How to Play Table Tennis

Table tennis is a fast indoor racket sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball back and forth across a low net on a hard table, and learning how to play table tennis starts with the serve, the bounce rule and a scoring system that runs to eleven points. Known informally as ping pong, it is governed by the International Table Tennis Federation and has been an Olympic sport since 1988.

What Table Tennis Is

Table tennis is contested on a table divided by a net, with players using small paddles to strike a hollow plastic ball. Rallies are extremely quick because of the short distances and the speed and spin players can impart. It can be played as singles or doubles.

The sport rewards reflexes, precise timing and the ability to read spin. While it belongs to the same racket family as tennis, the compact playing area and lighter ball make it a distinct discipline with its own techniques.

Rules and How to Play

A point begins with a serve. The server tosses the ball upward from an open palm and strikes it so that it bounces once on their side of the table and then on the opponent's side. After the serve, each return must clear the net and bounce only on the opponent's half.

• The ball must bounce once on each side during the serve.
• After the serve, a player may not let the ball bounce twice on their own side.
• Volleying, or striking the ball before it bounces, is not allowed.
• In doubles, partners must alternate hitting the ball.

Service alternates every two points, and players change ends between games.

Scoring

A game is won by the first player to reach eleven points, provided they lead by at least two. If the score reaches ten all, play continues until one side establishes a two-point lead.

Matches are decided over a set number of games, commonly best of five or best of seven. A point is scored on every rally regardless of who served, a system known as rally scoring that keeps matches moving quickly.

Equipment and Venue

Players use a paddle, often called a bat or racket, consisting of a wooden blade covered with rubber on one or both sides. Different rubbers produce different amounts of spin and speed. The ball is a hollow plastic sphere 40 millimetres in diameter.

The regulation table is 2.74 metres long, 1.525 metres wide and 76 centimetres high, with a net standing 15.25 centimetres tall across the middle. Matches are played indoors on a smooth, matte surface to keep the bounce consistent and reduce glare.

History

Table tennis emerged in England in the late nineteenth century as an after-dinner parlour game modelled on lawn tennis. Early players improvised with books for a net and rounded corks for balls before purpose-made equipment appeared.

The International Table Tennis Federation was founded in 1926, standardising rules and organising the first World Championships. The sport later became dominated by leading Asian nations and was added to the Olympic programme at the Seoul Games in 1988.

Technique

Strong play relies on controlling spin. The main strokes are the drive, a controlled attacking shot, the topspin loop, which dips sharply over the net, the chop, a defensive backspin shot, and the push, a short controlled return.

Footwork is central even on a small table, allowing players to stay balanced and meet the ball at the right point. Reading the opponent's serve and the direction of spin is often what separates skilled players from beginners.