FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT

BALL

The international rules specify that the game is played with a sphere having a mass of 2.7 grams
(0.095 oz) and a diameter of 40 millimetres (1.57 in). The rules say that the ball shall bounce up
24–26 cm (9.4–10.2 in) when dropped from a height of 30.5 cm (12.0 in) onto a standard steel block
thereby having a coefficient of restitution of 0.89 to 0.92. Balls are now made of a polymer instead
of celluloid as of 2015, colored white or orange, with a matte finish. The choice of ball color is made
according to the table color and its surroundings. For example, a white ball is easier to see on a
green or blue table than it is on a grey table. Manufacturers often indicate the quality of the ball with
a star rating system, usually from one to three, three being the highest grade. As this system is not
standard across manufacturers, the only way a ball may be used in official competition is upon ITTF
approval (the ITTF approval can be seen printed on the ball).
The 40 mm ball was introduced after the end of the 2000 Summer Olympics; previously a 38 mm
ball was standard. This created some controversies.

Table
The table is 2.74 m (9.0 ft) long, 1.525 m (5.0 ft) wide, and 76 cm (2.5 ft) high with any continuous
material so long as the table yields a uniform bounce of about 23 cm (9.1 in) when a standard ball is
dropped onto it from a height of 30 cm (11.8 in), or about 77%.The table or playing surface is
uniformly dark coloured and matte, divided into two halves by a net at 15.25 cm (6.0 in) in height.
The ITTF approves only wooden tables or their derivatives. Concrete tables with a steel net or a
solid concrete partition are sometimes available in outside public spaces, such as parks.

Racket/paddle/bat
Players are equipped with a laminated wooden racket covered with rubber on one or two sides
depending on the grip of the player. The ITTF uses the term "racket", though "bat" is common in
Britain, and "paddle" in the U.S. and Canada.
The wooden portion of the racket, often referred to as the "blade", commonly features anywhere
between one and seven plies of wood, though cork, glass fiber, carbon fiber, aluminum fiber, and
Kevlar are sometimes used. According to the ITTF regulations, at least 85% of the blade by
thickness shall be of natural wood. Common wood types include balsa, limba, and cypress or
"hinoki", which is popular in Japan. The average size of the blade is about 17 centimetres (6.7 in)
long and 15 centimetres (5.9 in) wide. Although the official restrictions only focus on the flatness and
rigidity of the blade itself, these dimensions are optimal for most play styles.
Table tennis regulations allow different rubber surfaces on each side of the racket. Various types of
surfaces provide various levels of spin or speed, and in some cases they nullify spin. For example, a
player may have a rubber that provides much spin on one side of their racket, and one that provides
no spin on the other. By flipping the racket in play, different types of returns are possible. To help a
player distinguish between the rubber used by his opposing player, international rules specify that
one side must be red while the other side must be black The player has the right to inspect their
opponent's racket before a match to see the type of rubber used and what colour it is. Despite high-
speed play and rapid exchanges, a player can see clearly what side of the racket was used to hit the
ball. Current rules state that, unless damaged in play, the racket cannot be exchanged for another
racket at any time during a match.

Grips
Though table tennis players grip their rackets in various ways, their grips can be classified into two
major families of styles, penhold and shakehand. The rules of table tennis do not prescribe the
manner in which one must grip the racket, and numerous grips are employed.

Penhold
The penhold grip is so-named because one grips the racket
similarly to the way one holds a writing instrument. The style
of play among penhold players can vary greatly from player
to player. The most popular style, usually referred to as the
Chinese penhold style, involves curling the middle, ring, and
fourth finger on the back of the blade with the three fingers
always touching one another. Chinese penholders favour a
round racket head, for a more over-the-table style of play. In
contrast, another style, sometimes referred to as the
Japanese/Korean penhold grip, involves splaying those three fingers out across the back of the
racket, usually with all three fingers touching the back of the racket, rather than stacked upon one
another. Sometimes a combination of the two styles occurs, wherein the middle, ring and fourth
fingers are straight, but still stacked, or where all fingers may be touching the back of the racket, but
are also in contact with one another. Japanese and Korean penholders will often use a square-
headed racket for an away-from-the-table style of play. Traditionally these square-headed rackets
feature a block of cork on top of the handle, as well as a thin layer of cork on the back of the racket,
for increased grip and comfort. Penhold styles are popular among players originating from East
Asian countries such as China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Traditionally, penhold players use only one side of the racket to hit the ball during normal play, and
the side which is in contact with the last three fingers is generally not used. This configuration is
sometimes referred to as "traditional penhold" and is more commonly found in square-headed racket
styles. However, the Chinese developed a technique in the 1990s in which a penholder uses both
sides of the racket to hit the ball, where the player produces a backhand stroke (most often topspin)
known as a reverse penhold backhand by turning the traditional side of the racket to face one's self,
and striking the ball with the opposite side of the racket. This stroke has greatly improved and
strengthened the penhold style both physically and psychologically, as it eliminates the strategic
weakness of the traditional penhold backhand.

Shakehand
Shakehand grip

Forehand

Backhand

The shakehand grip is so-named because the racket is grasped as if one is performing a
handshake. Though it is sometimes referred to as the "tennis" or "Western" grip, it bears no relation
to the Western tennis grip, which was popularized on the West Coast of the United States in which
the racket is rotated 90°, and played with the wrist turned so that on impact the knuckles face the
target. In table tennis, "Western" refers to Western nations, for this is the grip that players native to
Europe and the Americas have almost exclusively employed.
The shakehand grip's simplicity and versatility, coupled with the acceptance among top-level
Chinese trainers that the European style of play should be emulated and trained against, has
established it as a common grip even in China. Many world-class European and East Asian players
currently use the shakehand grip, and it is generally accepted that shakehands is easier to learn
than penholder, allowing a broader range of playing styles both offensive and defensive.
Seemiller

The Seemiller grip is named after the American table tennis champion Danny Seemiller, who used it.
It is achieved by placing the thumb and index finger on either side of the bottom of the racquet head
and holding the handle with the rest of the fingers. Since only one side of the racquet is used to hit
the ball, two contrasting rubber types can be applied to the blade, offering the advantage of
"twiddling" the racket to fool the opponent. Seemiller paired inverted rubber with anti-spin rubber.
Many players today combine inverted and long-pipped rubber. The grip is considered exceptional for
blocking, especially on the backhand side, and for forehand loops of backspin balls. The Seemiller
grip's popularity reached its apex in 1985 when four (Danny Seemiller, Ricky Seemiller, Eric Boggan
and Brian Masters) of the United States' five participants in the World Championships used it.

Basic Skills:
 How to hold a paddle
 Foot work
 Stroke
 Serving

OFFICIAL ITTF TABLE TENNIS

RULES
2.01 The Table
2.01.02 The upper surface of the table, known as the playing surface, shall be
rectangular, 2.74m long and 1.525m wide, and shall lie in a horizontal plane 76cm
above the floor.
2.01.02 The playing surface shall not include the vertical sides of the table top.
2.01.03 The playing surface may be of any material and shall yield a uniform bounce of
about 23cm when a standard ball is dropped on to it from a height of 30cm.
2.01.04 The playing surface shall be uniformly dark coloured and matt, but with a white
side line, 2cm wide, along each 2.74m edge and a white end line, 2cm wide, along each
1.525m edge.
2.01.05 The playing surface shall be divided into 2 equal courts by a vertical net running
parallel with the end lines, and shall be continuous over the whole area of each court.
2.01.06 For doubles, each court shall be divided into 2 equal half-courts by a white
centre line, 3mm wide , running parallel with the side lines; the centre line shall be
regarded as part of each right half-court.

2.02 The net assembly

2.02.01 The net assembly shall consist of the net, its suspension and the supporting
posts, including the clamps attaching them to the table.
2.02.02 The net shall be suspended by a cord attached at each end to an upright post
15.25cm high, the outside limits of the post being 15.25cm outside the side line.
2.02.03 The top of the net, along its whole length, shall be 15.25cm above the playing
surface.
2.02.04 The bottom of the net, along its whole length, shall be as close as possible to
the playing surface and the ends of the net shall be as close as possible to the
supporting posts.

2.03 The ball

2.03.01 The ball shall be spherical, with a diameter of 40mm.
2.03.02 The ball shall weigh 2.7g.
2.03.03 The ball shall be made of celluloid or similar plastics material and shall be white
or orange, and matt.

2.04 The racket

2.04.01 The racket may be of any size, shape or weight but the blade shall be flat and
rigid.
2.04.02 At least 85% of the blade by thickness shall be of natural wood; an adhesive
layer within the blade may be reinforced with fibrous material such as carbon fibre,
glass fibre or compressed paper, but shall not be thicker than 7.5% of the total
thickness or 0.35mm, whichever is the smaller.
2.04.03 A side of the blade used for striking the ball shall be covered with either
ordinary pimpled rubber,with pimples outwards having a total thickness including
adhesive of not more than 2mm, or sandwich rubber, with pimples inwards or outwards,
having a total thickness including adhesive of not more than 4mm.
2.04.03.01 Ordinary pimpled rubber is a single layer of non-cellular rubber, natural or
synthetic, with pimples evenly distributed over its surface at a density of not less than 10
per sq. cm and not more than 30 per sq. cm.
2.04.03.02 Sandwich rubber is a single layer of cellular rubber covered with a single
outer layer of ordinary pimpled rubber, the thickness of the pimpled rubber not being
more than 2mm.
2.04.04 The covering material shall extend up to but not beyond the limits of the blade,
except that the part nearest the handle and gripped by the fingers may be left
uncovered or covered with any material.
2.04.05 The blade, any layer within the blade and any layer of covering material or
adhesive on a side used for striking the ball shall be continuous and of even thickness.
2.04.06 The surface of the covering material on a side of the blade, or of a side of the
blade if it is left uncovered, shall be matt, bright red on one side and black on the other.
2.04.07 Slight deviations from continuity of surface or uniformity of colour due to
accidental damage or wear may be allowed provided that they do not significantly
change the characteristics of the surface.
2.04.08 At the start of a match and whenever he changes his racket during a match a
player shall show his opponent and the umpire the racket he is about to use and shall
allow them to examine it.

2.05 Definitions
2.05.01 A rally is the period during which the ball is in play.
2.05.02 The ball is in play from the last moment at which it is stationary on the palm of
the free hand before being intentionally projected in service until the rally is decided as
a let or a point.
2.05.03 A let is a rally of which the result is not scored.
2.05.04 A point is a rally of which the result is scored.
2.05.05 The racket hand is the hand carrying the racket.
2.05.06 The free hand is the hand not carrying the racket.
2.05.07 A player strikes the ball if he touches it in play with his racket, held in the hand,
or with his racket hand below the wrist.
2.05.08 A player obstructs the ball if he, or anything he wears or carries, touches it in
play when it is above or travelling towards the playing surface and has not passed
beyond his end line, not having touched his court since last being struck by his
opponent.
2.05.09 The server is the player due to strike the ball first in a rally.
2.05.10 The receiver is the player due to strike the ball second in a rally.
2.05.11 The umpire is the person appointed to control a match.
2.05.12 The assistant umpire is the person appointed to assist the umpire with certain
decisions.
2.05.13 Anything that a player wears or carries includes anything that he was wearing
or carrying, other than the ball, at the start of the rally.
2.05.14 The ball shall be regarded as passing over or around the net assembly if it
passes anywhere other than between the net and the net post or between the net and
the playing surface.
2.05.15 The end line shall be regarded as extending indefinitely in both directions.

2.06 A good service

2.06.01 Service shall start with the ball resting freely on the open palm of the server's
stationary free hand.
2.06.02 The server shall then project the ball near vertically upwards, without imparting
spin, so that it rises at least 16cm after leaving the palm of the free hand and then falls
without touching anything before being struck.
2.06.03 As the ball is falling the server shall strike it so that it touches first his court and
then, after passing over or around the net assembly, touches directly the receiver's
court; in doubles, the ball shall touch successively the right half court of server and
receiver.
2.06.04 From the start of service until it is struck, the ball shall be above the level of the
playing surface and behind the server's end line, and it shall not be hidden from the
receiver by any part of the body or clothing of the server or his doubles partner; as soon
as the ball has been projected, the server’s free arm shall be removed from the space
between the server’s body and the net.
2.06.05 It is the responsibility of the player to serve so that the umpire or the assistant
umpire can see that he complies with the requirements for a good service.
2.06.05.01 If the umpire is doubtful of the legality of a service he may, on the first
occasion in a match, declare a let and warn the server.
2.06.05.02 Any subsequent service of doubtful legality of that player or his doubles
partner will result in a point to the receiver.
2.06.05.03 Whenever there is a clear failure to comply with the requirements for a good
service, no warning shall be given and the receiver shall score a point.
2.06.06 Exceptionally, the umpire may relax the requirements for a good service where
he is satisfied that compliance is prevented by physical disability.

2.07 A good return

2.07.01 The ball, having been served or returned, shall be struck so that it passes over
or around the net assembly and touches the opponent's court, either directly or after
touching the net assembly.

2.08 The order of play

2.08.01 In singles, the server shall first make a good service, the receiver shall then
make a good return and thereafter server and receiver alternately shall each make a
good return.
2.08.02 In doubles, the server shall first make a good service, the receiver shall then
make a good return, the partner of the server shall then make a good return, the partner
of the receiver shall then make a good return and thereafter each player in turn in that
sequence shall make a good return.

2.09 A let
2.09.01 The rally shall be a let
2.09.01.01 if in service the ball, in passing over or around the net assembly, touches it,
provided the service is otherwise good or the ball is obstructed by the receiver or his
partner;
2.09.01.02 if the service is delivered when the receiving player or pair is not ready,
provided that neither the receiver nor his partner attempts to strike the ball;
2.09.01.03 if failure to make a good service or a good return or otherwise to comply with
the Laws is due to a disturbance outside the control of the player;
2.09.01.04 if play is interrupted by the umpire or assistant umpire.
2.09.02 Play may be interrupted
2.09.02.01 to correct an error in the order of serving, receiving or ends;
2.09.02.02 to introduce the expedite system;
2.09.02.03 to warn or penalise a player;
2.09.02.04 because the conditions of play are disturbed in a way which could affect the
outcome of the rally.

2.10 A point
2.10.01 Unless the rally is a let, a player shall score a point
2.10.01.01 if his opponent fails to make a good service;
2.10.01.02 if his opponent fails to make a good return;
2.10.01.03 if, after he has made a good service or a good return, the ball touches
anything other than the net assembly before being struck by his opponent;
2.10.01.04 if the ball passes beyond his end line without touching his court, after being
struck by his opponent;
2.10.01.05 if his opponent obstructs the ball;
2.10.01.06 if his opponent strikes the ball twice successively;
2.10.01.07 if his opponent strikes the ball with a side of the racket blade whose surface
does not comply with the requirements of 2.4.3, 2.4.4 and 2.4.5;
2.10.01.08if his opponent, or anything his opponent wears or carries, moves the playing
surface;
2.10.01.09 if his opponent, or anything his opponent wears or carries, touches the net
assembly;
2.10.01.10 if his opponent's free hand touches the playing surface;
2.10.01.11 if a doubles opponent strikes the ball out of the sequence established by the
first server and first receiver;
2.10.01.12 as provided under the expedite system (2.15.2).

2.11 A game
2.11.01 A game shall be won by the player or pair first scoring 11 points unless both
players or pairs score 10 points, when the game shall be won by the first player or pair
subsequently gaining a lead of 2 points.

2.12 A match
2.12.01 A match shall consist of the best of any odd number of games.

2.13 The order of serving, receiving and ends

2.13.01 The right to choose the initial order of serving, receiving and ends shall be
decided by lot and the winner may choose to serve or to receive first or to start at a
particular end.
2.13.02 When one player or pair has chosen to serve or to receive first or to start at a
particular end, the other player or pair shall have the other choice.
2.13.03 After each 2 points have been scored the receiving player or pair shall become
the serving player or pair and so on until the end of the game, unless both players or
pairs score 10 points or the expedite system is in operation, when the sequences of
serving and receiving shall be the same but each player shall serve for only 1 point in
turn.
2.13.04 In each game of a doubles match, the pair having the right to serve first shall
choose which of them will do so and in the first game of a match the receiving pair shall
decide which of them will receive first; in subsequent games of the match, the first
server having been chosen, the first receiver shall be the player who served to him in
the preceding game.
2.13.05 In doubles, at each change of service the previous receiver shall become the
server and the partner of the previous server shall become the receiver.
2.13.06 The player or pair serving first in a game shall receive first in the next game of
the match and in the last possible game of a doubles match the pair due to receive next
shall change their order of receiving when first one pair scores 5 points.
2.13.07 The player or pair starting at one end in a game shall start at the other end in
the next game of the match and in the last possible game of a match the players or
pairs shall change ends when first one player or pair scores 5 points.

2.14 Out of order of serving, receiving or ends

2.14.01 If a player serves or receives out of turn, play shall be interrupted by the umpire
as soon as the error is discovered and shall resume with those players serving and
receiving who should be server and receiver respectively at the score that has been
reached, according to the sequence established at the beginning of the match and, in
doubles, to the order of serving chosen by the pair having the right to serve first in the
game during which the error is discovered.
2.14.02 If the players have not changed ends when they should have done so, play
shall be interrupted by the umpire as soon as the error is discovered and shall resume
with the players at the ends at which they should be at the score that has been reached,
according to the sequence established at the style="border:1px solid
#EFF2F2;padding:5px;" beginning of the match.
2.14.03 In any circumstances, all points scored before the discovery of an error shall be
reckoned.

2.15 The expedite system

2.15.01 Except where both players or pairs have scored at least 9 points, the expedite
system shall come into operation if a game is unfinished after 10 minutes' play or at any
earlier time at the request of both players or pairs.
2.15.01.01 If the ball is in play when the time limit is reached, play shall be interrupted
by the umpire and shall resume with service by the player who served in the rally that
was interrupted.
2.15.01.02 If the ball is not in play when the time limit is reached, play shall resume with
service by the player who received in the immediately preceding rally.
2.15.02 Thereafter, each player shall serve for 1 point in turn until the end of the game
and if the receiving player or pair makes 13 good returns the receiver shall score a
point.
2.15.03 Once introduced, the expedite system shall remain in operation until the end of
the match.

These rules are taken from The International Table Tennis Federation's website
http://www.ittf.com/