Table tennis is one of the fastest reaction sports around, played over a small table with a ball that weighs barely three grams. Two players, or two pairs in doubles, hit the ball back and forth until one side fails to return it legally. The sport is run globally by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), while the top professional events now fall under World Table Tennis (WTT), a commercial body set up by the ITTF to run its major tour. In India, the sport is governed by the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).
Objective
The aim is simple: win the point by making a shot your opponent cannot return onto your side of the table. Points build into games, and games into a match, with the player or pair reaching the required total first taking the win.
Rules and regulations
- Each rally starts with a serve.
- The server must toss the ball upward from an open palm to a height of at least 16 centimetres before striking it, and the ball must bounce once on the server’s side and once on the receiver’s side before it is returned.
- Players switch who serves every two points, except once a game reaches 10-10, when service alternates after every single point.
- In doubles, serves must go diagonally, and partners take turns receiving and returning.
- A ball may be volleyed only after it has bounced, not before, and touching the table with a free hand or moving it counts against the player responsible.
- If a game drags on, the expedite system can kick in after a set time, forcing faster play by requiring the server to win the point within 13 further strokes or concede it.
Equipment and playing area
- The table measures 2.74 metres long and 1.525 metres wide, with the net stretched across the middle at a height of 15.25 centimetres.
- The ball is a 40mm plastic sphere weighing around 2.7 grams, and rackets are wooden blades covered with rubber, one side usually a different colour from the other so opponents can read the spin being used.
Scoring
- Games are played to 11 points, and a player must win by at least two clear points, so a game can run well beyond 11-9 if scores stay close.
- Matches are usually decided over the best of five or seven games, depending on the level of competition.
