You are learning before a game or explaining the basics to a class or club.
Table Tennis Rules: Interactive Guide
Learn serving, two-point service turns, deuce, net lets, edge balls and doubles order with animated diagrams, a practice scoreboard and a six-question quiz.
Start here
Choose a lesson such as Serving, Singles rallies or Scoring & serves.
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Lessons, scores and answers run in your browser and reset on refresh. No account is needed. Site analytics may record lesson completion and total quiz score, but not individual answers.
Useful for
Learn serving and scoring before your first game
TABLE TENNIS · INTERACTIVE GUIDE
Standing singles & doublesFollow the ball. Learn the rule.
One situation, one rule at a time.
Bounce on your court first, then your opponent's. Singles serves need not be diagonal.
Top viewSchematic
A prepares to serve
Rest the ball freely on an open, stationary palm. Until you strike it, keep it above playing-surface height, behind the end line and visible to the receiver.
Pause or go step by step. Changing situations stops playback.
Rule reference & diagram notes
ITTF 2026, sections 2.6.1–2.6.5. Player IDs stay fixed. Positions are illustrative, not mandatory. Orange paths show direction, not realistic speed or spin.
Read the ITTF rules (PDF) Quick answer
Learn the rules by following the ball
A serve bounces on your court, then the opponent's. Singles serves can go straight or diagonally; doubles serves go right half to right half. Animated examples and a practice scoreboard show two-point service turns, net lets and doubles order.
A beginner guide to standing singles and doubles under ITTF rules. It does not umpire matches or simulate the expedite system and para table tennis exceptions.
Badminton Rules: Compare court boundaries, practice doubles service turns and try 21-point or new 15-point scoring with diagrams and an eight-question quiz.
About this tool
Learn serving, two-point service turns, deuce, net lets, edge balls and doubles order with animated diagrams, a practice scoreboard and a six-question quiz.
Lessons, scores and answers run in your browser and reset on refresh. No account is needed. Site analytics may record lesson completion and total quiz score, but not individual answers.
Reminder
A beginner guide to standing singles and doubles, checked against ITTF 2026 Chapter 2 on 11 October 2026. It does not cover the expedite system or para table tennis exceptions. Official play follows the event's rules and umpire decisions.
How to use it
- Choose a lesson such as Serving, Singles rallies or Scoring & serves.
- Play the diagram or move through it one step at a time.
- Award points to either side on the scoreboard and compare normal service turns with 10–10.
- Answer the six quiz questions and jump back to any lesson you need to review.
Common use cases
- Learn serving and scoring before your first game
- Explain net lets and edge balls in a class or club
- Check the difference between doubles hitting order and serve order
Singles and doubles at a glance
| Situation | Singles | Doubles |
|---|---|---|
| Serve placement | Your court, then anywhere on the opponent's court | Your right half, then the receiver's right half |
| Service turns | Two points each; one each from 10–10 | Same count, with a fixed player sequence |
| Returns | Let it bounce once before hitting | Partners also alternate every hit |
| Deciding game | Change ends when one side first reaches 5 | Also reverse the next receiving pair's receiving order |
Two points means two completed rallies
A serves at 0–0. If B wins that rally, A still serves at 0–1. After the next point, B serves, whoever scored it. A let changes neither the score nor the number of points left in the service turn.
At 10–10, service changes after every point. A point to A makes it 11–10 and play continues. Another point to A makes it 12–10: A wins with a lead of two.
Scope and official source
The scoreboard shows one game with a fixed first server. Deciding-game changes of ends are explained in a separate doubles lesson. The expedite system and para table tennis exceptions are outside this guide's scope.
Checked against ITTF 2026 Chapter 2 on 11 October 2026. Positions and orange paths are illustrative, not mandatory positions or realistic physics. A standard table is 2.74 m long, 1.525 m wide and 76 cm high.
FAQ
How many points win a game?
First to 11 wins, unless both reach 10. From 10–10, a two-point lead is needed: 11–10 continues, while 12–10 ends the game.
When does the serve change?
Normally after every two completed points, whoever wins them. It is not two points won by the server. From 10–10, serve for one point each. Lets do not count.
Must a serve go diagonally?
In singles, it can go straight or diagonally. In doubles, it must bounce in your right half-court and then the receiver's right half-court. The center line belongs to the right half-court.
What if a serve touches the net?
If it is otherwise correct, it is a let and is replayed without changing the score or using a point of the service turn. If it misses the correct court, touching the net does not save the point.
Is a net touch during a rally also a let?
No. A return that touches the net and lands correctly on the opponent's court stays in play.
Does an edge ball count?
Contact with the top edge of the playing surface can be good. The vertical side is not part of that surface; hitting only that side loses the point.
Where is the 16 cm toss measured from?
The ball must rise at least 16 cm after leaving the open, stationary palm. Toss it near vertically without imparting spin, then hit it as it falls. The height is not measured from the floor or table.