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Paul Kovac	See if you can Stump the Ump... E-mail questions to Paul Kovac - your friendly on-line USATT umpire. Please note: Questions which have answers that are easily found by consulting the rules may not merit a reply.

Q: Can a player, prior to serving the ball to his opponent, perform a process of bouncing the ball off the table, catching it, bouncing the ball of his paddle, catching it, and repeating this 'ritual' several times before serving? I, as the opponent, find it disruptive.

- submitted by Dale Warfel

A: Players should bear in mind that TT Rules are written with the understanding that every match has been assigned a qualified umpire who decides the outcome of each rally, matters of disturbance or violation of continuity of play. In a tournament, there must be a way for players to get an umpire assigned to their table if they wish so. They should ask for an umpire at the first occasion when there is a dispute. They should do that without losing any energy arguing. Arguments at the table are counterproductive, and seldom yield results without one party feeling cheated.

The situation you describe is not addressed in the Rules of TT. It could belong to the category of "continuity of play" or "disturbance". Since the Rules do not specifically prohibit the kind of behavoir you describe, when a qualified umpire who could be the judge of the severity of the situation is not present, players themselves have to come to some agreement.

- answered by Paul Kovac - your friendly on-line USATT umpire