Of course the forehand service has NOT been banned. The AGM added the provision of removing the free arm from in front of the body as soon as the ball leaves the palm of the free hand. There are many ways to perform the forehand service while still respecting this rule. It just means that the ball can not be hidden by the free arm during the service action.
Adham Sharara
Dear Mr Sharara
I have been told that in the 2003-04 handbook the new rule states that the free arm must be removed from the space between the server's body and the net.
This would mean it is impossible to comply with the rule if you stand side-on to the table to serve on the forehand, because of the way the arm is attached to the body! The only way of complying with the rule now is to face the table or stand with the side holding the bat closer to the table. In other words forehand serves are no longer allowed.
Is this true or is it just a misunderstanding or a misinterpretation? If it is true who changed the wording of this rule? There was no vote on whether a forehand serve should be banned at the AGM and therefore how is it that the rule to immediately remove the freearm, which seems like a simple rule change, has ended up banning the use of the widely used forehand serve!
I do hope this is just a misunderstanding and the forehand serve has not been banned and i hope you can get back to me on this matter
