The History of Table Tennis

The game began in the 1880s, when lawn tennis players adapted their game to play indoors during the
winter.Ping-Pong is a trademark name for table tennis and associated equipment. The name “Ping-Pong” was
invented by the English firm J. Jacquees and Son at the end of the 1800s and later trademarked in the United States
by Parker Brothers, the board game company. The game quickly caught on, and as early as 1901, tournaments
were being conducted with over 300 participants. The Ping-Pong Association was formed but was renamed The
Table Tennis Association in 1922.

In 1902, a visiting Japanese university professor took the game back to Japan, where he introduced it to university
students. Shortly after, a British salesman, Edward Shires, introduced it to the people of Vienna and Budapest, and
the seeds were sown for a sport that now enjoys popularity all over the world. In Britain, table tennis had also
begun to spread outside the distinctly middle-class confines of London, and leagues sprang up in provincial towns
as far apart as Sunderland and Plymouth. In 1922, an All England Club was formed, which boasted such luminaries
as Jack Hobbs the cricketer and other famous names of the time from the world of sport. On April 24, 1927, the
English Table Tennis Association was born, under the chairmanship and direction of Ivor Montague, son of Lord
Ewatthling. At the time, The ETTA had a membership of 19 leagues but now has over 300, with around 75,000
registered players.

The first world championships were held in 1927 and were won by a Hungarian, Dr. Jacobi. Apart from the famous
Fred Perry redressing the balance for England in 1929, this was to be the start of an unprecedented run of success
for the Hungarians, who completely dominated the game throughout the thirties. Their team was led by the
legendary Victor Barna, whose inspiration and skill did so much to elevate the game to sports status.

The 1950s saw the game turned upside down by the invention of the sponge or sandwich rubber, this new material
for bats, which, up until now, had been a relatively simple affair with a universal thin covering of pimpled rubber.
Until this time, spin had played only a minor part in a game that had been dominated by the defensive style of play.
But these new bats or paddles, introduced by the Japanese, had the capacity to move the ball around in an almost
magical way. The ITTF, the game’s governing body, was quick to legislate in a bid to control this new development,
seen in some quarters as equipping players with an unfair advantage. The thickness of the sponge and rubber
sandwich was controlled and remains so to this day. But the nature of the game had been changed, establishing the
fast attacking speed and spin style of the modern game. In China, the game is played by literally millions at work, in
school, and in community parks. Chinese top players are regarded as national heroes with pop star statuses.
 Prominent People
 Ivor Montagu – He was the founding chairman of the English Table Tennis Association in 1923. He wrote and
published its rules and became the president of the International Table Tennis Association from 1927-1931, and
from 1958-1966.
 David Foster – Introduced the first action game of tennis on a table in 1890. It features elegant strung rackets,
30 mm cloth covered rubber ball, small wooden perimeter fence and elaborate side nets.

 John Jaques – An English manufacturer of sporting goods. registered ping-pong as trade name and sold it to
Parker Brothers.
 Parker Brothers – They trademarked table tennis as “ping-pong” on September 1900, from Gossima of
Jaques to finally, “Ping-Pong”.

UPDATED RULE OF INTERNATIONAL TABLE TENNIS FEDERATION

The Table
The upper surface of the table, known as the playing surface, shall be rectangular, 2.74m long and 1.525m wide,
and shall lie in a horizontal plane 76cm above the floor. The playing surface shall not include the vertical sides of the
tabletop. The playing surface may be of any material and shall yield a uniform bounce of about 23cm when a
standard ball is dropped on to it from a height of 30cm. The playing surface shall be uniformly dark coloured and
matte, but with a white side line, 2cm wide, along each 2.74m edge and a white end line, 2cm wide, along each
1.525m edge. The playing surface shall be divided into 2 equal courts by a vertical net running parallel with the end
lines, and shall be continuous over the whole area of each court. For doubles, each court shall be divided into 2
equal half-courts by a white centre line, 3mm wide, running parallel with the side lines; the centre line shall be
regarded as part of each right half-court.
The Net Assembly
The net assembly shall consist of the net, its suspension and the supporting posts, including the clamps attaching
them to the table. The net shall be suspended by a cord attached at each end to an upright post 15.25cm high, the
outside limits of the post being 15.25cm outside the side line. The top of the net, along its whole length, shall be
15.25cm above the playing surface. The bottom of the net, along its whole length, shall be as close as possible to
the playing surface and the ends of the net shall be attached to the supporting posts from top to bottom.

The Ball
The ball shall be spherical, with a diameter of 40mm. The ball shall weigh 2.7g. The ball shall be made of celluloid or
similar plastics material and shall be white or orange, and matt.

The Racket

The racket can be any size, shape or weight but the blade shall be flat and rigid.The surface covering material shall
be matt and bright red on one side and black on the other. At least 85% of the blade thickness shall be of natural.
wood.
Definitions
A rally is the period which the ball is in play.A let is a rally of which the result is not scored. A point is a rally of which
the result is scored. The server is the player due to strike the ball first in the rally. The receiver is the player due to
strike the ball second in a rally. The ball shall be regarded as passing over or around the net assembly if it passes
anywhere other then between the net and the net post or between the net and the playing surface.

The Service
Service shall start with the ball resting freely on the open palm of the server's stationary free hand. The server shall
then project the ball near vertically upwards, without imparting spin, so that it rises at least 16cm after leaving the
palm of the free hand and then falls without touching anything before being struck. As the ball is falling the server
shall strike it so that it touches first his or her court and then, after passing over or around the net assembly, touches
directly the receiver's court; in doubles, the ball shall touch successively the right half court of server and
receiver. From the start of service until it is struck, the ball shall be above the level of the playing surface and behind
the server's end line, and it shall not be hidden from the receiver by the server or his or her doubles partner or by
anything they wear or carry. As soon as the ball has been projected, the server’s free arm and hand shall be
removed from the space between the ball and the net.

The space between the ball and the net is defined by the ball, the net and its indefinite upward extension. It is the
responsibility of the player to serve so that the umpire or the assistant umpire can be satisfied that he or she
complies with the requirements of the Laws, and either may decide that a service is incorrect. If either the umpire or
the assistant umpire is not sure about the legality of a service he or she may, on the first occasion in a match,
interrupt play and warn the server; but any subsequent service by that player or his or her doubles partner which is
not clearly legal shall be considered incorrect. Exceptionally, the umpire may relax the requirements for a correct
service where he or she is satisfied that compliance is prevented by physical disability.

The Return
The ball, having been served or returned shall be struck so that it passes over or around the net assembly and
touches the opponents court, either directly or after touching the net assembly.
The Order of Play
In singles the server shall make a first service and the receiver shall make a return and thereafter alternately shall
each make a return. IIn doubles, the server shall first make a service, the receiver shall then make a return, the
partner of the server shall then make a return, the partner of the receiver shall then make a return and thereafter
each player in turn in that sequence shall make a return.
A Point
Unless the rally is a let, a player shall score a point: if an opponent fails to make a correct service; if an opponent
fails to make a correct return; 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; 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; if an opponent obstructs the ball; if an
opponent deliberately strikes the ball twice in succession; if an opponent strikes the ball with a side of the racket
blade whose surface does not comply with the requirements of 2.4.3, 2.4.4 and 2.4.5; if an opponent, or anything an
opponent wears or carries, moves the playing surface; if an opponent, or anything an opponent wears or carries,
touches the net assembly; if an opponent's free hand touches the playing surface; if a doubles opponent strikes the
ball out of the sequence established by the first server and first receiver; as provided under the expedite system
(2.15.4). if both players or pairs are in a wheelchair due to a physical disability and his or her opponent does not
maintain a minimum contact with the seat or cushion(s), with the back of the thigh, when the ball is struck; his or her
opponent touches the table with either hand before striking the ball; his or her opponent's footrest or foot touches
the floor during play. as provided under the order of play (2.8.3).
A Game
A game shall be won by a player or pair first scoring 11 points unless both players or pairs score 10 points, when
the game shall be won by the first player or pair subsequently gaining a lead of 2 points.

A Match
A match shall consist of the best of any odd number of games.

The complete version of the 'Laws of Table Tennis" is available under the “Governance” section of the TTA website
or by clicking on the following: Laws of Table Tennis ITTF