This can either be by sheer power, spin or other deceptive means. The aim in table tennis is to strike the ball in a manner that the opponent fails to make contact with the ball, which earns the player a point. The server has to hold the ball with an open palm, toss it up and strike it in a manner that the ball bounces first on the server’s side of the table before bouncing over the net to the other side. The winner has the options to serve the ball first, receive it, or choose the side of the table they’d like to play from. How to play table tennisĪ table tennis match begins with the umpire conducting a coin-toss. The ball, usually orange or white, weighs about 2.7 grams and is spherical with a diameter of 40 millimetres as per rules and regulations. It has a rubber surface on either side - black and red - that help the players in applying and negating the spin on the ball. The bat, commonly referred to as a ‘racquet’ or ‘paddle’, is approximately 17cms long and 15cms wide, made primarily of wood. The table tennis net stands at a height of 15.25 centimetres. The table is divided into two halves by a net that's suspended using two poles attached to the table. A two centimetre-thick line runs over the border of the table, marking the playing surface. The table is coated with dark and glossy paint, giving it a matte finish. Table tennis equipmentĪs per the official rules of table tennis, the game is played on a 2.74 x 1.53-metre rectangular table made of fibrewood and is split into two halves.Ī table tennis table is made of fibrewood that is split into two halves.

Here’s a look at table tennis rules, the regulations, equipment used and how the game is played. Just eight years after hosting its first World Cup in China, table tennis featured at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and has since been a fixture at the Games. However, table tennis became widely popular in Asia after finding its way to the continent in the 1950s, which has since been a breeding ground for some of the best players in the world. In its early days, the sport was largely played and dominated by Europeans, especially the Hungarians. Originally a leisure activity for the upper-class in Victorian-era England, the sport was initially called ping pong before being renamed to table tennis in 1922. A sport of intense speed and jaw-dropping precision, table tennis is one of the most exciting sporting spectacles.

Live table tennis score