds long and ended after, "this is illegal"

If the opponent can't see the contact, then it is illegal, but the player should say so to the umpire, because from the umpire's viewing angle, it may look legal. Many players also don't throw the ball up vertically either, which is technically illegal as well, but many umpires let it go, as long as it isn't blatantly obvious. It depends on the umpire - some practically shut down a match, because one of the players is hiding contact, not throwing vertically, or throwing the ball over, or in front of, the base line, but can't seem to serve any other way. This is where the coach should have stepped in to correct the problem, before it becomes ingrained. I use the Hook serve, which is difficult to do if throwing the ball perfectly vertical, so if the umpire repeatedly calls a foul, I can switch to my backhand serve, which I can throw vertically. You must have a back-up serve, with a perfectly vertical toss, just in case you get a pedantic umpire.

If serve is illegal why don't xuxin takes objection about it?

You guys are crying over something that has been the biggest problem in TT aside from boosting. Most of the pros hide the ball either with the body or the head. Heck, throwing the ball to the direction of the body is an illegal serve. Which means 99% of the pros. As for hiding with the body or the head? Every Chinese player does it and so do 99% of the pro. Ma Long's serve is illegal as he hides the contact point with his body. The only serve that is not illegal is Samsonov's and somewhat Boll.

His serve is legal, because players and umpires are on the floor of the court. But camera of these videos are located above players and umpires head. Those cameras are set outside court and as a matter of fact, cameras are about 3 meter high or higher. Therefore cameras are looking down on players. In my opinion, those cameras should be attached on umpires forehead(like mining worker), so nobody is fooled by camera angles.

Well. It is illeagal no doubt. But many chinese players also do that. Yoshimura is not the only one. All chinese players boost their rubbers with different type of boosters/oils. Is it legal ? ITTF is unfortunately not acting on it and therefore people do cheat.

Just because he makes it hard to see, doesn’t make it illegal. I can see the contact point on this video. As long as the umpire can see the contact point, he will not call it, according to the international umpire I know.

This is illegal for sure. The only way umpires can see this is if there are more umpires added to TT games like tennis line referees. They should have replays where if the opponent questions the service, TV umpires can confirm. Time to get more technical with Hawkeye and other technology.

They really need to make a new serve rule, where the ball stays in front of the body at all times. No more serving behind the head or a torso

Because all his serves are illegal

Like many other sports now, with CTTV, umpires should call time out and scrutinize dodgy serves then make appropriate decisions. That'll stamp out ALL illegal/borderline serves.

Great thanks for your explanation. Illegal or not, i think, camera could be installed on the on the adverse player to show it It's impossible for the umpire to see that

Nearly all serves with crossed legs are potentially illegal, depending on the position of the opponent. Hook serves like Pär Gerell's are borderline too. It could be very simple: both umpires need to see the ball during the full trajectory. If not, fault. But table tennis is very forgiving for dishonorable behavior, like Harimoto's screams, which have now become commonplace and hidden serves.

The contract point isn't hidden... The racket face is hidden except the top where ball make contact... This makes it difficult to see the skin angle

This is an illegal serve! Lowering the head like that should be banned and players also should receive a yellow card if this illegal technique is applied.

His serve is so effective, because the most of them are illegal. I look a Serve Video with him on speed. 80% of his servers was illegal.

It is time for the ITTF to stop players serving illegally. The rules state that it is up to the player to ensure that the umpire can clearly see if a serve is legal. Umpires need to enforce the service rule.

Why so much of you said it is illegal serve??... His opponent n referee never judge it.... Are you ok??...

The important rule is : if the empire is not sure the serve is legal, he must count it as illegal. That's all ! When will the umpires begin to make their job ?

Because it's illegal.

Ther are different levels of illegal; toss, toss height, contact. The most illegal is contact where the opponent cannot see the ball because it is hidden.

Hello, could you please give me the links to the original videos of Yoshimuras service practice? Thank you very much

If it is illegal and the referees don't call it why don't his opponents complain about not seeing the contact point?

I used to like your former videos about TT techniques. But not now anymore. Your opinion becomes blinded and biased. I am sure that if the player who does the exact serves as Yoshimura's serves, and he is a Chinese player, you will pop up a video, saying "Oh ... What a fantastic serve ", "Oh...Amazing serve !!"

I think the admin here doesn't know the rules of table tennis. His serve is now illegal as most of his serves hide under his head.

One word . Cheater.

Its legal, because he clearly release the ball and contact to the racket, its fault by his opponent thats hard to see the spin.

If the opponent can't see the point of contact is clearly ilegal. It's the opponent who needs to see it not the umpire.

The question is not why it's so effective, the question is why referees don't consider it illegal

PingPong fan is here. Nice to know this serve

Would it be technically possible to achieve a good "upside down serve" while still keeping the ball visible to both the umpire and the opponent at all time?

If you are wondering what XUXIN said when interviewed he stated in that particular excerpt: "我的觉得他的发球还是非常特点和其他的人不一样"~ " I feel his serve is very characteristic and very different compared to others" As for it being an 'upside down serve' that is very descriptive however I always thought serves were classified according to their spin type as opposed to the service motion I don't know I love pingsunday vids however I just have to comment when I see or disagree about something. I hope he does not take it personally HE probably comes across my comments and thinks there's that prick again.

2:30 the name of his serve should be "The cheap shot". Why don't the referees stop this?

It's called reverse pendulum serve actually

if it's so illegal, why hasnt any umpire or opponent call him out on it???

he covers the ball with his face and throws it backwards, not vertically.

Hey EmRat,The hardness of backhand rubber always has to be FH - 2 (ESN scale)? How to compare que hardness of the rubbers since each one has different scales?

He also doesn’t throw the ball straight up.

If it’s illegal why ITTF have not banned this serve.?

i think its illegal... since we must show the contact point to the opponent

Illegal

1:05 xu xin wtf face

"the service is legal or not" feels like how to call a foul in soccer or basketball game players sometimes need to play inside the grey area to get more advantage in the competition

Topspin and under-sidespin, not backspin.

Dear EmRatThich, it's very important what you do. Please analize Ovcharov serve too. In the same Zen-Noh 2019 Team World Cup against Harimoto, Dima was serving with a parabola that was really far from being vertical... for me is illegal, but I woud like your opinion!

Serv-ping Serv-pong is the new game , i prefer some rally , it is more interesting.

Illegal serve.

Coach, there is a new talented Japanese player Uda Yukiya. In my humble opinion, I believe that he has one of the most powerful forehands on the Japanese team. Please look him up. Thankyou.

“It is illegal and therefore effective”

Illegal service,ball must be visible all the time.

There are so few rules in table tennis, and the ITTF cannot even seem to manage the most important rule. Why even create the rule if there are no umps behind the receiver? And the ITTF scratches its head as to why there are only 200 in attendance to see a world cup final of some of the world's most highly trained athletes. If I had 30,000 hours of my time in training for TT, I would be furious at the governing body's incompetence.

I disagree with the statement that the contact point is behind his head. During the video when this claim was made you can clearly see the actual contact happens right below his chin. So though he starts the motion and at a certain point in time the ball is behind his head, the actual contact point is right below his chin for the backspin serve. and, we can’t forget the fact that he’s played many many matches at a very top level, I’m sure an umpire or two would have already called him out on his so-called illegal serves.

1:10 ILLEGAL SERVE. The ball is obscured by his head. RULE: the ball has to visible to opponent the entire time. Yes, illegal serves are usually more effective.

Why Japan team(women team ITO) always would like to use body masking serve? You know you can cheat umpires and viewers once time but haven't twice. Once you get a punish score, then you will feel upset and lose the game.

Ilegal sem duvida, a bola nao deve ser ocultada por nenhuma parte do corpo em sua trajetória ate ao contato com a raquete, como a bola passa por trás da cabeça e é ocultada a visão do oponente por um breve período o saque é ilegal.