2017 Table Tennis Rules | | | | | | | Recent rule changes appear in italicized font . Rule 2: Player Eligibility All players must check-in with their University or valid government-issued photo IDs with the supervisor prior to participating. In singles, members of the Table Tennis sport club must play in the "A" division. Rule 3: Ground Rules A game shall be won by the player/pair first scoring 11 points unless both players/pairs score 10 points. If both player/pairs are tied at 10 points, the game is won by the first player/pair subsequently gaining a lead of two points. The game will be capped at a maximum of 15 points. A match shall consist of the best-of-5 games. The Championship Match will be played to the best-of-7. Participants are allowed to use a ball agreed upon by both players, otherwise one will be provided for them. The winner of a coin toss between opponents shall have choice of serving, receiving, or choice of ends for the first game. The loser of the toss shall have the remaining choice. The players or pairs will alternate serve and side each game. A player must allow the ball to bounce before making a play on it. If any disagreement occurs in regard to a point, a game, or any other play situation, it shall be mutually agreed by all players in the game that the point or situation be played over immediately. Rule 4: Order of Play Singles : In singles, the server shall first make a good service, the receiver shall then make a good return, and thereafter server and receiver alternately shall make a good return. Doubles : The server shall first make a good service, the receiver shall make a good return, the partner of the server shall then make a good return, and the partner of the receiver shall then make a good return, and so on. Rule 5: Service Service shall start with the ball resting freely on the open palm of the server’s stationary free hand. The server shall then project the ball near vertically upwards, without imparting spin, so that it rises at least 16cm after leaving the palm of the free hand and then falls without touching anything before being struck. As the ball is falling the server shall strike it so it touches first his/her court and then, after passing over or around the net assembly, touches directly the receiver’s court; in Doubles, the ball shall be served cross court from the right side of the service court to the right side of the receiver’s court. In Singles, service is open. From the start of the service and until it is struck, the ball shall be above the level of the playing surface and behind the server’s end line, and it shall not be hidden from the receiver by any part of the body or clothing of the server or his/her doubles partner. In order for the serve to be legal, it cannot bounce twice on the server’s court. A let shall be called during the service if the ball, in passing over or around the net assembly, touches it, provided the service is otherwise good or the ball is obstructed by the receiver or his partner. There is no limit on how many lets may occur successively. Rule 6: Return The ball, having been served or returned, shall be struck so that it passes over or around the net assembly and touches the opponent’s court, either directly or after touching the net assembly.

Cat Dolphin/EyeEm/Getty Images Do you like to play doubles? Most ping-pong players enjoy a good game of doubles now and again. Playing and winning in doubles competition can be just as rewarding and fun as singles play - after all, there's two of you to share the glory and celebrate! But most articles written about table tennis tactics and strategies tend to focus on the singles side of competition, while doubles play tends to be treated as an afterthought. There are some important differences between the tactics used for doubles play when compared to singles, so let's have a look at the basics of playing doubles well. It Takes Two I have often seen a doubles team of lesser singles players take on and beat a combination of two stronger singles players. The reason? Just like the old saying, a champion team will beat a team of champions. Two weaker players that know each other's game and play to support each other can be a tougher team to beat than two strong players that don't work well together. There are also some players who are known as excellent doubles players, simply because they know and apply many of the tactics mentioned below. So if you can understand and use these tips, you should be well on your way to becoming a much better doubles player, regardless of who you partner with. Doubles Serving Tips and Tactics In doubles, you have to serve diagonally to your opponent, from your right-hand half of the court to your opponents' right-hand half of the court. This reduces the amount of deception you can get from placing the ball well and allows most opponents to cover the whole half court with either their forehand or backhand side, virtually eliminating the strategy of aiming at their playing elbow. This, in turn, lowers the effectiveness of longer serves, so most of the serves you perform in doubles should be double bounce serves that bounce low over the net and are difficult to attack.

The winner of a game is the first to 11 points. There must be a gap of at least two points between opponents at the end of the game though, so if the score is 10-10, the game goes in to extra play until one of the players has gained a lead of 2 points. The point goes to the player who successfully ends a rally, regardless of who has served. A match can consist of the number of games you like, just make sure you agree this in advance! Serving: singles A player takes two serves before the ball switches to the opponent to serve, except during periods of extra play where it changes each time. The first person to serve at the start of the game can be determined in many different ways, we’ll leave that up to you to decide! Service can be diagonal or in a straight line in singles Serving: doubles Service must be diagonal, from the right half court (marked by a white line) to the opponent’s right half court. Service changeover in Doubles is as follows: At the start of a game, the serving team will decide which player will serve first. The first player to serve is A1 and; A1 serves to B1 (2 services) B1 then serves to A2 (2 services) A2 then serves to B2 (2 services) B2 serves to A1 2 services) Repeat At the end of game 1 and the start of game 2, team B will take the first serve; B1 must serve to A1. A1 then serves to B2 and so on. Rotation rules for doubles In doubles, you should alternate hitting the ball with your partner. So, for example, A1 serves the ball to B1, who returns the ball. A2 then hits the ball and B2 returns this. A1 hits and B2 returns, A2 hits and B1 returns….and so on. Service rules you must obey The ball must first bounce on your side and then in your opponents. Your opponent must allow the ball to hit their side of the table before trying to return this. The ball must pass cleanly over the net – if it ‘clips’ the net and goes over, it is a ‘let’ and the serve is retaken. If it hits the net and doesn’t go over, the point goes to the other player/team. There are no second serves. For service, the ball rests freely on the open palm of the hand.

9.2 If the service is delivered when the receiving player or pair is not ready, provided that neither the receiver nor his partner attempts to strike the ball. This rule is self-explanatory: the rally is not scored. As no point has been awarded, service will not change, so the serving player must serve again. In the case of a consistent pattern of such actions, the same source further gives this rule 18: 18.2.1 Players and coaches shall refrain from conduct that may unfairly affect an opponent, offend spectators or bring the game into disrepute. An umpire who deems the actions to breach the above rule, in particular that repeatedly serving early is "conduct that may unfairly affect an opponent" has a number of sanctions available, which are listed in the remainder of rule 18. They include sequentially: a warning, the award of a point, the award of two points together (18.2.3), and suspension of play preceding a report to the referee ( 18.2.4 ). The referee has the sanction available of disqualifying the player from the match, event or tournament ( 18.2.7 ).

To execute a forehand short backspin serve (figure 5.6), take a position completely off to the left side of the table, so that your left hand is located at the left sideline (right-handed player). Your left foot should be in front of your right, and your upper body should be parallel to the left side line of the table. The racket hand and the free hand, which is holding the ball, are close together at the start of the serve. From an open palm, toss the ball at least 6 inches (15 cm) high and, at the same time, rotate your upper body to the right, bringing your racket back into the ready position. The racket blade is open and the wrist is laid back. As the ball begins to descend, rotate your body back to the left and bring the racket to the ball. Contact the ball at the bottom of the ball’s face with an open racket. The racket travels under the ball and up at the end. The follow-through is very short to help disguise the type and amount of spin on the serve. The first bounce on your side of the table should be close to the net. The bounce on the opponent’s side of the table also should be short. If done properly, this serve will bounce several times on the table or even back up toward the net. After serving, quickly get into the ready position to take advantage of any loose return. Beginning Position 1. Stand outside left side line with left foot slightly in front 2. Upper body parallel to left side line 3. Serve grip, hands close together 1. Throw ball up 2. Rotate upper body to right 3. Racket open in backswing position 4. Transfer weight to back foot 1. Transfer weight to front foot 2. Rotate upper body to left, bringing racket to ball 3. Low contact point on ball 4. Low position of ball to table

When you are playing ping pong in your own home, you can make up your own rules and keep score any way you like. But when you play in a competition that follows the ITTF rules and regulations, it's important to know the ping pong rules on how to keep score correctly. It also helps so you can be sure that your umpire is keeping the score accurately as well. In fact, it is not uncommon for matches in local competitions to have no umpires, and the players must umpire and keep the score themselves. So just in case you are asked to be an umpire, or have to umpire your own match, here is a checklist of how to keep score in table tennis. Before the Match Starts First, make sure that you get the match scoresheet and a pen or pencil so you have something to write the scores on Don't wait until the end of the match to write down the scores, or you may not be able to remember them all! It also helps to check the scoresheet to make sure that you have the correct opponent and are playing on the correct table. Second, check to see if a match is a best of five or seven games (these are the most commonly used by far, although any odd number of games can be used). Next, do the toss to decide who will be serving, and which player will start at which end. Most official umpires use a colored disc to do the toss, but a coin will work just as well. Another alternative that is commonly used is to roll the ball along the middle of the table towards you and let it fall off the endline, catch the ball with both hands, then spread your arms out with both hands below the table, one hand holding the ball. Also, make a note on the scoresheet about which player is going to serve first in the first game. This will come in handy in later games to know whose turn it is to serve first, or if you or your opponent forget whose turn it is to serve during a game! Ping Pong Score Rules: During the Match The score begins at 0-0, and the server will serve first. Each player gets to serve for two points in a row, and then the other player has to serve. You are not allowed to give the serve away and choose to receive all the time, even if both players agree. When serving, you must follow the rules for a legal serve, and hit the ball so that it touches your side of the table once, then bounces over or around the net, and then touches your opponent's side of the table. A serve that touches the net assembly (the net, net posts and net clamps) on the way, but still touches your side first and then your opponent's side on the second bounce, is called a let serve (or just a "let") and must be replayed with no change to the score. There is no limit on how many lets you can serve in a row.

The pyramid rule is a very useful concept for explaining why it is important to develop a 'close to the table' game. The concept revolves around the increasing distance between two wide angle balls the further back you go from the table. The best way to demonstrate this is to feed two balls, one to each corner, consecutively... Close to the table (A) you can move and hit both balls in turn. Then you move back 1-1.5 metres from the table (B). You can get the first ball but have to stretch or play out of balance for the second ball. Finally, move back again to around 2-2.5 metres from the table (C). It becomes very difficult for you to get to the ball. The diagram above shows the point illustrated. So why is playing close to the table important? Allows you to play earlier in the bounce as opposed to later, which reduces opponent reaction time and the effectiveness of hard placements. Keeps your weight forward and the pressure on the opponent, giving a balanced centre of gravity instead of chasing the ball down. Allows you to push your opponent back and make it difficult for them and to play with more depth and speed variation, smashing, looping for placement, drop shots etc. To build this close to the table game you need to be fearless, when the opponent attacks you need to hold your ground and be confident. Timing is very important, as is placement. When you get the chance to attack, being close to the table can make your shots far more devastating in terms of opponent reaction time than if you are far back playing a slower opening game and loop-to-loop counter style. At the table you can use an early-bounce counter style which can be very effective. So, remember the pyramid rule when you find yourself drifting back from the table and don't forget that you are much better off staying up at the table! Enroll Now for FREE! If you're serious about becoming an elite, well-respected table tennis player you need to join TableTennisUniversity.com! We'll help you to develop new winning skills, break old bad habits, bust through frustrating plateaus, and play the best table tennis of your life.

The 19th World Veteran Table Tennis Championships (WVC) will take place from 18 June 2018 - 24 June 2018 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. ELIGIBILITY The WVC is open to all interested players aged 40 years and over or who will reach their 40th birthday during the year the event takes place (born 1978 or earlier). This also includes participants who will reach the age of 40 during the course of the months after the event is scheduled (from June until December 2018). EVENT CATEGORIES The following categories will form part of the championships: - 40 - 44 years (Born 1978 or before) - 45 - 49 years (Born 1973 or before) - 50 - 54 years (Born 1968 or before) - 55 - 59 years (Born 1963 or before) - 60 - 64 years (Born 1958 or before) - 65 - 69 years (Born 1953 or before) - 70 - 74 years (Born 1948 or before) - 75 - 79 years (Born 1943 or before) - 80 - 84 years (Born 1938 or before) - 85 - 89 years (Born 1933 or before) - Over 90 years (Born 1928 or before) Each player has to participate in his own event category. Exceptions will be made for doubles pairs, where players do not belong to the same event category. In such cases, the pair will participate in the event category of the youngest player. CHAMPIONSHIP CATEGORIES The following competitions will be played in each category: Women¹s and Men's singles Women¹s and Men's doubles PLAYING SYSTEM Information about the playing system is to be found in the rules and regulations of the World Veterans Table Tennis Championships. In principle, the rules of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) apply. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS A maximum number of 5, 000 players will be allowed to participate in the WVC 2018 to be held in Las Vegas, NV. Registration of players will only take place upon receipt of the full entry fee payment. Adjudication of entry place will be handled on a first come, first served basis. Registrations received above this number will be put on a waiting list, by order of date of entry received. Vacancies will be filled with names from the waiting list; those moving up will receive an invoice and the entry fee is due immediately. The amount of the entry fee is determined by the date registration is received. ACCREDITATION Accreditation for participants and their accompanying persons takes place at multiple locations. More information will be available after January 1, 2018. Each participant has to come to accreditation at least 1 hour before their age group starts to confirm his/her sports entry and to collect his/her tournament documents. When collecting the tournament documents the participant has to provide his/her confirmation of participation containing the individual personal registration number. All participants who have not received their accreditation according to above mentioned time table will be cancelled and cannot play in the tournament. Players who have registered through a group will receive their accreditation only through the group leader, not individually. The accreditation of accompanying persons only takes place together with the accreditation of the participant entered for the tournament. All players are requested to come to the accreditation centre as early as possible. ILLNESS / ACCIDENT To compete, participating players of the 2018 WVC are responsible for their physical and mental fitness. It is recommended that a routine check-up ahead of the WVC should be carried out by a doctor. The Organizing Committee does not provide health insurance for participants. Any costs for medication, bandages or other medical services will not be born by the Organizing Committee. First aid/medical duty personnel will be available at the LVCC during the competition. LIABILITY / INSURANCE The Organizing Committee cannot accept liability in case of accidents, injuries, thefts or damages of any kind. The Organizing Committee does not provide health insurance for participants. Each participant has to take care for his/her health insurance and to bear the relevant costs. Costs incurred by foreign participants for late departure or non­departure from Las Vegas due to illness will be at each participant’s expense. The Organizing Committee shall not be liable in this respect and will carry no insurance to cover events as such.

How do serves work in tennis? I’ve been watching the U.S. Open and the commentators seem to make a big deal over them. Why is that? Thanks, Titus — — — Dear Titus, Great question — you’re absolutely right that tennis announcers make a big deal about serving but they don’t always explain how it works. I’ll take you quickly through how serves work in tennis, in particular, what the rules are and why they’re important to the game. Visualize a tennis court. It’s split into two halves by the net. On each half there are three rectangles created by white lines. One big rectangle covers the half of the half farthest from the net. The area closest to the net is divided into two narrower rectangles. When a player serves the tennis ball, she has to stand outside of the boxed in area on either the right side of the court or the left. Serves from the right hand side have to cross the net in the air and bounce in the left hand small rectangle. Serves from the left hand side must do the opposite and land on the right side rectangle closest to the net on the opponents side of the court. Got it? It’s just like ping pong. Although pros make serving look easy, it’s actually very difficult and lots of things can happen to a serve to make it illegal. This is so common that it’s not truly penalized like a foul, it’s called a fault. If a tennis player faults on his or her serve, they get a second chance. If they use their second chance to serve legally, the point goes on normally. If they fault again on the second attempt, they lose the point. The important terms here are first serve which is a player’s first attempt to start a point, second serve which is any serve preceded by a fault, and double fault which is when a serving player’s opponent gets a point because the server faulted two times in a single service attempt. A fault can come for many reasons. The most common is that the serve fails to land in the correct opposite rectangle either because it gets stopped by the net or because it lands outside of the box. The only other reason I knew of off the top of my head was a “foot fault” which happens when a serving player steps on or over the baseline when they are serving. According to Wikipedia there are some other ways to fault on a serve but they don’t happen very often. One exception to the fault rule that does happen pretty often is when the ball hits the net but goes over and lands in the proper serving box. When this happens, it’s called a let and the serving player just gets a do-over. If they are on their first serve, they’re still on their first serve. If they are on their second, they are still on their second. If you’ve watched enough tennis, you’ve seen a player win a point because, in the normal course of play, they hit the net and the ball skips over and falls into their opponent’s side of the court. The player who won the point usually holds up their hands in a universal “I’m sorry, that was luck” gesture. It’s good sportsmanship but I think it may stem from this rule that establishes the idea that hitting the net shouldn’t be good for either player. Serves are important because they carry a significant advantage to the player serving the ball. According to the ATP World Tennis Tour’s

The experience of most table tennis players with regard to umpiring is probably in local league matches where the primary function is to merely call out the score. However is this really what being an umpire is all about? Can umpiring really be a fulfilling and enjoyable experience? Firstly, let's take a look at the role of an umpire. The role of an umpire is:- Preparing the playing area for the match. Ensuring the players are correctly equipped for the match. Ensuring the correct observance of the service laws. Ensuring compliance with the regulations concerning behaviour Ensuring correct order of service for each player or pair of players Deciding each rally as a point or let. Calling and displaying the score, and indicating service changes. To be alert to changes in the playing conditions and to react appropriately. Observing net cord services and edge balls and adjudicate appropriately. Ensuring continuity of play. To know, understand and apply the rules and regulations of table tennis. This list of the duties of umpire is not exhaustive but it does demonstrate that the umpire has a very important role to play in the successful staging of a match. Secondly, - How would you like to have the best seat in the house? Just image what it would feel like to be the umpire for a final at our National Championships and possible other major events. Yes, this really could be you!! So how do you become an umpire? County Umpire - National Umpire - International Umpire To qualify as a County Umpire you will need to pass a written test and successfully complete a practical assessment. To obtain a Test Paper, please contact Peter Higgins (contact details below). The written test can be taken in the comfort of your own home, and you are able to use any reference materials to help you answer the questions. Once you have qualified you have the opportunity to officiate at various tournaments, around the country, and having gained good experice you can be nominated to sit for the National Umpire (NU) qualification. To qualify as a NU you will need to pass a written examination, and a practical assessment. The IU (International Umpire) is possible once you have gained good experience and demonstrated consistently high standards as an NU. The IU examination is administered by the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) via TTW. Table Tennis requires officials to make it function properly. Your involvement as an umpire will be fulfilling and rewarding, not just for yourself, but also for the players and spectators. You do not have to be or have been a player to become an umpire.