Sometimes all you want to know are the basic rules to play a friendly game of Table Tennis​​

     (If you are more seriously wanting to know all of the rules look for the official ITTF RULES)

 

In singles, the centre lines serve no purpose, so ignore them.

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Scoring

​A match is played best 3 of 5 games (or 4/7 or 5/9).  For each game, the first player to reach 11 points wins the game, however a game must be won by at least a two point margin.  A point is scored after each ball is put into play (not just when the server wins the point as in volleyball)

The edges of the table are part of the legal table surface, but not the sides.

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Flow of the Match  *

Each player serves two points in a row and then switch server.  However, if a score of 10-10 is reached in any game, then each server serves only one point and then the server is switched.  After each game, the players switch side of the table.  In the final game (ie 5th game), the players switch side again after either player reaches 5 points.

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Legal Service

 

The ball must rest on an open hand palm.  Then it must be tossed up at least 6 inches and struck so the ball first bounces on the server's side and then the opponent's side.  If the serve is legal except that it touches the net, it is called a let serve.  Let serves are not scored and are reserved.

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Equipment

​The paddle should have a red and a black side.  The ball should be either orange or white and 40mm in size.  The table should be 2.74m long, 1.525m wide and 0.76m high

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The Old Scoring System * (we still happily use this for most of our games).​​

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Each player serves five points in a row and then switch server.  However if a score of 20-20 is reached in the game, then each server serves only one point and then the server is switched.​

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Matches in this system were usually out of 3 games.​

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