De La Salle Lipa

Senior High School

Physical Education Area
Table Tennis

I. HISTORY

The earliest known form of the sport was played in the early 1880’s by British Army
officers. James Gibb an Englishman in the 1900’s came up with the name Ping Pong.
However in 1901 an English company registered “Ping Pong” as a Trademark, but
they later sold it to the American company Parker Brothers. Parker Brothers is
unwilling to let others use the name Ping Pong when referring to the sport and today
therefore it is called Table Tennis. Table Tennis became an Olympic Sport in 1988
with singles and doubles for both men and women

II. A GAME

A game shall be won by the player or pair first scoring 11 points unless both players
and pair score 10 points, when the game shall be won by the player or pair first
scoring subsequently 2 points more than the opposing player or pair.

III. EQUIPMENT

1. TABLE

Often, the quality of a table is determined by the table top thickness. Anything less
than 18mm is not recommended. The table is 2.74 m (9.0 ft) long, 1.525 m (5.0 ft)
wide, and 76 cm (2.6 ft) high with any continuous material so long as the table
yields a uniform bounce of about 23 cm (9.1 in) when a standard ball is dropped
onto it from a height of 30 cm (11.8 in), or about 77%.

1
2. Net

6 feet (1.83m) long and

6 inches (15.25 cm) high

3. The Racket (bat)

The racket may be of any size, shape or weight, but the blade shall be flat and rigid.
At least 85% of the blade thickness shall be of natural wood. The surface of the
covering material on a side of the blade or of a side of the blade, if it is left
uncovered, shall be matt, bright red on one side and black on the other.

A table tennis racket is made up of two distinct parts...

1) A wooden blade which incorporates the handle...

2) Table tennis rubbers which are affixed to each side of the blade using water-based
glue.

4. Rubbers

These days, both sides of the blade are invariably covered with a layer of rubber and
sponge. The nature of this combination influences the speed and spin which the user
can impart onto the ball. Rubbers have various properties but are essentially of two
types:

a) Reversed (pimples in – smooth)

b) Pimples out.
For greater speed and/or spin a greater thickness of sponge is used.

2
5. Ball
The ball shall be made of celluloid or similar plastics material and shall be white or
orange, and matt. The ball shall be spherical, and it should weigh 2.7g.

IV. SKILLS

1. GRIP
The grip favored by most players in the Western world is known as the “shake
hands” grip. Although there are alternatives, notably the “penhold” types used
predominantly in the Far East (e.g. China and Japan), the most important of all the
basics skills in table tennis ... the table tennis grip.

With the racket held in a vertical position, the racket angle is described as neutral.
This is the "ready" position and is used when you're waiting for your opponent to
serve. From this position, you can easily move to play a backhand or forehand
stroke.

The purpose of the grip is to control the angle of the bat:

The angle of the bat controls the:

• Height of the ball
• Depth of the ball
• Speed of the ball
• Type of spin
• Amount of spin
• Direction of the ball

A. FOREHAND B. BACKHAND

3
BASIC BALL CONTROL

At the beginner stage, ball control may not be good enough to allow reasonable
stroke play. This could be a particular problem with young children where hand/eye
co-ordination may not be well developed.
Significant improvement in ball control, coupled with an understanding of touch, can
be achieved off the table using the following exercises:

1. Bouncing the ball on the forehand side of the bat, attempting to achieve a uniform
height.
2. As 1 but using the backhand side of the bat.
3. Bouncing the ball each side of the bat alternately.
4. Repeating exercises 1, 2 and 3 but varying the height of the bounce.
5. Repeating all exercises but with added movement such as walking or light jogging.

2. SERVICE

As the stroke which starts every rally, service can be regarded as the most important
stroke in Table Tennis since it provides the only situation in which the player has
total control over how and where to play the ball. The following will help explain the
basics of service.

3. Service Return
Service return can be regarded as the second most important stroke in Table Tennis
since this is the first opportunity, in any rally, for the receiver to play the ball.

In preparing to return the service, the position taken up by the receiver will be
dictated by the position taken up by the server.

Ready Position

For right-handers using an offensive attacking style, you should stand slightly on the
left-hand side of the table.

You also need to give yourself a bit of room away from the table, so using a slightly
bent arm, hold your racket in front of you so that you can just reach the end of the
table.

4
Also, for right-handers, you need to have your left foot just slightly further forward
than your right foot. This will help you to play the majority of your strokes with your
forehand.

You also need to bend your knees in order to lower your centre of gravity. That's
very important. A lot of players have their legs completely straight which makes it
very difficult to play your strokes in a balanced way and to move easily

FOREHAND HAND HIGH TOSS SERVICE

1. Preparation 2. High toss

3. Contact 4. Follow through

IV. Definitions

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

2. A let is a rally of which the result is not scored.
3. A point is a rally of which the result is scored.
4. A player obstructs the ball if he/she, or anything he/she wears or carries, touches
it in play when it has not passed over the playing surface or his/her court since last
being struck by his/ her opponent.

5
V. A Let

A rally shall be a let if:

1. In service the ball, in passing over or around the net assembly, touches it
provided the service is otherwise good or the ball is obstructed by the receiver or
his/her partner.

2. The service is delivered when the receiving player or pair is not ready, provided
that neither the receiver nor his/her partner attempts to strike the ball.

3. Failure to make a good service or a good return or otherwise to comply with the
laws is due to a disturbance outside the control of the player.

4. Play is interrupted by the umpire or assistant umpire.

Play may be interrupted:

1. To correct an error in the order of serving, receiving or ends.

2. To warn or penalize a player.
3. Because the conditions of play are disturbed in a way which could affect the
outcome of the rally.

V1I. A Point

Unless the rally is a let, a player shall lose a point:

1. if an opponent fails to make a correct service

2. if an opponent fails to make a correct return
3. if, after he or she has made a service or a return, the ball touches anything other
than the net assembly before being struck by an opponent
4. if the ball passes over his or her court or beyond his or her end line without
touching his or her court, after being struck by an opponent;
5. if an opponent obstructs the ball
6. if an opponent deliberately strikes the ball twice in succession
7. if an opponent strikes the ball with a side of the racket blade whose surface does
not comply with the requirements
8. if an opponent, or anything an opponent wears or carries, moves the playing
surface;
9. if an opponent, or anything an opponent wears or carries, touches the net
assembly
10. if an opponent's free hand touches the playing surface;
11. if a doubles opponent strikes the ball out of the sequence established by the first
server and first receiver

VII.A Match
Match is played best 3 of 5 games (or 4/7 or 5/9). For each game, the first
player to reach 11 points wins that game, however a game must be won by
at least a two point margin.

A point is scored after each ball is put into play (not just when the server
wins the point as in volleyball).The edges of the table are part of the legal
table surface, but not the sides

6
7