Table tennis is a fairly simple game that anyone can play. While becoming a skilled table tennis player may take a while, it won't take too long to master the basics. The rules themselves are quite straightforward, making a friendly match of table tennis an uncomplicated way to spend some time.
Serve
The game begins with the serve. In order to serve within the rules of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), you must rest the ball in the palm of your hand and toss it up at least 6 inches before striking. The ball must be struck so that it first bounces on your side of the table before bouncing once on your opponent's side. In doubles, the serve must land in the receiver's half of the court. If the serve is good but touches the net, a let is played and the serve is retaken. The turn of serve changes after every 2 points scored.
Return
The serve is followed by the opponent's return; the ball is now in play and the rally has begun. The ball must now be struck so that it bounces only on your opponent's side. According to ITTF regulations, the ball can touch the net assembly on the return as long as it bounces in your opponent's court afterward.
Points
You will score a point if your opponent plays a foul serve, fails to return the ball once it is in play or returns the ball without it bouncing in your court area. A foul serve is called if the ball fails to bounce once on the server's side before bouncing once on the opponent's side. Striking the ball twice, whether deliberately or not, is a foul and will also award a point to the opposition.
Scoring System
A table tennis match is won by the player who scores the best out of a set number of games, be it three out of five, four out of seven, and so on. The exact number of games should be decided before the start of play. Each game is won by the first player to reach 11 points. If both players are tied on 10 points, the official ITTF rules state that "the game shall be won by the first player or pair subsequently gaining a lead of 2 points."
Equipment
The main items of equipment are the table, net, rackets and ball. An ITTF regulation table should be 9 feet long, 5 feet wide and 76 cm high. The net should stretch across the width of the table, the top of the net being 15.25 cm above the playing surface. The ball should have a diameter of 40 mm and weigh 2.7 g. Official table tennis racket regulations are very strict; for a friendly game, any standard table tennis racket will suffice.
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