TIME's Best Inventions of 2008

The Other 49 Best Inventions

Anatoly Maltsev / EPA

36. The New Ping-Pong Serve

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German Olympian Dimitrij Ovtcharov's serve isn't about power. It's about weirdness. Crouching to table-level, he peers over his paddle and executes a hand dance before launching the ball at his opponent, who is probably too dumbfounded to respond. Which, of course, is the point.

See pictures of the 2008 Olympics.

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