Table tennis is a sport played on a flat, elevated surface divided into two courts. You can play singles or doubles, and the rules are similar in each case. Like all sports, table tennis has governing bodies such as the USA Table Tennis Association that agree upon official rule sets and dimensions for the equipment used by the players.
Equipment Sizes
The official size of the table used for table tennis is 9 feet long and 5 feet long, and the surface must lie at a height of 2 1/5 feet above the floor. The table's surface must be dark with the exception of light-colored lines drawn on it. Two cm-wide sidelines are drawn on the long edges of the table, and 2 cm-wide end-lines are drawn on the wide edges of the table. The playing surface is divided into two halves by a vertical net that runs through the center, covering the entire width of the table. The net must be 5 inches high. Each court is divided in half by a 3 mm-wide center-line. A table tennis ball must have a diameter of 40 mm and a weight of 2.7 g. The racket used to strike the ball can be any size and shape; it must be covered with pimpled rubber than constitutes no more than 15 percent of the thickness of the entire racket.
Serving and Returning
In table tennis, you prepare to serve by holding the ball in your open hand about the surface of the table and behind your endline. Then, you toss the ball into the air and strike it as it falls. The serve must bounce on the server's side of the table, then pass over the net and bounce on the receiver's side of the net. In a doubles match, the serve must travel from the right side of the server's court to the right side of the receivers' court. If the ball strikes the top of the net but otherwise lands properly, a let is called and you get another chance to serve. If the ball misses either court, the point is awarded to the receiver. After you serve, your opponent must strike the ball so it passes over or around the net and lands on your side of the table. Play continues as you and your opponent alternately return the ball to each other. Players alternate serving after each two points are scored.
Scoring
There are several ways to score in table tennis. You score a point if you hit the ball to your opponent's side and he fails to return it after one bounce. You receive a point if your opponent strikes the ball long, meaning it fails to bounce on your side of the table before leaving the boundaries of play. You also win a point if your opponent moves the table, even by accident, or if he or his racket touches the net. The first player to score 11 points wins a game. However, a player has to win by two points. Play will continue after someone reaches 11 until one player gains a two-point advantage. A match in table tennis consists of the best of any odd number of games.
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