PE 2110-INDIVIDUAL AND DUAL SPORTS (TABLE TENNIS)

Module 3 RULES IN TABLE TENNIS (SINGLES AND DOUBLES)

Lesson 1: DEFINITIONS IN TABLE TENNIS

Before we discuss the rules in table tennis, let us first see the following terms and definitions often used in the
game. This will help you to better understand the rules that will be discussed. These terms and definitions was
derived from the handbook released by the International Table Tennis Federation. (ITTF, 2020)

1. A rally is the period during which the ball is in play.

2. 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.
3. A let is a rally of which the result is not scored.
4. A point is a rally of which the result is scored.
5. The racket hand is the hand carrying the racket.
6. The free hand is the hand not carrying the racket; the free arm is the arm of the free hand.
7. A player strikes the ball if he or she touches it in play with his or her racket, held in the hand, or with his
or her racket hand below the wrist.
8. A player obstructs the ball if he or she, or anything he or she wears or carries, touches it in play when it
is above or travelling towards the playing surface, not having touched his or her court since last being
struck by his or her opponent.
9. The server is the player due to strike the ball first in a rally.
10. The receiver is the player due to strike the ball second in a rally.
11. The umpire is the person appointed to control a match.
12. The assistant umpire is the person appointed to assist the umpire with certain decisions.
13. Anything that a player wears or carries includes anything that he or she was wearing or carrying, other
than the ball, at the start of the rally.
14. The end line shall be regarded as extending indefinitely in both directions.

Lesson 2: RULES IN TABLE TENNIS (Official Rules of Table Tennis, 2020)

1. GAMES ARE PLAYED TO 11 POINTS

A Game is played to 11 points. A Game must be won by two points. A Match is generally the best three of five
Games.

2. ALTERNATE SERVES EVERY TWO POINTS

Each side of the table alternates serving two points at a time. EXCEPTION: After tied 1010 (“deuce”), service
alternates at every point. Can you lose on a serve in ping pong? Yes! There is no separate rule for serving on
Game Point.

3. TOSS THE BALL STRAIGHT UP WHEN SERVING

How do you serve the ball in ping pong? Hold the ball in your open palm, behind your end of the table. Toss at
least 6” straight up, and strike it on the way down. It must hit your side of the table and then the other side.
NOTE: Once the ball leaves the server’s hand it is in play, and so counts as the receiver’s point if the ball is
missed or mis-hit.

4. THE SERVE CAN LAND ANYWHERE IN SINGLES

There is no restriction on where the ball lands on your side or your opponent’s side of the table. It can bounce
two or more times on your opponent’s side (if so, that’s your point), bounce over the side, or even hit the edge.

5. DOUBLES SERVES MUST GO RIGHT COURT TO RIGHT COURT

The serve must bounce in the server’s right court, and receiver’s right court (NOTE: landing on center line is
fair). Doubles partners switch places after their team serves twice.
6. A SERVE THAT TOUCHES THE NET ON THE WAY OVER IS A “LET”
Can the ball hit the net in ping pong? Yes, during a RALLY, if it touches the top of the net and then otherwise
lands as a legitimate hit. BUT not when serving. If a served ball hits the net on the way over and otherwise
legally bounces in play, it’s a “let” serve and is done over. There is no limit on how many times this can
happen.

7. ALTERNATE HITTING IN A DOUBLES RALLY

Doubles partners must alternate hitting balls in a rally, no matter where the ball lands on the table.

8. VOLLEYS ARE NOT ALLOWED

Can you hit the ball before it bounces in ping pong? No. In regular tennis you may “volley” the ball (hitting the
ball before it bounces on your side of the net). But in table tennis, this results in a point for your opponent.
NOTE: When your opponent hits a ball that sails over your end of the table without touching it and then hits
you or your paddle, that is still your point.

9. IF YOUR HIT BOUNCES BACK OVER THE NET BY ITSELF IT IS YOUR POINT
If you hit the ball in a rally or on a serve and it bounces back over the net after hitting your opponent’s side of
the table (due to extreme spin), without your opponent touching it, that is your point.

10. TOUCHING THE BALL WITH YOUR PADDLE HAND IS ALLOWED

What happens if the ball hits your finger or hand during a ping pong rally? If the ball touches your PADDLE
hand and otherwise results in a legal hit, there is no rule violation and play shall continue as normal. Your
paddle hand includes all fingers and hand area below the wrist. But what if the ball touches a player’s body
anywhere else during a ping pong rally? You may not touch the table with your non-paddle hand for any
reason. It will result in a point for your opponent. BUT if your opponent’s hit sails over your side of the table
without touching it, and hits any part of you or your paddle, that is still your point.

11. YOU MAY NOT TOUCH THE TABLE WITH YOUR NON-PADDLE HAND
You may touch the ball or the table with your paddle hand (after reaching in to return a short serve, for
example), or other parts of your body. NOTE: If the table moves at all from your touching it during a rally, that
is your opponent’s point.

12. AN “EDGE” BALL BOUNCING OFF THE HORIZONTAL TABLE TOP SURFACE IS GOOD
An otherwise legal serve or hit may contact the top edge of the horizontal table top surface and be counted as
valid, even if it bounces sidewise. The vertical sides of the table are NOT part of the legal playing surface.

13. HONOR SYSTEM APPLIES TO DISAGREEMENTS

If no referee is present during a match and the players disagree on a certain call, the “honor system” applies
and the players should find a way to agree, or play the point over. Ping pong carries a tradition of fierce but
fair play.

MODULE 4 TWO KINDS OF GRIP IN TABLE TENNIS

Lesson 1: Two kinds of Grip in Table Tennis (Ruler, 2020)

Knowing the kinds of grip in table tennis will give an advantage to you as a player because ping pong is
a game of speed and split-second decisions you have to train your body to respond without thinking and
considering your grip on every stroke.

The Orthodox or Shakehand Grip

Shakehand grip front

 Shakehand grip behind

The Shakehand Grip got its name from the hand position, which closely resembles the pose you would
use when shaking hands. It’s a very common grip in western countries and has gained popularity among
Asian players as well.

In the basic shakehand grip, the player has three fingers wrapped around the blade, with their index
finger touching the edge of the rubber, and the edge of the blade tucked into the crease between their thumb
and index finger. The placement of the edge of the blade within the natural V of the hand is crucial for wrist
flexibility and control.

There are two types of Shakehand grip:

1. The Shallow Shakehand

In the shallow shakehand, the hand is positioned as above, and the thumb rests lightly curled on the
blade. The shallow shakehand is a natural, relaxed way to hold the ping pong paddle, and easy for beginners
to learn.

Pros
• Comfortable, natural feeling in the hand
• Great wrist flexibility
• Can be used forehand or backhand Cons
• Less power on attacks
• Weak crossover point (the “crossover point” is the moment of decision when a player has to decide
whether to use a forehand or backhand stroke. Delays in this decision can be crucial in a game)

2. The Deep Shakehand

In the deep shakehand grip, the hand is placed as described above, but the thumb is slightly raised
and relaxes on the rubber of the bat. The deep shakehand grip is often recommended as a starting place for
beginners.

Pros
• Comfortable, natural feeling in the hand
• Can be used forehand or backhand
• Adds power and precision to attacks Cons
• The deep shakehand trades the wrist flexibility of the shallow shakehand for the increased power that
comes from a stabilized wrist
• Weak crossover point
The Unorthodox or Penhold grip
 Example of a Chinese Penhold Grip by Ppong.it. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

The Penhold Grip is named because the paddle is held with the blade pointing upward, and the paddle
surface pointing downward, much like you would hold a pen. It is the most popular grip among Asian table
tennis players, and has gained popularity in the West.

In the basic penhold grip, the edge of the blade is tucked into the V of the hand, between the thumb and
fingers, and the index fingers and thumb are curled around the blade, resting on the rubber. There are three
types of Penhold grip.

There are three types of Penhold Grip:

1. The Chinese Penhold

In the Chinese Penhold, the blade is held downward, with the index finger and thumb wrapped around
as described above. The three fingers of the hand are curled gently along the rubber on the opposite side.

Check out Chinese player Ma Lin to see the penhold grip in action.

Pros
• This grip uses the same paddle side for both forehand and backhand strokes, relying on lateral wrist
rotation rather than flipping from side to side. This eliminates the crossover point weakness of the
shakehand grip.
• Great wrist flexibility for imparting spin
• Versatile for both attack and defense
Cons
• Difficult to impart backhand topspin
• Playing with the elbow raised and rotating the wrist is physically tiring, which decreases stamina over
the course of a game
2. The Japanese or Korean Penhold
In the Japanese or Korean Penhold, the thumb and index finger are held in the penhold style. The
three remaining fingers are extended along the back of the paddle, with the second finger lying on the rubber
in line with the blade, and the remaining two fingers tucked against the second finger.

Pros
• This variation adds more power to forehand strokes, as the fingers provide more strength and stability
• Increased power means that you can stand further from the table
Cons
• This variation reduces blade movement, which can make it more difficult to return the ball
• Difficult to master

3. Reverse Backhand Penhold

In this variation, the player uses the Chinese Penhold grip, but instead of using the front paddle
surface, where the thumb and index finger rest, they use the back paddle surface where the fingers are.

One player who has really mastered this grip is Wang Hao. Check out the video below to see him in action.

Pros
• Great for games played close to the table
• Strengthens the backhand
• Greater range of arm movement
Cons
• Because this grip is used low and close to the table, it can be difficult to get the ball over the net
• Difficult to master

Advantages of Using Shakehand Grip (Shakehand Shallow Grip in Table Tennis, 2020)
1. It will give you extra power and allow easy adjustment of the racket angle due to the looseness of the
grip, and the ability to use the wrist more. This increases the amount of power and spin that can be
given to the ball.
2. It helps it to be effective against short balls that would bounce twice on the table.
3. It is also easy to perform all forehand and backhand strokes with this grip, making it well suited to
players who wish to attack from both sides of their body.

Disadvantages
1. A disadvantage of this grip is that any player using this grip has what is often called a ‘crossover point‘,
or an ‘area of indecision’, where the ball cannot easily be struck with either the forehand or backhand
side, and a decision to use one or the other stroke must be made.
Advantages of Using Penhold (Cowan, 2020)
1. Penhold is more flexible, and it can have various changes. Besides, you can have better control of the ball
when you are playing in the middle and close to the table.
2. The quality of the body and physical requirement is not as high as shakehand. So, if you are not having
very good stamina, it is best for you to use the penhold method when playing table tennis.
3. For some players, they choose to use penhold is just because of personal preferences. If you prefer
penhold and play with great flexibility, then you can just go for it.

Disadvantages
It is quite difficult for a player to play with penhold grip now, and the reasons are as follows:

1. It is too difficult to practice the backhand stroke with penhold. Xu Xin backhand has always been his weak
point. The advancement in backhand technology makes it difficult for penhold players to perform well for
their backhand strokes.

2. For penhold grip, the scope that it can take care of is not as good as the shakehand grip.

3. The previous spinny serve and the advantages of the first three shots are no longer exist. Now you can
also do with the shakehand grip.
4. The coaches of the professional team have less and less experience in penhold.

5. Nowadays, children who specialize in playing table tennis are also learning shakehand grip when they
start their training.