Basic Table Tennis Gameplay Rules

Table tennis is a game that can be for fun or for a competitive match.

Like many sports, table tennis has a governing body that determines the rules of the game. The basic rules set by the International Table Tennis Federation, whether the match is being played at the Olympics or in your basement, are fairly easy to follow.

Starting the Game

Start the game by by flipping a coin to deciding who will serve first. If you are playing with friends, you can hide the ball in your hand and put both hands under the table. The other person then chooses which hand the ball is in. If he guesses correctly, he can choose to serve first or pick a side of the table. If he chooses the end of the table he would like to play at, you can decide who serves first and vice versa.

Serving

Stand behind the end of the table when serving. Hold the ball in the hand that is not being used for the racket and throw the ball up in the air. Hit the ball with the racket as it comes back down, making sure it bounces on both sides of the table and net. If the ball touches the net but makes it to your opponent's side of the table, the serve has to be done again. After a successful serve, your opponent hits the ball back to your side of the table, making sure it bounces only on the server's side. Each player gets two turns to serve.

Games and matches

There are three, five or seven games in a match. Each game is played to 11 points, but you must win by two. After each game, the opposite person serves first, and you switch sides.

Scoring Points

You score points in table tennis for several different reasons. If your opponent blocks the ball with his clothing or parts of his body or hits the ball before it bounces, you score a point unless it was not going to hit your side of the table. If your opponent hits the table and moves or touches the net or table with the hand that isn't being used to play, you get a point. If your opponent fails to hit the ball when it is being served or is unable to return it to your side of the table, you score a point. If your opponent allows the ball to bounce on her side of the table twice or fails to hit the ball after it has bounced once, you get a point. If she hits the ball twice when the ball is in play, that also result in a point.

References

• Table Tennis: Table Tennis Rules
• All About Table Tennis: Rules of Table Tennis