Table tennis appeared at the beginning of the 19th century. For almost a century, ping-pong has been a way of active leisure time, and in 1920 it was officially recognized as a sport. Seven years later, for the first time, the World Table Tennis Championship was held, and in 1988 this sport was included in the program of the Summer Olympic Games.
In table tennis, two players compete against each other at a game table. Athletes can also compete in pairs. The participants in the game hit the ball with a racket so that it flies over the net stretched over the center of the tennis table. The ball must land on the opponent's side in such a way that the opponent cannot hit it.
The player should hit after the ball has bounced off his half of the table. To get a point, you need to hit the ball last with a racket so that it hits a part of the opponent's field. The game goes up to 21 points minimum. If the score is at 20:20 or more, the winner must get a 2-point advantage. Every 5 points, the opponents change places at the game table.
When serving, the ball is thrown upward with an open palm to a height of 16 cm, and when it falls, it is beaten off with a racket. The server must hit so that the ball bounces off his part of the table, then flew over the net without touching it. If a touch occurs, the same player follows. In doubles competitions, the serve must be done from the right corner of the table to the right corner of part of the opponents.
Rules are established for various situations that may arise during the course of the game. If the ball touches the net but is hit, the kick is scored. Players must not touch the table or the net with their free hand. For this violation, 1 point is taken. Until the ball has bounced, you cannot beat it off. A double hit entails a point loss.
To play table tennis, use a matte table with a length of 2.44 m in length and a width of 1.525 m. The height of the table should be 76 cm from the floor. On the sides of the table there are edge lines 2 cm wide.
For doubles competitions, a table is used, each half of which is divided in half by a 3 mm line. Opponents' zones are determined by a net stretched at a height of 15, 25 cm above the table. The ball, which the players hit with rackets, must have a diameter of 38 mm and a weight of 2.5 g. It can be white or orange.
Players take rackets with a wooden core and a flat surface covered with bubble or puff rubber, the thickness of which can be no more than 2 mm and 4 mm, respectively.
