If you want to be a good table tennis player, you should always know and understand all of the rules. Most people find it easy to understand the rules because they are similar to those of other closely related racket sports.
We’ll explain the basic rules of table tennis in detail below so that everyone can understand them.
1. Keep your hands off the table
In table tennis, leaning your hands on the table is not allowed. If you do so, you will lose a point. If you have ever played table tennis, you probably know that this is a common practice – especially when the ball is high in the air and bouncing and you want to smash it in the opponent’s part of the table. However, this practice is not allowed in the sport, and if you are caught doing it, you will be penalized. So, next time you are playing table tennis, make sure to keep your hands off the table!
2. When serving, the ball must be tossed 15mm
Another rule you might not have known about is that when serving, the ball must be thrown at least 15 millimeters high. Obviously, this is a good way to throw, and it means that you must throw it at least 15 mm into the air from the flat palm of your hand before it is hit. You are also not allowed to throw the ball in a way that makes it spin.
3. If the ball hits the net when you are serving, you should serve again.
In the sport of table tennis, if the ball hits the net on service, the player should serve again. This is stated in the official rules of the game. Sometimes, when serving, the ball may hit the net and fall into either the serving player’s court or the opponent’s court. If this happens, the player should serve again. There is no limit to how many times a player may hit the net while serving, but generally, three hits is the limit before a point is lost. Thus, if a player hits the net on service, they should serve again.
4. The ball must to be held in the palm of your hand horizontally over the table.
When you are getting ready to serve, you need to make sure that the ball is held flat in the palm of your hand and above the table. This is done so that both your opponent and the umpire can see the ball clearly, as well as the direction in which it will be thrown (held).
5. Rubber Colors
Last but not least is the rule about the colors of rubber. If you’ve ever held a table tennis paddle, you probably know that one side has black rubber and the other has red rubber. This is just to make sure that the other player knows what to expect when they serve, whether with the black or red rubber, and to keep things from getting confusing.
6. More
- The game ends at 11 points.
- No volleys in table tennis.
- Click to see more Official Rules of Table Tennis.