Ping Pong or table tennis was invented by the Victorians in England in the late 19th century as a response to the fact that real tennis could not be played outdoors during winter. They were looking for an indoor sport that was similar, and so ping pong was born. Over the last 150 years, the game has steadily increased in popularity to the point that table tennis is now an Olympic sport.
The game is very easy to play as all that is needed is a table, a ball and a pair of rackets or paddles. However, there have been many rule changes since the game was invented, and this has left many people unsure of how to play the game correctly. We are, therefore, going to take a look at the rules and most importantly, how to score during a game of ping pong.
The Basic Rules
At heart, ping pong is a very simple game. A match normally consists of the best of 5 or 7 games, although as cited on this site, any number can be used as long as it is an odd number. A coin is tossed to determine who serves and the ends, at which each player starts the game. The server serves the ball into play, ensuring that it lands on both sides of the table to be called a legal serve. A rally then ensues until one player does not hit the ball onto the opponent’s side, or another type of foul is committed. The winner gains a point, and the same server serves for a second time. The service continues to rotate after each second serves and the play continues until one player reaches 11 points and wins the game. If, however, the score reaches 10 apiece, the play continues until one player has a clear advantage of two points over the other.
How to Win a Point
There are many ways to win a point in ping pong. If a player misses a shot that lands on their side of the table, or if they fail to hit a shot that lands on the opposite side, then they will lose the point. When serving, the ball must bounce on both sides of the table or the point is lost, and the ball must also be tossed up in the air by at least 14cm from the palm if the service is to be deemed legal. Many players will try and be cunning with their service, and it can be a crucial part of their armory because if you constantly win your own service you will be more likely to win the game.
How to Lose a Point
We have looked at how to win a point, but there are also many circumstances under which you can lose a point. At no point during a rally can you move the table with your body, whether by accident or on purpose, as this automatically means loss of the point. You will lose the point if you completely fail to reach a ball that lands on your side of the table, or you do not manage to hit it onto the opponent’s side. If you pass the net line at any point during a rally then the point will be awarded to your opponent. A player’s free hand may not touch the table at any point in a rally or it will result in the loss of that point and a shot may not be hit on the volley – every shot must bounce before it can be hit.
Keeping Score
As we touched on earlier, a game of ping pong is played to 11 points. If the scores are tied at 10 all, an advantage of two clear points is needed to win the game. But how do you know whose turn to serve it is? One easy method of remembering is that it always changes on an even number, and when the score gets into double figures, then the original server will always have the service when the points are equal.
As we have learned, ping pong is an easy game to learn as there are few complicated rules, which means that anybody can enjoy a game, no matter their level of experience. A match normally consists of the best of five games, and each game is played to 11 points, with the service changing between players after every two points. Now that you understand the rules, you have no excuse not to be playing this speedy and athletic game!
