Table Tennis History

• Table tennis was invented in England in the early days of the 20th century

• It was originally called Ping-Pong, a trade name

Table Tennis History

• There was a period during the 1970s in which Cold War tensions between China and the United States were eased via a series of highly publicized table tennis matches between athletes from the two countries

• Table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988, with singles and doubles competition for men and women

Table Tennis History

• The Fédération Internationale de Tennis de Table (International Table Tennis Federation) was founded in 1926

• The founding members were England, Sweden, Hungary, India, Denmark, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Wales

Table Tennis History

• The first world championships were held in London in 1926

• From then until 1939 the game was dominated by players from central Europe

• The men’s team event being won nine times by Hungary and twice by Czechoslovakia

Table Tennis History

• In the mid-1950s Asia emerged as a breeding ground of champions

• From that time the individual and team events (for both men and women) have been dominated by athletes from China

Table Tennis Rules

• A game is played to 11 points, and you must be won by two

• Each player must alternate serves every two points

• When serving, the ball must hit your side of the table and then the other side

Table Tennis Rules

• If the ball bounces two or more times on your side of the table, then your opponent would get a point

• 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.

Table Tennis Rules

• In doubles matches, the serve must bounce in the server’s right court, and receiver’s right court (NOTE: landing on center line is fair).

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

Table Tennis Rules

• In table tennis, you must let the ball bounce before sending it back to your opponents side

• 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.

Ping Pong Rules

• 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.