How to Keep Score in Ping Pong or Table Tennis
Decide who serves first., Learn the rules for serving., Determine the number of rounds you'll play., Decide if you're playing to 11 or 21 points in each round., Figure out how to tell if a ball is in or out.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide who serves first.
In ping pong/table tennis, you should first decide who's going to serve the ball.
The person who serves the ball is the person who first hits the ball to start up a game.
You can flip a coin or play a game like rock, paper, scissors to decide who serves.
Whoever serves gets to choose which side of the table they want to play on., If you're chosen to serve, you will have to do so.
There are some specific rules for how to serve a ball that you will need to follow in table tennis.For starters, hold the ball in the palm of your hand with your hand opened flat.
Keep this hand level with the table.
You should toss the ball upward and hit it when it's hovering above the table.
You need to hit the ball so it bounces once in your court and then once again in your opponent's court.
You can replay a serve under certain conditions only.
You can replay a serve if the ball hits the net before your opponent's court, if your opponent hits the ball before it touches the court on his end, or if your opponent was not ready when you served the ball. , In ping pong, you always play an odd number of rounds.
The winner is the person who wins the majority of rounds.
For example, if you're playing 7 rounds, the winner would need to win at least 5 of those rounds to win the game., In each round, you'll play until one player reaches a certain number of points.
Most games are played to 11 points, but you can also play to
21.
If you want a longer game, 21 may be a better option.Whoever gains 11 or 21 points first, with at least a 2 point lead, wins the round.
For example, a score of 9 to 11 would win an 11-point round, but a score of 10 to 11 would not.
In the event a round becomes tied at 10 to 10 or 20 to 20, you will have to play into overtime.
In overtime, continue playing until one player gains a lead of 2 points.
Whoever gains the 2 point lead first would win., An important thing to understand if you want to score table tennis is whether a ball is in or out.
Often, a point is awarded based on whether a player hits a ball in or out of the field.
If a ball touches the surface of a table, it's in.
If a ball touches the side of the table, or falls off the table, it's out. -
Step 2: Learn the rules for serving.
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Step 3: Determine the number of rounds you'll play.
-
Step 4: Decide if you're playing to 11 or 21 points in each round.
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Step 5: Figure out how to tell if a ball is in or out.
Detailed Guide
In ping pong/table tennis, you should first decide who's going to serve the ball.
The person who serves the ball is the person who first hits the ball to start up a game.
You can flip a coin or play a game like rock, paper, scissors to decide who serves.
Whoever serves gets to choose which side of the table they want to play on., If you're chosen to serve, you will have to do so.
There are some specific rules for how to serve a ball that you will need to follow in table tennis.For starters, hold the ball in the palm of your hand with your hand opened flat.
Keep this hand level with the table.
You should toss the ball upward and hit it when it's hovering above the table.
You need to hit the ball so it bounces once in your court and then once again in your opponent's court.
You can replay a serve under certain conditions only.
You can replay a serve if the ball hits the net before your opponent's court, if your opponent hits the ball before it touches the court on his end, or if your opponent was not ready when you served the ball. , In ping pong, you always play an odd number of rounds.
The winner is the person who wins the majority of rounds.
For example, if you're playing 7 rounds, the winner would need to win at least 5 of those rounds to win the game., In each round, you'll play until one player reaches a certain number of points.
Most games are played to 11 points, but you can also play to
21.
If you want a longer game, 21 may be a better option.Whoever gains 11 or 21 points first, with at least a 2 point lead, wins the round.
For example, a score of 9 to 11 would win an 11-point round, but a score of 10 to 11 would not.
In the event a round becomes tied at 10 to 10 or 20 to 20, you will have to play into overtime.
In overtime, continue playing until one player gains a lead of 2 points.
Whoever gains the 2 point lead first would win., An important thing to understand if you want to score table tennis is whether a ball is in or out.
Often, a point is awarded based on whether a player hits a ball in or out of the field.
If a ball touches the surface of a table, it's in.
If a ball touches the side of the table, or falls off the table, it's out.
About the Author
Sandra Bailey
Enthusiastic about teaching practical skills techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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