Leisure Kicks - The essencial sport and leisure guide

Table tennis is played one-on-one or in doubles format where each set is contested to 11 points, or, if at 10-10, until two clear points are won. Matches consist of first to three or four sets depending on the level of competition. A player will serve for two consecutive points in which both players can score off them. On serve, the ball must be thrown upwards, with a flat palm, to six inches or more in the air, the ball must then bounce on the server’s side and then the receiving player’s side without touching the net. 

A player may call one time-out per match if they want one, while after each set players switch sides of the table until the deciding set when players switch once one of them has reached five points. In doubles, players on the same team must play alternate shots to ensure both players’ participation. A new rule ‘expedite’ means that if a set has gone on for 10 minutes without the score reaching 18 points in total, then each player serves for one point and the server must win the point before the 13th return by the opponent - this continues until the end of the match.

To find out more about the rules check out the English Table Tennis website.

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The basic rules of the game by Table Tennis England