The official rules to Ping Pong, otherwise known as table tennis, are internationally recognized and easy to learn. Rules of play rely on standard equipment, serving, scoring, and illegal moves. The basic equipment is two paddles, a smooth netted table, and regulation Ping Pong balls.
Ping Pong rules begin with having a level table equipped with a short net across the center. For singles games, the white lines on the table do not mean anything. In doubles, one must serve diagonally from right to left. Paddles have rubber mats; sandpaper surfaces are not permitted. A game is won when one player reaches 11 points, as long as they are ahead by two points. Several games in a row can create a match, such that the champion wins the most out of an odd number of games, such as 4 out of 7. You switch sides between each game of a match.
Which player gets the first serve is determined by the flip of a coin. A serve is comprised of throwing the ball in the air and hitting it on its way down such that it bounces once on your side of the net, then bounces over the net to land anywhere on your opponent’s side. The first player serves two points, then the serve is traded off so your opponent serves for two points, and so on. It is all right for the ball to hit the net initially, as long as it continues and lands on the opponent’s side thereafter. This is called a “let” serve and the server is allowed to reserve the ball.
When the ball is in play, it’s called a rally in Ping Pong rules. The ball may be rallied many times back and forth. If the server misses the ball, hits the ball twice in a row, or hits the ball somewhere off the table, the server loses their point. If your opponent has served, and you miss the ball, your opponent wins their point. A game must be won by two points, therefore at a score of 10-10, Ping Pong rules dictate you trade off every serve until someone gets ahead by two.
Other Ping Pong rules include allowing a player to hold the paddle in either hand, or switch between hands, or even use both hands at once. However, you are not allowed to move or bump the table, nor have any part of your body or clothing to touch the table while the ball is in play. The ball is no longer in play if it touches a wall, ceiling, or another person’s body. It is officially out of bounds and someone has just won or lost a point.