Can a serve hit the net in ping pong?
Rachel Ellis
Published Jan 08, 2026
During a serve, if the ball hits the net but still bounces on the opponent's side of the table, the point is a let (which means it needs to be replayed). If the ball hits the net and doesn't make it to the other half of the table, the receiver is automatically awarded a point.
Can you play a serve that hits the net?
If you serve a ball that hits the top of the net before bouncing into the correct service box, it is called a let. You may take that serve again. If the ball hits the net and lands outside the correct service box, it's a fault. A served ball hitting the post is also a fault.
What happens if the ball hits the net on a serve?
A served ball that hits the net does not result in the service team losing its serve. The net serve is considered in-play, unless 1) it does not continue over the net or 2) lands outside the opposing team's court-side untouched by the opposing team.
What makes a serve illegal in ping pong?
It is illegal for a player to move their hand high and drop the ball while attempting the serve. The ball must be thrown up. There is also no limit to how high the ball can be thrown up, it just need to be at least 16 cm (over 6 inches) and straight up.
What are 2 rules for a legal serve in ping pong?
Legal Service
The ball must rest on an open hand palm. Then it must be tossed up at least 6 inches and struck so the ball first bounces on the server's side and then the opponent's side. If the serve is legal except that it touches the net, it is called a let serve. Let serves are not scored and are reserved.
35 related questions foundCan you serve off the side of the table in ping pong?
The receiver can stand wherever he deems ok. So it is perfectly legal to serve from way outside the sidelines of the table, provided the ball remains behind the end line at the start of the serve.
Can you hit a ping pong ball before it bounces?
The only situation where you can still win the point by hitting the ball before it bounces is if you hit the ball after it already passed the end line of the table. In this case you would get a point, since your opponent failed to make the ball hit your side of the table first.
Can you fake serve in ping pong?
The ball must not be hidden from the receiver at any time during the service. This means that hiding the ball with your torso is illegal, and shielding the ball with the free hand or free arm is also illegal. It also means that you cannot put your racket in front of the ball before it struck.
Can you serve backhand in table tennis?
One of the most common serving techniques in table tennis is the backspin serve. Backspin serves can be performed with both the forehand and backhand. This serve is performed by striking the bottom of the ball in order to apply backspin on the ball.
Can you serve to the side of the table?
You're free to serve anywhere, diagonally or straight, from any location. When you serve, the ball cannot fall off the side of the table. It must bounce twice or fall off the end, but not the side.
What happens if a serve hits the net and goes over tennis?
If a served ball touches the net but lands in, it is replayed because the net interfered. On any other shot in the game, however, if the ball touches the net and lands in, it remains in play. You lose the point if you fail to return an opponent's good shot before the second bounce.
What happens if a serve hits the net and goes over?
If the serve touches the net, it is a let, and you must serve again. If it touches the net and lands on the floor, you lose a point. If the serve goes into the net, you lose the point. It is redone regardless of how many times you hit the net as long as it lands in play.
Can you spike or block a serve?
The answer is that yes, it is illegal to block or spike the serve in volleyball. The rules are very clear about this they're designed that way to promote an overall enjoyable and competitive game.
Can the nitro ball hit the net during a serve?
You may find yourself questioning if that's really allowed now. In modern volleyball, it's completely legal for the ball to hit the net during a serve or at any other time during play.
Is an underarm serve allowed in tennis?
Although unconventional, the rules allow for underhand serving in tennis. As long as the ball is hit with the racquet prior to hitting the ground, it doesn't matter if it was released in an upward or downward motion. This rule can be found in the Friend at Court under the ITF Rules of Tennis #16 The Service.
What is the fastest ping pong serve?
The fastest speed achieved by a ping pong ball is 976.56 m/s (2184.50 mph), and was achieved by Mike Aesoph (USA), in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, USA, on 21 November 2020.
Can table tennis serve bounce twice?
although your service can bounce more than once on your opponent's side of the table, if it does, you win the point because your opponent must hit it before it bounces twice. This means that you can choose whether to serve "short" or "long".
Are you allowed to touch the table in table tennis?
The ONLY part of the body that cannot touch the table is your FREE HAND – i.e. the hand not holding the racket. The rest of your body can touch the table any time. You can even sit on the table, lay on it or stand on it while rallying – provided you don't move it – and still be legal.
What does 40+ mean on ping pong balls?
The reason the balls are labelled with 40+ is that when the ITTF made the plastic balls legal for competition, they also allowed the balls to have a bigger size tolerance. So a celluloid ball tends to be around 39.6mm whereas the new plastic balls measure around 40.2mm, making the plastic balls about 0.5mm bigger.
Can you lose on the last serve in ping pong?
Can you lose on a serve in ping pong? Yes! There is no separate rule for serving on Game Point.
When the score is tied 10 to 10 it is called?
1 answer. Vote Up. nikita ⋅ April 22, 2016. In table tennis, deuce is a term to describe the situation where both players have reached at least 10 points each, and the scores are level, so that both players will be serving one serve each. Scores such as 10-all, 11-all, 12-all, etc, can all be called deuce points.
Is volley allowed in table tennis?
It's also worth noting that, despite all the subtle changes to this rule, it has never been legal to volley the ball in table tennis like you can when playing tennis. And it has never been legal to "spike" the ball and then play a shot as you can in volleyball either.
Who serves first in table tennis?
The score begins at 0-0, and the server will serve first. Each player gets to serve for two points in a row, and then the other player has to serve. The server must serve the ball so that it touches his side of the table once, then bounces over or around the net, and then touches his opponent's side of the table.
Can a serve be blocked or attacked?
In volleyball, you're not allowed to block the serve directly. Even for those of you tall enough to do it while standing, you're not allowed to spike the ball back from above the height of the net, either.
Can the receiving team score points?
There are two main types of scoring in volleyball: side out scoring and rally scoring. With side out scoring, only the serving team can score points after a rally. The team that is receiving the ball hopes to gain possession of the serve so that they have the opportunity to earn points.