When table tennis became an official Olympic sport in 1988, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) specified rules for the game. If you are planning to play professionally and/or enter in a competition, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with these rules, starting from the basic to the more complex rules of table tennis. Below are some basic table tennis rules to help you get started.

Here’s an overview of the equipment you are going to need:

1) The color of your paddle must be red on one side and black on the opposite side. The rubbers on your paddle must also be ITTF approved and the ITTF logo must be immediately visible above the handle of the racket.

2) You may use a table tennis paddle with slight damage, but the referee and/or the umpire will need to approve your racket and consider it “legal” before the game/competition.

3) You are not allowed to change rackets during a game unless the umpire/referee considers your paddle unusable.

4) The game net must be 6 inches (15.25cm) above the tennis table.

Speaking of the ping pong table, you need to know some important game rules about the table that could affect the outcome of a game, including the following:

– During the game, you are not allowed to touch the top of the tennis table, but you may touch the sides of the table.

– You are not allowed to move the table. You should make sure that the table is locked and stable before beginning the game so movement during the game is not required.

Once you begin playing a game of table tennis, you can start worrying about the match rules. Let’s take a look at these rules:

1) If you win the toss-up (which begins each game), you choose either to serve the ball, receive the ball, or to start on a particular end of the table. After you choose, the loser of the toss-up can then choose one of the available choices left.

2) A match consists of 5 games and whoever wins the majority of those games is proclaimed the winner.

3) The first player to reach 11 points wins a game.

4) After each game, players switch sides.

5) During each match, you may call one time-out by making a “T” sign with your hands. Each time-out lasts 1 minute.

6) Between each game, the players are given a 1 minute rest period, but the player’s paddles must remain on the table tennis table during that time.

Of course, serving the ball is an important aspect of the game as well. Before beginning, you need to know these guidelines for properly serving during a ping pong game:

o The ball should always be visible when serving.

o Upon serving, you must toss the ball no less than 6 inches from the top of your hand into the air and you cannot hit the ball until it is on its way down.

o The ping-pong ball must first bounce on your side of the table first and then hit your opponent’s side.

o If and when the scores tie at 10-10, each player serves only once and then the server switch.

And there you have it, a few basic rules of table tennis. If you are serious about playing table tennis professionally, try to familiarize yourself with all the rules so you won’t have problems when you are playing in a competition. Keep in mind that the rules can be a little more relaxed for casual table tennis matches.

Author Bio: Seomul Evans is a Website Marketing Consultant for Table Tennis and Learn more about Table Games Rules

Category: Sports
Keywords: Games, Tables Games, Air Hockey tables, Foosball Table, Shuffleboard Table