Table Tennis Rules
Player etiquette: please do not interrupt play in progress, and use care when retrieving a mis-hit ball near another table.
The following is an abbreviated version of the official rules, without all the legalese. Written by Yau-Man Chan, USATT Club Umpire. For the full USATT rulebook, see usatt.org.
Equipment
The playing surface of the racket must be covered by a sponge and rubber sandwich sheet no thicker than 4mm. One side must be red, the other black. At least 85% of the racket's thickness must be natural wood.
Plastic paddles, and paddles with sandpaper, bare-wood, or sponge-only coverings are not table tennis rackets. For USATT-sanctioned tournaments, all rubber sheets must carry an ITTF or USATT approval stamp.
Scoring
Games are played to 11 points. The winner must win by 2. Matches are usually best of 5 games.
Serve
Hide the ball under the table or flip a coin to decide who serves first. The winner of the toss may choose to serve or receive, or to choose ends. The loser gets whichever the winner did not choose.
Each player serves 2 points at a time until the end of the game, or until the score reaches 10-10. At deuce (10-10), service alternates every point until one player wins by 2.
To serve: place the ball on the open palm of your free hand and toss it at least 6 inches (roughly 16cm) straight up. Strike the ball as it descends. The ball and racket must both be behind the end line and above the table surface during the serve. Neither the ball nor the racket may be hidden from the receiver by any part of the server's body.
In singles, the served ball must bounce on the server's side first, clear the net, and land anywhere on the opponent's side. In doubles, the ball must land on the right-hand court on both sides of the table.
If the served ball clips the net and lands on the other side (a "let"), serve again. There is no limit on let serves.
The point starts the moment the server tosses the ball. If the server misses the ball entirely, or if the ball hits the server's clothing or body, the receiver wins the point. There is no second chance.
Rally
A return that clips the net and still lands on the opponent's side is good.
A return that touches the top edge of the table is good. A ball that hits the side of the table is not.
Players switch ends after each game, and again at the 5th point of the deciding game (game 5).
Losing a point
You lose the point if:
- Your return lands out of bounds (misses the opponent's side).
- You contact the ball with anything other than your racket or racket hand during a rally.
- Your free hand (the one not holding the racket) touches the table during a rally.
- You or any part of your body or racket touches the net or net assembly during a rally.
- You move the table.
Lets
Call a let and replay the point if both players cannot agree on a call, or if a player was interfered with while the point was in play.
Common misconceptions
These are things that are not actually rules, despite being widely believed.
"Ping" or rally to decide who serves first."
No. Like any sport involving a ball, first possession is decided by chance: flip a coin, spin the racket, or hide the ball. The winner may choose to serve, receive, or pick an end.
"The game is over if one side leads 7-0."
No. There is no "skunk" or "whitewash" rule in table tennis. If you can win 11-0, you're welcome to.
"In singles, you must serve to a specific side of the table."
No. The diagonal-serve rule applies only to doubles. In singles, the ball can land anywhere on the opponent's side.
"Server gets only 2 let serves."
No. There is no limit on let serves. If the ball clips the net and lands in on the other side, you serve again every time, indefinitely.
"If you toss the ball and decide not to hit it, you can catch it and try again."
No. The point begins the moment the ball leaves your hand. If you miss hitting the ball, the receiver wins the point.
"You lose a point if any part of your body touches the table."
No. Only your free hand (the one not holding the racket) cannot touch the table. The rest of your body may contact the table, provided you do not move it. "Hand" is defined as everything from the fingers up to and including the wrist. The elbow and arm above the wrist are fine.
"You lose a point if you hit the ball with your racket-hand fingers or knuckles."
No. Hitting the ball with any part of the racket-holding hand, including fingers, knuckles, or any part below the wrist, is a legal hit.
"You cannot cross the net line to reach a short ball."
No. Players may go anywhere around the table, including to the opponent's side of the net, as long as they do not touch the net or net assembly during the rally.
"You lose a point if you intercept an out-of-bounds ball."
No. Once the ball crosses your end line without bouncing on your side, the rally is over and you have won the point. The ball is dead. You may catch it or hit it without penalty.
"The server in the deciding game is always given the advantage at game point."
No. Normal service rotation continues. The only exception is at deuce (10-10), where service alternates every point until one player wins by 2.