The Basic Table Tennis Rules: Learning To Play The Game

By Author: Scott Torsin
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For a friendly, non-professional way of playing table tennis, these are the basic rules that you should follow:

1. Choose the scoring format at the start of the game. Official table tennis games are played until one player reaches 11 points. However, the match can also be played as a best of 3, 5, or 7 games, depending upon the agreement of the players. Just keep in mind that you cannot win by a single point. A player should be ahead by 2 points before he or she can be declared as the winner.

2. Serve the ball by releasing it from the palm of your hands. Toss the ball upwards to reach the height of approximately six inches above the table. Strike the ball downward, making it bounce on your side of the table and into your opponent's side. The ball should not touch the net during the serve. It if does, it is termed as a let serve. Let serves are not scored but reserved.

3. Hit the ball after it had bounced off the table. It is illegal to volley the ball before it has touched the table's surface. The ball should bounce once on each side as it travels from one player to another. If it so happens that the player ...
... hit the ball too hard it missed the table altogether, the point goes to the other player. In table tennis, the table where the game is played sets the boundaries.

4. In a doubles game, a player should serve diagonally from the right side of their court into their opponent's right. The white line painted across the table divides the left and right court. However, in a singles game, these lines don't mean anything. Players can take the ball anywhere during a serve. Cross-court, straight, short, or long - there are no restrictions.

5. The ball or the table cannot be touched by the player's free hand during play. If this happens, the player who committed the offense loses the point. The ball should freely bounce on the table during a rally. Only the paddles are allowed to hit it. The player's clothing should not touch the net as well.

6. Players cannot hit the ball twice in a row. If you fail to hit the ball either on a serve or after your opponent had sent it back to your court, then your opponent takes the point. It also follows that your paddle is not allowed to hit the ball successively.

These rules should be sufficient for you to play a good game of table tennis with friends. If you want to play professionally, you will need to learn the more complicated rules as set by the International Table Tennis Federation.