Table tennis is one
of the most exciting sports spectacles, and it requires intense speed and
astonishing precision. According to the table tennis laws, a player can win a
game by scoring 11 points, with one point awarded for each violation. The
first to reach 11 points will be declared the winner. When it comes to
serving, there are three main rules to keep in mind.
Firstly, the ball must be thrown vertically at least 16
cm. Secondly, each player can serve twice in a row. Lastly, if the ball hits
the net and doesn’t reach the other half of the table, the receiver
automatically receives a point. In individual competitions, the service rule
allows the server to serve anywhere on the table at the opposite end.
However, in doubles, the service has to travel diagonally
along the table. An otherwise legal serve or hit may come into contact with
the upper edge of the horizontal surface of the table top and be considered
valid, even if it bounces sideways. The old rules state that you can leave
your arm free in front of you to block the receiver’s view so that they
couldn’t see what service you were doing. You can also touch the ball or the
table with the hand of the paddle (after reaching out to return a short
serve, for example) or other parts of the body.
If you hit
the balls after they’ve passed the final line of the table, you’ll get a
point since your opponent couldn’t get the ball to hit your side of the table
first. If you hit the ball at a rally or on a serve and it bounces off the
net after hitting your opponent’s side of the table (due to an extreme turn),
without your opponent touching it, that’s your point.