HISTORY
· The game is believed to be of English origin. Miniature tennis was played by Victorians on dining tables in the 1880s.
· It became known as Ping-Pong after the U.S. Parker Brothers’ trade name.
· The game began to spread to the masses at the start of the 1900s and was soon played on every continent.
· Ivor Montagu, a Cambridge University (England) student, began to write out basic rules of the game in 1922.
· Montagu met representatives of Austria, Germany, Hungary, and Sweden in January 1926, and together they founded the International
Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
· The World Championships were inaugurated that same year.
RULES OF THE GAME
· Table tennis can be played either singles or doubles.
· To start a game you serve the ball so it hits your own side first and then bounces at least once on your opponent's side.
· For singles it can bounce anywhere on the opposing side but for doubles it must travel cross court on the serve
SERVING RULES
· The ball must be held above the table level in order for the opponent to see it.
· The ball must be held in the palm of the hand with fingers stretched and tossed vertically at least six inches.
· The ball must be struck only on the way down.
· The ball must be struck behind the end line.
· The ball must first hit the server's side and then the opponent's side.
· If the ball strikes the net and goes over then it is a let and is re-served
· Each person will serve 2 times and then the serve goes to the other team.
· The ball must cross the end line and must not cross the edge lines on the service.
· The serve must be delivered from alternating sides of the center line (like badminton).
· For doubles, he service sequence is: the player to serve first of one pair (1a) serves to the player who serves first of the
second pair (2a) 2a serves to 1a’s partner, 1b; serves to the fourth player, 2b; and 2b serves to 1a.
· When a team reaches game point the opposite team will serve.
STRIKING THE BALL RULES
· In doubles, balls may be hit by either partner at will, in any order.
· Returning the ball with a volley (before it hits the table on your side) at any time during play is a not allowed
· The ball must always cross the net (no around the net shots).
· At any time, it is illegal to hold on to the table with your non racquet hand for better balance or to get more power.
· It is Rally Point. Points are scored by a player when his/her opponent fails to make a good service, make a good return, strikes the
ball out of bounds, touches the playing surface with his/her free hand when the ball is in play.
SCORING
· Competition matches are played to 11 points. There must be at least a 2 point difference to win.
· Recreation matches are played to 21
EQUIPMENT
· Table: The playing surface is a 9-foot long, 5-foot wide rectangle that is elevated 2 ½ feet above the floor.
· Net: The net is 6 inches high and stretches across the middle of the table.
· Paddle (Racquet, Bat): The paddle can be any size, shape, or weight, but must be flat. The sides of the paddle may be black or red.
The sides of the paddle can be covered with ordinary pimpled rubber or sandwich rubber, but 85% of the paddle must be wood.
· Ball: The ball is plastic and can be orange, white, or yellow. In the Olympics, the ball is 38 mm in diameter and weighs 2.5 grams.
GRIPS
· Shakehands The most popular and often-used grip in table tennis.
* Paddle is held as if the player is shaking hands with it.
* The benefits and disadvantages of the shakehands grip:
* Gives the player the best balance of forehand and backhand shots.
* Players typically use only one side of the paddle.
* Contributes to a blocking style of play.
* Concentrates on topspin shot
· Penhold
* Paddle is held as if the player is holding the handle of a pen.
* The benefits and disadvantages of the penhold grip:
* Gives a player the best forehand.
* Gives the player a much weaker backhand.
* A player using this grip usually plays close to the table.
* A player using this grip usually plays an aggressive smashing-type style of play
* Players typically use only one side of the paddle.
· The game is believed to be of English origin. Miniature tennis was played by Victorians on dining tables in the 1880s.
· It became known as Ping-Pong after the U.S. Parker Brothers’ trade name.
· The game began to spread to the masses at the start of the 1900s and was soon played on every continent.
· Ivor Montagu, a Cambridge University (England) student, began to write out basic rules of the game in 1922.
· Montagu met representatives of Austria, Germany, Hungary, and Sweden in January 1926, and together they founded the International
Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
· The World Championships were inaugurated that same year.
RULES OF THE GAME
· Table tennis can be played either singles or doubles.
· To start a game you serve the ball so it hits your own side first and then bounces at least once on your opponent's side.
· For singles it can bounce anywhere on the opposing side but for doubles it must travel cross court on the serve
SERVING RULES
· The ball must be held above the table level in order for the opponent to see it.
· The ball must be held in the palm of the hand with fingers stretched and tossed vertically at least six inches.
· The ball must be struck only on the way down.
· The ball must be struck behind the end line.
· The ball must first hit the server's side and then the opponent's side.
· If the ball strikes the net and goes over then it is a let and is re-served
· Each person will serve 2 times and then the serve goes to the other team.
· The ball must cross the end line and must not cross the edge lines on the service.
· The serve must be delivered from alternating sides of the center line (like badminton).
· For doubles, he service sequence is: the player to serve first of one pair (1a) serves to the player who serves first of the
second pair (2a) 2a serves to 1a’s partner, 1b; serves to the fourth player, 2b; and 2b serves to 1a.
· When a team reaches game point the opposite team will serve.
STRIKING THE BALL RULES
· In doubles, balls may be hit by either partner at will, in any order.
· Returning the ball with a volley (before it hits the table on your side) at any time during play is a not allowed
· The ball must always cross the net (no around the net shots).
· At any time, it is illegal to hold on to the table with your non racquet hand for better balance or to get more power.
· It is Rally Point. Points are scored by a player when his/her opponent fails to make a good service, make a good return, strikes the
ball out of bounds, touches the playing surface with his/her free hand when the ball is in play.
SCORING
· Competition matches are played to 11 points. There must be at least a 2 point difference to win.
· Recreation matches are played to 21
EQUIPMENT
· Table: The playing surface is a 9-foot long, 5-foot wide rectangle that is elevated 2 ½ feet above the floor.
· Net: The net is 6 inches high and stretches across the middle of the table.
· Paddle (Racquet, Bat): The paddle can be any size, shape, or weight, but must be flat. The sides of the paddle may be black or red.
The sides of the paddle can be covered with ordinary pimpled rubber or sandwich rubber, but 85% of the paddle must be wood.
· Ball: The ball is plastic and can be orange, white, or yellow. In the Olympics, the ball is 38 mm in diameter and weighs 2.5 grams.
GRIPS
· Shakehands The most popular and often-used grip in table tennis.
* Paddle is held as if the player is shaking hands with it.
* The benefits and disadvantages of the shakehands grip:
* Gives the player the best balance of forehand and backhand shots.
* Players typically use only one side of the paddle.
* Contributes to a blocking style of play.
* Concentrates on topspin shot
· Penhold
* Paddle is held as if the player is holding the handle of a pen.
* The benefits and disadvantages of the penhold grip:
* Gives a player the best forehand.
* Gives the player a much weaker backhand.
* A player using this grip usually plays close to the table.
* A player using this grip usually plays an aggressive smashing-type style of play
* Players typically use only one side of the paddle.