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Ping Pong (Table Tennis)
Hit the little ball back and forth
The playing surface is a 9 ft × 5 ft (2.7 m × 1.5 m) hard rectangular table with the surface usually painted green, dark blue, or black. A 6 inch (15.2 cm) tall net divides the table in half (much like a tennis court) and is strung to extend 6 inches (15.2 cm) beyond the table on each side. The paddles, also known as bats or rackets, are usually about 15 cm (6 in) across and made of rubber coated plywood, although the rules specify no particular size. The 40 mm diameter ball is hard, completely hollow, lightweight and made of celluloid.
Play is fast and demands possibly the quickest reactions of any sport. A skilled player can impart spin to the ball which makes its bounce difficult to predict or return with confidence. The winner is usually the first to score 11 points, a change which occurred in 2001 when the International Rules were changed, although the 21 point game is still widely played at recreational level. All games played in U.S. national (sanctioned by USATT) and international tournaments (ITTF) are played to 11 points in either a best of five (5) games (preliminaries) or best of seven (7) games format (championship matches).
Equipment
The international rules specify that it is played with a light (2.7 gram), 40 mm diameter high-bouncing hollow celluloid ball, on a table 2.74 m (9 ft) long, 1.525 m (5 feet) wide, and 76 cm (30 inches) high with a masonite or similarly manufactured timber, coated with a low-friction, smooth coating. The table or playing surface is divided into two halves by a 15.2 cm (6 inch) high net. Players are equipped with a wooden racket (also called bat or paddle) covered with rubber on one or two sides. Table tennis is the only racquet sport that allows different surfaces on each side of the racket. Most serious tournament players customise their raquets, combining a blade (wooden part) with one or two individual sheets of rubber to achieve the performance of their choice. There are many types of rubber available which differ in terms of their ability to put 'spin' on the ball, their 'speed' and their thickness. According to the international rules, one side must be red while the other side must be black, even if both sides have the same type of rubber installed. Without the different colors it would be harder for a player to know which side of the paddle an opponent would be using at any moment. Players are allowed to inspect their opponent's racket before playing.
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 serve first or have his opponent serve first. A player may optionally choose which side he will defend giving their opponent choice of serve.
In recreational play service may be decided by one of many popular methods. The two opponents may "rally" for the right to serve, in which the ball must bounce upon the table at least three times. Whoever does not make a subsequent mistake is the one to serve. Or, players may place their paddles on the centers of their respective base lines and take turns bouncing the ball across the table by hand. The server in this method is the first who can make his or her ball hit the opposite paddle without the opponent immediately landing a matching hit.
Service
In game play, a point is commenced by the player serving the ball by releasing the ball behind and above the edge of the table, palm open and up, and tossing it vertically without spin at least six inches and then hitting it such that it bounces once in the half of the court closest to him, then bounces at least one time in the opponent's half. If a serve hits the net, but goes over, it is a let, and must be served again with no penalty. However if the server causes the ball to hit the net, and the ball does not go over, it is a point for the opponent. The opponent must then make a "good" return— by returning the ball before it bounces a second time in such a way that it bounces first in the server's half (not bouncing in his own half) of the court. The players then alternate playing the ball and having it bounce on the opponent's side of the table until a player fails to make a good return.
Scoring
Points are awarded to the opponent for these errors in play:
1. allowing the ball to bounce on one's own side twice
2. not hitting the ball after it has bounced on one's own side
3. having the ball bounce on one's own side after hitting it
4. double hitting the ball. Note that the hand below the wrist is considered part of the bat and making a good return off one's hand or fingers is allowed, but hitting one's hand or fingers and subsequently hitting the racket is a double strike and an error.
5. allowing the ball to strike anything other than the racket (see above for definition of the racket)
6. causing the ball not to bounce on the opponent's half (making a "good" return)
7. failing to allow the ball to bounce once in one's own side ("volleying"); hitting the ball before its first bounce is an automatic loss of point
8. placing one's free hand on, or moving the playing surface
9. offering and failing to make a good serve. That is making a service toss and failing to strike the ball fairly into play.
10. making an illegal serve (one deemed outside the rules—hiding the ball, a low toss, etc.) A warning is usually offered on the first occurrence, a point awarded to the other player subsequently.
Alternation of service
Essentially a player must make a "good" return as described above. Failure to do so results in the other player being awarded the point. Serves alternate every two points (regardless of the winner) until a player wins with a two-point lead or until a "deuce" game is required, then serve alternates after each point. Typically, games are played to 11 points and a player must win by at least a two point difference. Should each player reach 10 points a "deuce" game comes into effect, players serve alternates after each point as mentioned above and the game is won by the player who gains a lead of 2 points. In doubles, service alternates every two points between sides, but also rotates between players on the same team. For example, 'player A' serves the ball twice then service alternates to the opposing team and 'player B' takes position to receive service. After two points served by the opposing team and received by 'player B', 'player B' becomes the server. Service continues rotating between team members in this manner until the end of the game. In addition to rotating service between players of the same team during a game, service also alternates between server-receiver with each new game. If 'player A' on 'team 1' serves the first game to 'player A' on 'team 2' (A1-A2), the next game 'player A' on 'team 1' serves to 'player B' on 'team 2' (A1-B2). Thus, doubles play is more evenly matched between teams and neither team has the advantage by order of play.
In the old 21 point game, service alternated every 5 points. If both players reached a score of 20 then service would alternate every point until one player had a 2 point advantage.
Series of games
After each game, players switch sides of the table and in the 5th or 7th, 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. Before 2001, players alternated serves every 5 points and games would be played to 21 points and had to be won by at least 2 points. This is also true in recreational play, especially when more than a few people are waiting to play.
Doubles game
In addition to games between individual players, table tennis may also be played by pairs. In doubles all the rules of single play apply except for the following. The table is bisected by a line painted along the long axis of the table to create doubles courts. This line's only purpose is to facilitate the doubles service rule which is that service must originate from the right hand "box" in such a way that the first bounce of the serve bounces once in said right hand box and then must bounce at least once in the opponent side's right hand box (far left box for server). Play then continues normally with the exception that players must alternate hitting the ball. For example, after a player serves the receiving player make his or her return, the server's partner returns the ball and then the service receiver's partner would play the ball. In wheelchair doubles table tennis, a player hits when the ball reaches their side. The point proceeds this way until one side fails to make a legal return and the point is then awarded to the other team. Singles and doubles are both played in international competition, including the Olympic Games since 1988 and the Commonwealth Games since 2002. In 2005, the ITTF has announced that doubles table tennis will only be featured as a part of teams events in the 2008 Olympics.
Source: Wikipedia
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