Table tennis, sometimes known as ping pong, is a variation of tennis played with a table and a small net. Instead of racquets, players use paddles to hit a lightweight table tennis ball back and forth. The rules between singles and doubles table tennis are very similar, but there are a few variations that can change the strategy you employ when standing face to face with your opponent.
Surface and Serving
The surface of the ping pong table must be divided by a white line down the center of the table, across both sides of the net. When a player serves, he must throw the ball at least six inches in the air and hit the ball so it bounces on the corner of the table and lands on the opposite corner. For example, if player one is standing on the back right side of the table, she must bounce the ball in that box, then the ball must hit the front left side of the table after going over the net. A ball that bounces on the center line is considered to be in bounds and a legal play.
Order of Play
Once it is determined -- by a coin toss -- which team serves first, that team can choose which player will serve first. Then, the other team must also determine which of their players will serve first when it is their turn. The sequence decided by both teams must remain the same for the duration of the match. One player serves for the entire game, as opposed to a common belief that players switch off every volley. For example, player one on team one serves for the first game. In game two, player one of team two serves. In game three, player two of team one serves. In game four, player two of team two serves.
Switching Sides
According to AllAboutTableTennis.com, teams must switch sides and decide which side serves and receives after every game. In addition, if the match enters the last possible game for a doubles match, the teams switch sides every time one team has scored five points. This is to take away any possible advantage due to an intangible.
Equipment
According to Pongworld.com, a regulation size table tennis table measures 2.74 meters long, 0.76 meters high and 1.525 meters wide. The ball must be 40 millimeters in circumference and must be either orange or white.
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