Featured

How to Play the Ping Pong Game (Guide/Requirements/Rules)

If you are a table tennis lover or you are interested in playing the age then you are at the right place as here you will get the right information that is needed for you to play the game.

In this section of the article we will be discussing the rules that you need to learn for playing the game, and along with that the guide that will help you to know the requirements and essentials that need to be there while playing the game.

Let us know about the equipment first that you will need to play the game.

paddle

Equipment that you will need

As like the other games, the first thing that you need to know and have is the equipment. As this is the cheapest sport that you can play and for this, you will need to buy just three things. These are the cheapest and you will have great fun playing the game.

Ping pong paddles

The table tennis is a game in which you have to strike the ball by using a paddle or a bat. This ping pong paddle has mainly 4 parts:

  • The handle: this is the part from where you hold the paddle. This is available in a number of sizes.
  • The blade: the blade is the main body. This is made by a number of layers of wood.
  • Sponge layer: the sponge layer is o the top of the blade. It is a thin layer and is of the size of 1.2- 2.5 mm. If you are a beginner then you need to buy a thin layer.
  • The rubber: this layer makes contact with the ball. This is on top of the sponge layer.

The ping pong paddles have three important factors like the control, spin and speed. Beginners should try to find a paddle which has high control with low spin and speed. Now when you get command on the game then you can go for a bat that has low control.

Ping pong balls

Similar t the other sports you need a ball to play this game. The ball of ping pong is usually small, and they are made of plastic. The size is 40 mm and is basically found in two colours. That is white and orange in colour.

The quality of the ping pong balls is rated by the star system. The stars are from 1-3. The 1 star balls are useful for recreation. Whereas, the 3-star ball is for the tournament play.

Ping pong tables

These are the expensive equipment of all those are required to play ping pong. You can get various range of ping pong tables ranging from standard to competition range. If you are willing to buy your own ping pong table then you should check out the review guide that will help you to buy the best ping pong table.

The other accessories

There are some of the essential accessories that you might need while playing the game. These are listed below. Go through it.

Pair of shoes:  as in you can use the gym shoes or sports shoes but you can also use the shoes that are basically being developed for the table tennis players.

Paddle case: the table tennis bats are not that strong and they might get damaged easily. So in order to protect them, you need to have a case that keeps it protected and safe.

Start of the game:

Now after you know about the equipment and the accessories then let us proceed with the play. We will see in the order of most important first.

Holding the bat

The most important thing when you are playing ping pong is that your bat should be held accurately. There are basically two ways which are used for holding the bat perfectly. These are: Shake hand and pen hold grip.

Experts recommend the shake hand grip to be the best for the beginners.

Rules

To play the game you need to know some of the basic rules. These are listed below to help you know and make your game better. These rules are very important as the game needs some rules to be followed to make it less biased and more competitive.

  • When you are playing with another person then the game is referred to a match.
  • You need to play the best three out of five games.
  • If you are playing a single game then you should win by two points.
  • The player who will start the game first is determined on the basis of tossing a coin or randomly. The first player will serve two times then the other one will do the same. The same continues throughout.
  • In the game, if both the players reach the runs up to 10 then it is called a deuce. The only exception that you can have to the two serve rule is the deuce. Now, for instance, you lose the last serve and scores of both of you are 10/10, still, you need to pass the service to the other player but now the service will be done only once.
  • Now in this case, if the other player wins and the score is 11/10, still he will not win and that could be taken as an advantage.
  • Now, if the next point is also won then still it would be considered a deuce. This process will continue until one of the players wins by two points.
  • After each play, the sides are exchanged; the players then switch the sides of the table too. But the service will start on the same side only.

Serving the ball

The basic rules are overwhelming, so to make them short a summarised form has been displayed for you.

  • You need to serve the ball from an open palm. This will prevent, spinning of the ball.
  • The ball has to be thrown in air; it should be at least 6 inches. This is done in order to prevent the players from serving instantly. It will also prevent the ball from hiding.
  • When you strike the ball it is done behind the end line of the table. This will prevent the players from getting too close to the net.
  • Once the contact with the ball is made, the ball should be on your side of the table, it should bounce on your side first then on your opponent’s side.
  • You can’t hit the ball straight.

There are a lot of rules but these are the basics that you should know.

Other rules

We also need to know some other important rules when we head for playing. These will be important to add up to your points and therefore are important for you.

  • First of all when you are playing and someone hits the ball at your side, if it strikes even the slightest edge of your table, still the point will be of the person on the other side.
  • Another one is that if the opponent hits the ball to your side and it hits the net and comes to your side then the point will be of your opponent. These shots might appear to be ridiculous sometimes but they are there.
  • Once you get used to playing then the reaction time gets good and then you get good shots.

Conclusion:

Table tennis can be of great fun, but to play that well you are required to get some knowledge of rules. These will help you play better and score well. The guide is also preferred before you start playing as you need some equipment and essentials to play with.

After knowing all thoroughly, you can play well. The table tennis is fun and you can enjoy a lot.

More:

About the author

Jenny

Leave a Comment