Table tennis is a popular sport that has been around for decades. It is a game of skill and strategy, and it is played by two or four players. Participants are grouped according to their USATT league rankings. A new player will receive an estimated rating.
Players play against all other members of their group, with the goal of winning the group and improving their league standings. The recommended format for table tennis leagues is the best 5 to 11, depending on the number of players and the time available. According to the official rules of table tennis, the game is played on a rectangular wooden table measuring 2.74 x 153 meters and is divided into two halves. The player stands on the square of the table, holds the paddle with an open face, and returns the ball using the side of the paddle that faces the table. Under the rules of table tennis, a player can win a game by scoring 11 points, with one point awarded for each violation. The number of games per match must be an odd number (usually 1, 3, 5, or 7 games).
If one team has an unbeatable advantage, the match can end early. Table tennis was first included in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and has been a fixture of the Games ever since. If the number of players in a league is not divisible by four, some groups will have an adjusted number of players. Table tennis competitions initially had singles and doubles categories when it was introduced at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. The server must hold the ball with an open palm, throw it upwards, and hit it so that it first bounces off their side of the table before bouncing over the net to the other side. The goal in table tennis is to hit the ball in such a way that your opponent doesn't make contact with it, which gives you a point.
If the ball hits the net and doesn't bounce off your opponent's half, or hits it above the net and out of bounds without coming into contact with the table, your opponent gets a point. The receiver can return it by hitting it above the net and in the middle of your opponent's table. The winner has the option of serving first, receiving first, or choosing which side of the table they want to play on. The league director starts each league with a list of potential players in order of their scoring. Table tennis became very popular in Asia after arriving on the continent in the 1950s, which has since been a breeding ground for some of the best players in the world.
