Introduction
Most of you have played table tennis at some time or other. Most of you
have enjoyed your playing! Because it is played indoors and requires relatively
little equipment, it is an ideal recreation for everyone. Although it
has many similarities with tennis (mainly in the rules), the comparison
ends there. The lightness of the ball, the small area of the table, and
the time of the response make it a game of great delicacy requiring great
agility, lightning responses and of course a high level of physical fitness.
Equipment
Table tennis is played on thick wooden or composite wood, plastic and
even metal varieties table. The surface of the table should have a matt
finish and it is usually dark green or blue. The table is 274 cm in length,
152.5 cm in width, and 76 cm in height.
The table is divided by the net into two courts. The net is 15.25 cm height
and extends 15.25 cm beyond each side of the table.
The racket consists of two parts: the rubbers and the blade. There are
a lot of different kinds of rubbers and blades. There are offensive, all-round
and defensive ones. The player style will dictate the kind of racket to
use.
Scoring
A game is won by the first player or pair (in doubles play) to score 11
points, unless the score reaches 10-10 in which case the player or the
pair needs two clear points more than the other in order to win the game.
A match consists of the best of three games or in big tournaments, like
World & European Championships, the best of five games or best of seven.
You lose a point when:
You fail to make a good serve.
You fail to return the ball from the opponent.
You hit the ball before it has bounced on your side.
The ball bounces twice on your side.
In some special occasions when you execute the serve.
Good return
A good return is a single hit of the ball by the racket hand below the
wrist, after it has bounced on the player's side of the table, so that
the ball returns directly on the opponent's side. Of course the ball is
permitted to hit the net during the return. However if the ball hits the
net during the serve, the serve is executed again.
Order of serving
The server changes every 2 points. This continues until the player wins
the game. After the end of the game the opponents change sides and the
player who served first in the previous game, serves first in the next.
In doubles the rules of serving and changing ends are the same as in singles
except that the serve is executed from the right hand side. Each 2 points
the server changes corner with his partner so that the other will be ready
to receive the opponent's serve. In doubles play the ball is returned
in a strict sequence. The server serves and then his partner receives
the ball from the opponent and so on.
Because of its deceptive simplicity most of the people who have played
table tennis tend to take it lightly. However excellence requires a mastery
of a variety of factors. For example there are a variety of technical
strokes and spins which make the game more exciting but more difficult
to play. The best way to learn how this fascinating game is played is
to start with a qualified coach in a table tennis club. You can find more
about clubs and national table tennis federations in ITTF (International
Table Tennis Federation).
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