Everything You Need to Know to Play Ping Pong (Rules of the Game)
Introduction
One of the best things about table tennis is that you don’t really need to know the rules to have fun. Countless people have grabbed a paddle to goof around with their friends at the table. Hours of fun can be had mindlessly bumping a ball back and forth. But eventually, everyone gets a bit of a competitive edge to them and want to start keeping score. However, in order to keep score, you need to know the rules. Don’t worry! It’s not complicated. The rules are pretty straightforward and easy to remember which is part of what makes the game so appealing to so many people.
Serving
Each game has to start somehow and with ping pong, it’s all about the serve. Determining who gets to serve first is traditionally done by flipping a coin, but there are more casual ways to decide including “rallying”, spinning a racket, or guessing which hand the ball is in. Winner of the mini-game gets to decide whether they want to serve or receive.
To perform a proper serve, the server holds the ball in an open palm and tosses it up at least six inches before striking the ball so it bounces on their side of the net before landing on the receiver’s side. It is important that the ball is visible at all times (above the table), behind the end line (not over the table), and tossed straight up to ensure a fair serve.
If the ball hits the net before landing on the receiver’s side, a “let” is called and the serve is re-played. If the serve does not bounce on the server’s side first or fails to land on the receiver’s side, the point goes to the receiver. Each player gets two serves, then service alternates to their opponent. If the score reaches 10-10, service changes after every point.
Rallying & Scoring
A regulation table tennis game goes up to 11 points and must be won by at least 2 points. This means, if the score is 10-10, the game continues until one player gets a 2 point advantage. Games used to go up to 21 points but was shortened to 11 in 2001. Some players still choose to play to 21 to lengthen the games.
Once the ball is in play following a successful serve, it must bounce on the receiver’s side of the table before the player can return it. If a player attempts to return a ball before it bounces on their side of the table, a point is awarded to their opponent. This means no volleying! Rallies will continue until a player is either unable to properly return a shot or a foul is committed. The most common ways points are scored are:
- if the ball bounces twice before the receiver can return it
- the receiver fails to return the ball
- the return fails to land on the opponent’s side of the table. This includes returns that hit the net and do not bounce over onto the opponent’s side
Some other ways to score points include:
- Touching the ball with anything other than your racket or playing hand
- Obstructing the ball before it can bounce on the table
- Intentional double hits
- Moving the table, touching the table with your non-playing hand, or touching the net
Doubles
A great way to increase the fun and get more people involved is to play Doubles. As the name suggests, each team consists of two players. The game plays as normal, but teammates must alternate hitting the ball during rallies and take turns serving. Hitting out of turn will result in a point awarded to the opposing team. In other words, you have to be quick on your feet to avoid getting in your partner’s way!
When serving in Doubles, the serve must come from the right side of the table and cross diagonally to land on the opposing team’s right-hand side. This is to prevent teammates from running into each other during serves. As service alternates, you and your partner will switch starting positions. Simply put, you will always serve to the same person throughout the game and the person you are serving to will serve to your partner.
Conclusion
Ping Pong is a lot of fun and can be a great competitive outlet. Whether you’re playing for bragging rights at the office or a gold medal at the Olympics, everyone has to follow the same set of rules. Of course, there are more detailed rules regarding some of the more technical aspects of the game, but you should now know enough to start playing properly and having fun.
