Table tennis, more commonly called pingpong, is played on a hard table with an orange or white ball. This fast-paced game originated in England at the end of the 19th century. A line of books served as the original net, and rules would vary. The game quickly caught on, and the International Table Tennis Federation was founded in 1926, according to the University of Florida. These days, the game rules for play and equipment are standardized.
Points
Table tennis games are played to 11 points. Players win matches by gaining the most victories in an odd number of games, such as the best of three or five. When there’s a tie at 10 points, a player needs to achieve a two-point lead to win, according to USA Table Tennis rules.
Service
The ball is required to rest on the server’s open palm before he throws the ball into the air, hits it so that it strikes in his court, and then sails over the net and bounces in the receiver’s court. The ball cannot be hidden from the receiver by anything the server wears or carries during service, according to USA Table Tennis rules. A player who does not serve correctly loses a point, unless there is a let.
Let
The ball is a let if it touches the net but goes over into the other player’s court during the serve. It’s also a let if the receiving player is not ready to start play when the ball is served, and does not try to return the ball, advises Si Wasserman’s book “Table Tennis.” The ball is replayed when there is a let.
Scoring
Players score points on each rally in which the ball is returned after being served. A player loses the point if he does not return the ball, the ball is returned but does not hit the table in the opponent’s court, if he obstructs the ball, if he touches the ball twice on a return, if he touches or moves the playing surface or net with anything he’s wearing or carrying, or if his free hand touches the playing surface, according to USA Table Tennis.
Equipment Rules
The playing surface for table tennis is rectangular in shape. Its dimensions are 2.74 m long by 1.525 m wide. It has a plane parallel to the floor and 76 cm above the ground. The net is 15.25 cm high. The ball is required to have a diameter of 40 mm and weigh 2.7 g, according to the University of Florida.
About this Author
Linda Tarr Kent is a reporter and editor with 20 years’ experience at Gannett Company Inc., The McClatchy Company, Sound Publishing Inc., Mach Publishing, MomFit The Movement and other companies. Her area of expertise is health and fitness. She is a Bosu fitness and stand-up paddle surfing instructor. Tarr Kent holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Washington State University.
