Table Tennis Rules Q & A

Jim Persons says:

I made a great slam and won the point, but i bumped into the table, but my free hand didn't touch the table, do i loose the point?

Greg replied:

Hi Jim,

Whether you won or lost the point depends on whether you moved the table. According to the ITTF Laws of Table Tennis,

2.10 A POINT
2.10.1 Unless the rally is a let, a player shall score a point
2.10.1.8 if his opponent, or anything his opponent wears or carries, moves the playing surface;
2.10.1.10 if his opponent's free hand touches the playing surface;

So as you can see, if you had put your free hand on the playing surface, you would have lost the point. You didn't do that, so then we have to ask if your bumping the table caused it to move. If it did make the table move, you would lose the point.

This is why it is a good idea to check the brakes are on those rollaway tables! In actual fact, you can legally jump on the table or sit on the table to play table tennis if you want, just as long as you don't move the table or put your free hand on the surface.

Strange but true!

Cheers,

Greg Letts 11th March 2006

Copyright Greg Letts 2006

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