Table tennis, also known as ping pong, is a popular sport that requires players to follow certain rules and regulations. To ensure a fair game, it is important to understand the five essential rules of table tennis. The first rule is to stay behind the table. Players must remain behind the table at all times during the game.
This rule applies to both singles and doubles matches. The second rule is that a game is played with 11 points. A player must win by two points in order to win the game. Usually, one game is the best of three out of five games.
The third rule is that there are five types of illegal serves in table tennis. To ensure fairness, players must follow the official rules for serving table tennis. The ball must be thrown upwards and at least 16 cm away from the free arm. The angle should be below 30 degrees.
The most “annoying” and “illegal” service is the “hidden service”, which occurs when the ball is not thrown high enough. The fourth rule is that if a ball bounces off the net after hitting an opponent's side of the table (due to an extreme turn), without your opponent touching it, that's your point. In doubles matches, teammates must hit balls alternately on a rally, no matter where the ball lands on the table. The fifth rule is that an otherwise legal serve or hit may come into contact with the upper edge of the horizontal surface of the table top and be considered valid, even if it bounces sideways. You can touch the ball or the table with the hand of the paddle or other parts of your body. These are some of the basic rules of table tennis that you should know before starting to practice this sport intensively. Whether you call it ping pong, table tennis, or it smells bad, these official table tennis rules will help you keep things in order.
