Rules (Laws) of table tennis
The rules in this page aim to give a basic indication of competitive table tennis in England.
This section is correct as of March 29, 2021
The aim of the game is simple; hit the ball over the net onto your opponent’s side. A point is won by you if your opponent is unable to return the ball to your side of the table (e.g. they miss the ball, they hit the ball but it misses your side of the table, or the ball hits the net), or if they hit the ball before it bounces on their side of the table.
Just starting out in table tennis? Click here to download a quick guide to the basic rules
Table Tennis England’s Articles provide that (unless otherwise decided by special resolution at a general meeting) the Laws of Table Tennis in England shall be those laid down by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). These can be downloaded below. A list of ITTF-approved equipment can be found by clicking here.
ITTF regulates international competitions. It publishes Regulations for International Competitions on its website as part of the ITTF Handbook.
Table Tennis England regulates national and local competitions. The Regulated Competitions regulations are attached below. (These used to be called the competitive table tennis regulations and this phrase may still be present in some older documents).
Regulated Competitions covers competitions authorised by Table Tennis England and affiliated organisations other than internal club competitions. It is based largely on the international regulations and incorporates many of them by reference. International regulations concerning the racket and the ball have been adopted as National By-Laws and are mandatory for all regulated competitions in England. Regulations vary according to the grade of competition. The organisers state the grade and any deviations from the standard on the entry form.
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