How To Play Table Tennis

Like all sports, you have to invest a little time in study if you want to learn how to play table tennis correctly. The rules of the game are fairly simple and most players can have a working knowledge of the game within a few hours of play.

The best way to decide who serves first when you are first learning how to play table tennis is to use a coin toss. Another method is for one player to hide the ball in his hand and then have the other player guess which hand it is in. If he guesses correctly, he gets to choose to serve or, alternatively, he gets to choose which side of the table he wants to play.

When it is time to play, the player serving the ball commences a point. He or she must stand behind the end of the table, with the ball in the palm of one hand - over the table's height - and the bat (or paddle) in the other hand. The server tosses the ball up at least sixteen centimeters (approximately 6 inches). He must then hit the ball so that it bounces once on his half of the table, and then bounces at least one time on the opponent's half of the table.

The proper serve is one of the most important things to learn when you are learning how to play table tennis. Nothing else moves forward until the proper serve has been achieved.

If the ball strikes the net but does not strike the opponent's half of the table, then a point is awarded to the opponent.

As you learn how to play table tennis you will discover that there are many ways in which to gain a point and just as many ways to lose a point. The best way to learn the scoring rules for table tennis is to read the official rule book, which you can find online at various places. You may also want to print out or buy a rules book to have on hand should any disagreements come up during play. Attempting to learn how to play table tennis without a rule book can be difficult and it can lead you into bad habits which you may have to break later on when you are playing with someone who does know the rules.

The best way to learn how to play table tennis is to hook up with someone who already knows the sport and let them mentor you. Most experienced players do mind sharing their knowledge with new players.