Table Tennis

Table tennis is a game that is also known as ping pong. It is played on a table resembling a miniature tennis court. Players hit the ball with paddles, attempting to place the ball inside the legal playing boundaries in a manner in which their opponent cannot return the ball legally. During the play each player allows a ball played towards him or her only one bounce on their side of the table and must hit it back so that it bounces on the opponent's side. Table Tennis is a fast game and demands quick reactions. A skilled player may impart spin to the ball. This makes the ball bounce difficult to predict or return with confidence. A combination of spin and speed makes table tennis an exciting sport to play as well as to watch. The rules of table tennis are the same for amateurs and professionals alike, and the basic rules are very simple to learn.

Table

  • The table is 2.74 m (9 ft) long, 1.525 m (5 ft) wide, and 76 cm (30 inch) high with a Mesonite (a type of hardboard) or similarly manufactured timber, layered with a smooth, low-friction coating.
  • The table or playing surface is divided into two halves by a 15.25 cm (6 inch) high net.
  • The table surface can either have a green or blue color.

Table tennis strokes

Defensive strokes

  • Slice (aka the Push)
  • Chop
  • Block
  • Lob
  • Stop (or drop shot)

Offensive strokes

  • Speed Drive
  • Loop Drive
  • Counter Drive
  • Flip (or Flick in Europe)
  • Smash

Game play

Starting a game

In top-flight competition, service is decided by a coin toss. At lower levels it is common for one player (or the umpire/scorer) to hide the ball in one or the other hand (usually hidden under the table), allowing the other player to guess which hand the ball is in. The correct or incorrect guess gives the "winner" the option to choose to serve, or to choose which side of the table to use.

Service
In game play, the player serving the ball commences a point. Standing behind the end of the table, with the ball in the palm of one hand - over the table's height - and the racket in the other, the server tosses the ball without spin, upward, at least sixteen centimeters (approximately 6 inches).

He or she then must hit the ball such that it bounces once on his or her half of the table, and then bounces at least one time on the opponent's half. If the ball strikes the net but does not strike the opponent's half of the table, then a point is awarded to the opponent. However, if the ball hits the net, but nevertheless goes over and bounces on the other side, it is called a let (or net-in). Play stops, and the ball must be served again with no penalty. Unlike the old service rules, where a player may only commit three lets, now a player may commit any number of lets without penalty.

If the service is "good";, then the opponent must then make a "good" return — by returning the ball before it bounces on his or her side of the table a second time. Returning the serve is one of the most difficult parts of the game, as the server's first move is often the least predictable.

Hitting the ball
Any hitting of the ball must be done such that the ball passes over or around the net. If the ball is struck such that it travels around the net, but still lands on the opponent's side of the table, the hit is legal and play should be continued. If the opponent cannot return it over (or around) the net and make it bounce on your side, then you win the point.

Scoring
The winning team in a volleyball game is the first to reach 25 points with a winning margin of at least two points. In match play, the victors have to win three out of five games to win the match. The serving team gets the point if the defensive teams hits the ball out of bounds or incurs a violation. The defensive team gets a point if the server cannot get the ball over the net or the offensive team hits the ball out of bounds.

Alternation of service
Service alternates between opponents every two points (regardless of winner of the rally) until a player reaches 11 points with at least a two-point lead, or until both players have 10 points a piece. If both players reach 10 points, then service alternates after each point, until one player gains a two-point advantage.

In doubles, service alternates every two points between sides, but also rotates between players on the same team. At the end of every two points, the receiving player becomes the server, and the partner of the serving player becomes the receiver.

In the older 21-point game system, service would alternate every 5 points. If both players reached a score of 20, then service would alternate each point until one player gains a two-point advantage. When a match point occurs the server is allowed three attempts at serving and 2 lets before he loses the point.

Series of games
After each game, players switch sides of the table and in the fifth or seventh, game "for the match", players switch sides when the first player scores 5 points, regardless of whose turn it is to serve. In competition play, matches are typically best of five or seven games.

Doubles game
In addition to games between individual players, pairs may also play table tennis. In doubles, all the rules of single play apply except some.

Volleyball Violations
Volleyball players need to be careful how they approach the ball and the net to avoid losing points. A volleyball player has to make contact with a flat palm to avoid carrying or throwing the ball while spiking. Players cannot touch the net as the ball is in play to avoid altering the net's height. Front-line players cannot reach under the net to distract players or make contact with the ball.
 
 
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