About sport
Table tennis is a fast, technical sport that developed from tennis as its indoor variant. Thanks to its modest space requirements and simple equipment, it is very accessible and popular around the world.
It is played with a paddle and a light ball over a low net, with reflexes, accuracy, and ball feel playing the main role. Table tennis is suitable both for recreational fun and for competitive play.
How to play table tennis
You can play table tennis in singles or doubles. The rules are simple and the game is fast-paced.
An ideal activity for a short sports break as well as competition.
Rules
Table tennis is played as singles or doubles on a table divided by a net.
A match is usually played over three or four winning sets, each set to 11 points with a two-point margin.
The server serves two balls in a row, then the opponent serves. At 10:10, service alternates after each serve.
On serve, the ball must rest freely on an open palm, be thrown vertically upward at least 16 cm, be struck on the way down, and first bounce on the server's side, then on the opponent's side.
After that, the ball is played back without bouncing on one’s own side.
In doubles, the serve is made diagonally from the right half to the right half of the opponent's court.
The ball remains in play until it touches an object other than the table, the opponent does not return it correctly, or it bounces twice.
A player scores a point if the opponent does not return the ball correctly, misses it, hits it into the net or off the table, or otherwise commits another error.
During play, the ball may touch the net if it passes to the opponent's side, and play continues; the exception is a serve, where after touching the net the ball must bounce correctly, otherwise it is a fault.
A fault occurs when the serve is not correct, the ball is played off the table or into the net, bounces twice on one side, hits the body or another object, the player touches the table with the free hand, moves the table, or hits the ball before it has crossed the net.