Games
Table Tennis
One of the most confusing aspects of any sport for beginners is learning and understanding all the rules of the game. Ping-pong is no different, and sometimes it is even harder due to the constant rule changes in some areas, such as the service rule.As a beginner, it’s nice to be told which basic table tennis rules are the ones that you need to know straightaway, and also to have a bit of an explanation about some of the tricky aspects. So that’s what we are going to do in this article.
The player who first wins 21 points, unless both players shall have scored 20 points, in which case the one who first wins 2 points more than his opponent, shall win a game.The choice of ends and who shall first serve shall be by toss of coin. If the winner’s choice is ends, the other shall have choice of service, and vice-versa.The playing surface shall be uniformly dark coloured and matt, but with a white side line, 2cm wide, along each 2.74m edge and a white end line, 2cm wide, along each 1.525m edge.The playing surface shall be divided into 2 equal courts by a vertical net running parallel with the end lines, and shall be continuous over the whole area of each court.
Each player serves two points in a row and then switch server. However, if a score of 10-10 is reached in any game, then each server serves only one point and then the server is switched. After each game, the players switch side of the table. In the final game (ie 5th game), the players switch side again after either player reaches 5 points.The ball must rest on an open hand palm. Then it must be tossed up at least 6 inches and struck so the ball first bounces on the server’s side and then the opponent’s side.The serve must be made from behind the end line. The server puts the ball into play by tossing it into the air from the palm of one hand and striking it with the paddle (held in the other hand) so that it hits his/her own court. The ball must go over the net and hit the receiver’s court. The receiver must return the ball over the net so that it hits the server’s court. Play continues until one player fails to make a legal return. The opponent then scores a point.
One of the most confusing aspects of any sport for beginners is learning and understanding all the rules of the game. Ping-pong is no different, and sometimes it is even harder due to the constant rule changes in some areas, such as the service rule.As a beginner, it’s nice to be told which basic table tennis rules are the ones that you need to know straightaway, and also to have a bit of an explanation about some of the tricky aspects. So that’s what we are going to do in this article.
The player who first wins 21 points, unless both players shall have scored 20 points, in which case the one who first wins 2 points more than his opponent, shall win a game.The choice of ends and who shall first serve shall be by toss of coin. If the winner’s choice is ends, the other shall have choice of service, and vice-versa.The playing surface shall be uniformly dark coloured and matt, but with a white side line, 2cm wide, along each 2.74m edge and a white end line, 2cm wide, along each 1.525m edge.The playing surface shall be divided into 2 equal courts by a vertical net running parallel with the end lines, and shall be continuous over the whole area of each court.
Each player serves two points in a row and then switch server. However, if a score of 10-10 is reached in any game, then each server serves only one point and then the server is switched. After each game, the players switch side of the table. In the final game (ie 5th game), the players switch side again after either player reaches 5 points.The ball must rest on an open hand palm. Then it must be tossed up at least 6 inches and struck so the ball first bounces on the server’s side and then the opponent’s side.The serve must be made from behind the end line. The server puts the ball into play by tossing it into the air from the palm of one hand and striking it with the paddle (held in the other hand) so that it hits his/her own court. The ball must go over the net and hit the receiver’s court. The receiver must return the ball over the net so that it hits the server’s court. Play continues until one player fails to make a legal return. The opponent then scores a point.
