Basic Table Tennis Rules Explained
A Good Return

The official rules of table tennis are a comprehensive set of rules and regulations which cover a multitude of situations which may arise during a game.

But let's just take a look at a few of the basic table tennis rules which deal with making a good return.

We'll look at what constitutes a good return and whether you can you use your hand to play a shot.

We'll also look at what happens if you move the table, touch the playing surface or touch the net.

Rule 2.05.07 states that ...

A player strikes the ball if he touches it in play with his racket, held in the hand, or with his racket hand below the wrist.

This means that all of the following are legal and will constitute a good return.

You can hit the ball with ...

• the rubber on your racket, or
• the edge of your racket, or
• the handle of your racket, or
• any part of your racket hand below the wrist, including the fingers of your racket hand

However ... your hand is only your racket hand if it's holding your racket. This means that you can't drop your racket and then hit the ball with your hand ... because your hand is no longer your racket hand.

Additionally, you can't make a good return by throwing your racket at the ball. You must be holding your racket when it hits the ball for it to be a good return.

Of course, you could transfer your racket from one hand to the other hand. Your other hand would then become your racket hand ... but that's quite difficult to do!

However, Andrzej Grubba of Poland was particularly good at that. Here's a short video clip which shows him transferring his racket from his right hand to his left hand during a rally.

You can see that although he was right-handed, he was pretty good at playing left-handed too ...

Rule 2.10 states ...

Unless the rally is a let, a player shall score a point if his opponent, or anything his opponent wears or carries, moves the playing surface.

This means that if you cause the table to move whilst the ball is still in play, you lose the point.

This usually happens when you rush forward to play a shot. After you've played your shot, your forward momentum can cause you to move the table.

However, if the ball wasn't in play when you moved the table, there's no penalty. For example, once the ball has bounced a second time (either on the table, floor, surroundings, or hits your opponent), the ball's no longer in play.

Rule 2.10 also states that ...

Unless the rally is a let, a player shall score a point if his opponent's free hand touches the playing surface.

This means that if you touch the playing surface (i.e. the top of the table) with your hand which is not holding your racket whilst the ball is still in play, you lose the point.

So, if you're right handed, and you touch the playing surface with your left hand, you lose the point.

Rule 2.10 also states that ...

Unless the rally is a let, a player shall score a point if his opponent, or anything his opponent wears or carries, touches the net assembly.

This means that if you touch the net or the net posts whilst the ball is still in play, you lose the point.

As with moving the table, this usually happens when you rush forward to play a shot and your forward momentum may cause you to touch the net.

For more information about the rules of table tennis, take a look at my other articles which explain the Official Laws of Table Tennis and the additional Regulations in more detail.