Essential Table Tennis Rules

[knpradeep77]

i have two questions,

is there any restriction during the SERVE, that the ball should not go out of the side lines (right side or left side of the board) on the opponent court? or in other words, the ball should be constrained within the side line until it moves out of the table on the opponent side?

Second question is, again during the SERVE, is there any restriction that the ball should be fast enough so that the ball should not bounce twice on the opponent side ?

Please answer!

[pingskills]

@knpradeep77 The answer to both questions is no. The ball can go out wide past the edges of the table before passing the end line and the ball can be served short so that it will bounce twice on the table. In fact serving the ball short is a great way to stop your opponent from playing a strong attack off your serve.

[knpradeep77]

@pingskills

hi, thanks very much for the reply!

[JackyShew95]

I have a Question...the ball can bounce twice or more in the opponent side during the service ? Please Answer...

[knpradeep77]

@JackyShew95 dint u see the answer from pingskills? serve is still legal if the ball bounce twice on the opponent court, and the server will get point if the opponent fails to return before the second bounce

[pingskills]

@skeen1990 You're welcome.

[themoviebugs]

woww this is very useful, thanks

[pingskills]

@themoviebugs You're welcome. I'm glad you found it beneficial.

[cscrignaro]

To sum up...

-ball HAS to hit the table.

-In a rally, if the ball hits the net and goes over it is still in play

-On a serve, if the ball hits the net its a 'let' and keep re-serving till it goes over without touching the net.

-score to 11. switch server every 2 serves.

-If score is 10-10, one serve each until someone wins by 2.

-any size paddle is legal.

-ball is still in if it hits the edge of table. It is out if it hits the side.

-Cannot touch the table with free hand.

-a fault is a point.

[pingskills]

@cscrignaro Nice summary.

[Megashehri]

@cscrignaro Thanks dude :D saved me 7 minutes xD

[TheDesertScratch]

Really though, thanks for spreading TT... Super!

[TheDesertScratch]

A good rule should be "don't sit on the table" in the clubhouse.

[montygod]

if this is the quality of the dvd then it better be $1 or free

[pingskills]

@montygod We are improving the quality of our DVDs as we progress. We are now using a microphone which improves the sound quality and we are also filming in widescreen. However the feedback that we generally get is that the content is what is important and that people find Alois' coaching style easy to understand.

[rem5fixie]

thanks man this really helped

[pingskills]

@rem5fixie You're welcome.

[willardsheen]

This is the best summary of the rules I've come across yet. I like the casual way it's presented too. It answered all the little niggling questions I had that other videos don't seem answer, like whether you can touch the table, and if there's a second serve. I'm a Brit in my fifties and I've just started playing table tennis, so I'll be struggling to make the Olympics team this time around. But at least it's stopped me taking up golf.

[Stormbreaker888]

LOL at the tiny and HUGE racket!! XD

[Sweeris]

This place looks like Albert park in Melbourne. Used to play there. Just starting to come back to it again. Great video.

[pingskills]

@Sweeris Thanks, and yes it was filmed at MSAC in Albert Park.

[tabletennispenhold]

Is filing our bats illegal?

[dfunkt]

as always, fantastic video.  much thanks!

[pingskills]

@dfunkt you're welcome!

[DMQB5]

Great video....clears the rules

[pingskills]

@DMQB5 Thanks! I'm glad you liked it.

[BlackBarricade01]

thanks it helped me a lot about my studies in table tennis! and im starting to like this sport thank you very much! ARIGATOU GOZAIMAS...

[pingskills]

@BlackBarricade01 You're welcome. Table Tennis is a great sport!

[useurcamera]

thank you! i'm beginning to love table tennis

[ZeDuBreju]

Hi! Sorry about my ignorance, but, may I use red rubbers on both sides of the bat, or black rubbers?

[pingskills]

@ZeDuBreju No you can't. The rules state that you must have 1 black and 1 red rubber. The rule was introduced to lessen the effect of anti-spin rubbers. We have had a few questions about this on our Ask the Coach section of our website. If you search through there you will find some interesting discussion about it.

[ZeDuBreju]

@pingskills Thanks a lot! Keep doing nice videos like this.

[funbigmama]

THATS NOT HOW U PLAY TABLE TENNIS!!

[pingskills]

@funbigmama OK. How do you play Table Tennis?

[iHateMyLifeGr]

voice isn't clear, noise is louder, couldn't hear much :(

Thanks anyway for this vid.

[ledzeppelinnnnnn]

@iHateMyLifeGr its better than reading this shit

[MyHeartBurns234]

Are drop shots allowed in table tennis on the serve? Like serving it so it barely goes over the net and either bounces twice or forces a mishit from your opponent?

[pingskills]

@MyHeartBurns234 We call these short serves, and they are certainly allowed. A short and low serve is a very effective way of stopping your opponent from making a strong attack against your serve.

[82muchman]

omfg this is at msac, melbourne!

[klasher22]

After the serve, and during a rally, do you have to let the ball bounce on the table before you hit it or can you hit it back over while in flight (before it bounces)?

THANK YOU!!!! GREAT VIDEO!!!!

[pingskills]

@klasher22 You need to let the ball bounce. You are not allowed to hit the ball on the full in Table Tennis.

[Jrollzz]

@klasher22 seriously? they explain that in the video you moron

[pingskills]

@Jrollzz We did explain it in the video but that's OK. As long as people are asking questions then it shows they are interested in Table Tennis. And that is one of the things we are hoping to achieve. We want to get more and more people loving Table Tennis and help them improve.

[Titanickaram]

Sir

about the "oversize" racket, we can use any size of racket's but

"Ordinary pimpled rubber evenly distributed over its surface at a density of not

less than 10 per sq. cm and not more than 30 per sq. cm."

can u comment on that. Tq

[pingskills]

You're welcome. Check out our website as we have a lot more resources available there.

[louisesatch]

THANKYOU SO MUCH :)

[TheThealbanianking]

my side is divided in two halfs.........if i hit on my right half does it have to finish in my oponents right half too?

[pingskills]

@TheThealbanianking only for doubles, where you always have to serve from the right half to your opponents right half.

However in singles you can serve from anywhere to anywhere.

[Exoudar]

Does size matter?

[SuperKittyPancake]

@Exoudar Bigger doesn't mean it's better.

XDDD

This is perfect for average bats.

Oh... Average penis size is great too!

[dtanktdtank]

free cus this was shit lol

[WideLegoWorld]

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE BALL HITS THE NET I NEED TO KNOW IT !!!

[aritrathecool]

@WideLegoWorld WHEN U SERVE AND UR ball hits the net AND FALLS ON UR OPPONENTS SIDE is a net serve u ll get another chance to serve...but when u serve and ur ball hits the net and falls on ur side u ll lose points for that..

[krrgn3]

What reasonly priced bat do you recomend?

[jey12345]

If i serve the ball, it hits the net, and does NOT make it over to the opponent's side, is it still a let?

[mass3ousco]

Hi , i have a question about serving , does the serve have to be on the opponent's Side Between His both table sides Specifically ?? or anyware on his side even if it was like 75 degrees (as an example ) from the Net line ??? and thanks

[comownage]

I have been able to piss my opponents off with my knowledge on the rules if they are suspicious I show em the vid

[TheMatc]

I have a question with the serve: Is obligatory to throw up the ball at least 16 cm before you hit it?

[georgenashua]

In doubles, what if you are lefty, do you still have to serve from the right side? Or can you serve from the left side? It's obviously more difficult to serve from the right side if you are lefty.

[MrPello1]

@georgenashua You have to serve from the right side.

[quiero3ver]

No you don´t. As far as I now you can serve from either side or the center.

[Supersonicnumber1]

zeekaboubakr, the other guy's point.

[Supersonicnumber1]

Do you have to toss? if so, how high do you have to toss it?

[killmyself2020]

thanks

[rickyt481]

This Is not right. During a serve, if a ball hits the server's side, the net, and lands on the receivers side, it is called a let. You receive unlimited let's, as long as it hits servers side, net, receivers side. I have questions though, during a serve, where can a ball be served, does it have to be behind your baseline? And, during rally, can a players body go to the side of the table, and cross the baseline? Basically, can a player during a rally move along the side of the table? Thanks!

[pingskills]

Hi, if you watch again, we are explaining what you have written. You do receive unlimited lets. When serving you must serve from behind the baseline. However during a rally you are allowed to move along the side of the table. In fact even when serving you can have parts of your body (leg for example) inside the baseline - the ball however must always be behind the baseline on the serve.

[Zs3lrahc]

@rickyt481

I think this will take effect only if you're playing doubles.

[boysrule45556]

this helped me so much!!!!!

[zeekaboubakr]

what if i am leaned on the table and my opponent plays the ball and after that ball is going out of the table without bouncing on my side and it hits me on my body ... whose point is this

[DoctorPres]

yours...

[DjDowney2k9]

Thanks! never knew some of those rules!

[playableproductions]

opencurtin it doesn't matter which side you serve from or to in singles.

[lpfan247]

very informative.. thanks

[opencurtin]

When you serve in singles is it like tennis and you change sides every point?

[callofduty504]

Is it best 3 out of 5 or 4 games?

[iulicska]

if it bounces on your side twice isn't it a point for the opponent ? and so if a Service fails u always retreat?

[MrClapclap123]

What happens when you serve the ball with a lot of backspin, and the ball bounces on your side, goes over the net and bounces on your opponents side, then it bounces back into the net and then bounces on your opponents side once more?

[CoDShotOfTheDay]

Doesn't matter where it goes after it bounces on your opponents side, as long as it hits I think they have to hit it back or else its your point; then again I'm not sure.

[Gakbu154]

I found the video very learning, especially when you said the rules about the doubles, because I was a bit confused about them. Thanks :)

[oryxfreeride]

3:32 LOL "Good luck though" :)

[sk8fan1122]

i hope you can answer my question:

can i serve, lets say on the right side close to the net, across to the opponents side.(where can i serve from)

also say im in a volley and the ball tips the net can i throw my bat at the ball so it hits the ball and goes over...if i can then if he returns the hit can i hit the ball with the back of my playing hand?

thank you if you can reply

[travtag]

according to the official rules, your playing hand is only your playing hand while you're holding your bat, so the answer to that question is no. i'm not sure if you can throw your bat, though, sorry...

[sk8fan1122]

ok thanks

[f1crazy07]

what happens when the ball is hit with enough backspin on it so it lands on my opponents side of the table and then comes back onto my side without being hit by my opponent?

[pingskills]

You win the point. Have you been able to do this?

[wufufufu]

you said if you serve and hit the net its a let (replay), and that you lose the point.

contradiction please clarify

[kunXV]

@pingskills this always happens w/ my serve and we continue play becoz we thought thats a legal return

[mty9993]

@pingskills yeah i have :) thanks for the tips . i know longer have arguments with my friends over the rules ( i still always win)

[geothehunter]

is there any rule about the players' behaviour during a game? are they allowed to talk to each other? make annoying moves or sounds to distract the opponent?(for example when one is serving..)

[Mauricebear]

silly question I know but why did they change the rules? It used to be the first to 21 points and 5 serves each

[Jmodels]

i think they did it to annoy u. no infact im sure. yea thats why they did it!

[ApocalypticDrummer]

so you can't use a sandpaper paddle in tournaments? why is this

[nn224]

I have a question regarding serves: If the ball is served, hits once on my side, goes over the net, hits once on his side, and hits a second time on his side, whose point?

Also, If I serve the ball, does it have to be from one half of the side (my side is divided in two) to the opposite half?

[pingskills]

If you serve and get the ball to bounce twice on your opponents side then you win the point.

In singles you can serve from anywhere to anywhere!

[azamstat]

Really good video. Clear, concise and complete. Thanks a lot.

[SirCheezey]

Does the material on the racket matter? like does it have to be rubber or can it be wood on one side?

[pingskills]

For use in official tournaments, you need an ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) approved rubber.

[greenracoon505]

Does the point count if the ball hits the top of the net and goes in but the ball hit the part of the net that is OUTSIDE the table?

Also does height matter?

[pingskills]

Yes the point does count!

[LAWLphagocyte]

How many bounces can it bounce on your side before its your opponents point. This goes for a normal rally and a serve. Because i thought that the backspin server was used to attempt to bounce twice before your oppenent attempts to return so you get the point. And i also thought that you play to 21.

[pingskills]

The ball is only allowed to bounce once. If you let the ball bounce more than once you lose the point.

Games used to be played up to 21, now they are played up to 11.

[raidenkk]

yep, the backspin is used for that. BUT on the other side of the table (over the net on your side) :) otherwise, what would be the point of servering over?:P

[vincewhitney]

Omg it sounds like Jermaine is playing ping pong!

[raidenkk]

I am a little bit confused, is there no faults in table tennis which allows you to try one more time without loosing points? Like when you said that you can hit the net on the serve (and goes over) 28 times and still not loose a point. I thought you had one try then if double miss you lost a point. awesome video=)

[dumdork55]

if it hits and goes over, that's a let, which doesnt count as anything. If it hits the net and doesnt go over, you lose the point. After you toss the ball, no matter if you miss it, it doesnt his your side of the table, doesnt hit their side of the table or goes into the net, you have lost the point. no faults in table tennis

[raidenkk]

aha allrighty=) thanks for the answer. But my coach just told me hehe..

[Rinlok]

i've heard the serve needs to bounce off the opponents side after one bounce. Is that true?

[pingskills]

No. In fact it is a great serve if you can make it bounce twice on your opponents side as it makes it much harder for them to attack.

[PsDani]

Hi, I have a question:

I've heared that it is legal to play the ball with a part of your body ABOVE your wrist (like fingers etc).

Does this rule also apply to the "free" hand (that doesn't hold the racket?

Greetz

[oggiedoggy]

Nope just your racket hand. So I suppose if you really wanted to you could "thumb" the ball to serve it.

[Itachiisgood]

i'm confused about the doubles. do you have to alternate who hits the ball in a rally every ball? or is that just off the return of the serve or something?

i know this probably sounds stupid, but i've never played doubles befor, at least not by the real rules.

[pingskills]

That is a good question. In doubles you do have to alternate who hits the ball in a rally. You can never play two strokes in a row during a rally in doubles.

[ChineseKid25]

so what happens if you miss the ball when you serve. Is that automatically your opponents point?

[pingskills]

That is right. If you miss the ball when you serve, your opponent wins the point.

[brachman9]

ok me and my friends really need to know when you are serving do u have to throw the ball at least 6 inches and when your paddle hits the ball does that have to be behind the end line im pretty sure you have to but my friends disagree.

[pingskills]

You are right. You need to throw the ball up at least 6 inches and you must hit the ball from behind the end line.

[Bartz59]

man i laughed so hard when i saw that oversized racket, i'd use that if i have more agility and stronger strength

[JOCKElNVICTUS]

whats with the new rule that u cant use glue on your raket rubber ?

[pingskills]

In singles, you can serve from anywhere to anywhere. In doubles you need to serve from the right hand side box to your opponents right hand side box always. Take another look at the DVD for a detailed explanation on serving in doubles.

[f1crazy07]

what happens if you serve the ball and the ball misses the table completely.

great vids by the way.

[pingskills]

If you serve and the ball misses the table completely, it is a fault and you lose the point.

[pingskills]

If the ball hits your opponents side and spins back onto yours without your opponent hitting it, then you win the point.

[hbobenicio]

I have a question:

If I hit the ball and it do not pass over the net, but it still bounce over my opponent side of the table (passing on the side of the net)...

Is it valid? Or the ball always has to pass over the net?

[pingskills]

The ball does not have to pass over the net. You can hit the ball around the net, as long as it touches your opponents side of the table.

[PingMast]

i got a question...if my bat accidentally hit table....is it counted as i lose??or win?

[pingskills]

If your bat hits the table then you continue playing as long as you haven't moved the table. If you move the table then you instantly lose the point.

[K3v1n03]

Sorry, just one more question, is it still a let if it hits the net and goes over but goes off the table?

[pingskills]

No, that is a fault. If the ball doesn't bounce on your side first and then your opponent's side, it is a fault even if it clips the net.

[K3v1n03]

thank you

[LoNgBoArDsFoRLiF]

hey one more here.. where do you stand when you make a serve? and dos it need to go cross court? as in if I hit it on the right side it must land on the opponents left side?

[pingskills]

You can stand anywhere as long as you hit the ball from behind the baseline (or imaginary extension there of). In singles you can serve from anywhere to anywhere including down the line. In doubles you must always serve from the right hand box to your opponents right hand box as demonstrated in the video.

[K3v1n03]

Great video, I learned a lot.

I just have one question i'm not 100% sure about, When you're serving can it hit any part of ur side of the table then go over and hit any part of the opponents side? I'm not sure because some people have been saying the ball has to hit ur side and whatever sqaure it hit, it has to go over and hit the diagnol square on the opponents side.

[pingskills]

In singles in Table Tennis, you can serve from anywhere to anywhere. This means you can serve down the line if you like or across court. All of these options are legal.

With doubles the rules are different as explained in the video. For doubles you must always serve from your right hand box diagonally across to your opponents right hand box.

[K3v1n03]

thanks

[mkothan]

Very Nice, cover most of the basic rules

[icfclan]

Excellent Video! This answered all my questions. Thanks alot!

[jerommeke69]

I've been playing for 7 years now and there's one thing I'd like to know. What are the rules for touching the ball with your body? Are you allowed to slightly touch it with your hand? I played competition and no one really complained about that but I wonder if we did it wrong.

Thanks for answering!

[pingskills]

If the bat is in your hand and the ball touches only your playing hand up to the wrist, then this is a legal shot. However if the ball touches your hand and your bat this is a double hit and you lose the point.

[ijlim90]

what if you throw the ball up during a serve and miss the ball?

[yepper078]

point for opponent

[mititheidiot]

omfg thats a huge bat

[nickscott10A]

forgot to ask: my friend serves on the half volley instead of on the volley like normal people. is this allowed? ie: he throws ball up, ball hits table, ball hits raquet, ball hits table and goes over net and onto opponents side.

[pingskills]

You are not allowed to bounce the ball on the table and then serve it. You must be behind the end line of the table when you serve. You must throw the ball up at least 6 inches and then hit it on the way down.

Cheers,

Jeff.

[nickscott10A]

good to hear some aussie blokes on youtube. very informative :D FYI theres a funny skit on youtube that some yanks do about an aussie guy look up -good neighbor stuff / outrageous fun-

[busterbing0]

what happens if the ball hits any part of the net and spins over does it have to be the top or can it be anywhere?

[pingskills]

As long as the ball does not touch your side of the table it can hit the net anywhere and go over!

[muse000001]

again guys , thanks alot for your help .especially the forehand chop . all my friends always say that its a volley if you hit it after its gone past the edge of the table . now i can prove them right . and where did you buy that massive racket??

[gounc93]

In singles do you have to hit the ball cross-court on the serve? Also a lot of kids i play with, when they are serving they reach forward and hit a little dinky shot just barely over the net and off the side of the table, is that illegal?

[pingskills]

You do not have to hit the ball cross court. You can serve from anywhere to anywhere. However when you do serve, you must hit the ball from behind the endline which means you cannot lean forward and hit the ball from over the table.

I hope that helps clear things up. If you have any more questions then try out the "Ask the Coach" feature of our website as we check this regularly and we love talking about Table Tennis at PingSkills.

[cptjrkov]

yeah im so sick of players stating u HAVE to serve from corner to corner

who ever started that rumor ? lol

[chaliepud]

Excellent stuff lads! I've been reading the rules all day and you have just made it all very clear. Only two questions, are there different rules for scoring as we are playing up to 21 and swopping serves after every five points(maybe old rules from when I was a kid?) and if you serve, touch the net and then miss your opponents side of the table is that a let or do you lose the point? Thanks a lot- great video.

[pingskills]

Hi Charliepud,

Until around October 2000, you used to play up to 21. After this date the ITTF changed the rules and all games are now played up to 11.

If you serve, touch the net and then miss, it is a fault and you lose the point.

Cheers,

Jeff.

[elomosgottagun]

On another video i heard you can have the biggest racket your want. Is this true?

[pingskills]

You can have any size racket, that is true. The fact is though, that a massive racket is to hard to move around and swing properly with.

[Younghyper]

on the serve is the ball allowed to go off the side of the table after it bounces once? and can u lightly serve the ball to make it hard for ur opponent to reach?

[pingskills]

You certainly can serve it off the side of the table. However when you serve the ball you must serve it from behind your baseline.

If you have any more questions then please use the Ask the Coach section of our website as we check that more regularly.

Thanks for you question.

[lipdyloo]

Thanks HEAPS for that, now one rule i couldn't really understand is:when you serve in singles do you have to make the ball go from one side of the table to the diagonally opposite side of the table?????

[pingskills]

No. When serving in singles, you can serve from anywhere to anywhere.

If you have any other questions, be sure to visit our website and use our "Ask the Coach" section.

[kallo1234]

can i use a tennis racket to play table tennis, more top spin

[pingskills]

No you can't use a tennis racket to play Table Tennis. One particular rule that disallows this is that one side of the racket must be black and one side must be red.

It would be a huge disadvantage to use a tennis racket anyway. You need a proper Table Tennis bat in order to generate spin.

[cmetsbeltran15]

You would get MUCH less spin than using a high tech table tennis rubber.

[sunilkabin]

good to see these for free.

[callalacork]

guys - that is extremely cool

we are an aussie family living in Germany and for xmas we got ourselves a table (we have an attic - too cold to play outside!)

your explanations have saved us lots of arguments

ping on!

[pingskills]

Great to hear you found the video useful. I lived in London for two years so I can imagine what the winters are like.

Good luck with your Table Tennis.

[Swiffers]

Oh no I'll take your word for it. I love my racket. And I'm even getting some new rubbers for christmas. :) So excited.

[Swiffers]

I actually didn't know that you could use anysize racket. There has to be some sort of a limit!!! Think of the possiblities!

[pingskills]

No there really is no limit. A super sized racket is just too hard to control. Try it out and you'll soon see that it won't give you any advantage.

[poorknight123]

hey mate, great work on these training videos!