The table tennis game is a well-known sport throughout the world. You already know about the basic rules for Ping pong singles, now we will move to another kind: Ping pong doubles. Is this only simply understood as we need more members to play together? If you think so, it’s not enough.
If you want to try playing ping pong doubles and you’re looking for the regulations of ping pong doubles rules, here we’ll give you a basic guideline.
Related:
Top 10 Table tennis tabletops for Table Tennis doubles
Official Rules of Table Tennis: What Should You Know?
Top 10 Table Tennis Paddle For Beginners For Doubles Game
Top 10 Ping Pong Balls For Doubles Game
Let’s begin!
What are the Ping Pong Doubles Rules:
Set up Ping-pong Doubles
Like table tennis single, Ping Pong Doubles still need a table tennis table, paddles, and balls. However, the table in ping-pong doubles is a little bit different. The table is first divided into two parts by the net for each team and each team’s table is continued to operate by a white line or sometimes tapes to determine the position for each member. In Ping pong doubles, each team will have 2 members, each member stands in a specific position and will start the service from the right side. The part of the table also can be called the court, and the team will switch the court during the play.
Who plays first
The referee begins by tossing a coin to determine the start serve as well as the court portion for each team. One member of each team steps out and stands face-to-face. The team who picks the correct coin face will be able to choose the position they will serve as well as the portion of the field where the team will play during the initial game. While the losing team will be given any remaining area.
The order of serve and playground positions
Once the serve is returned, the ball will be alternately played by one of the two receiver and server players until the ball is not in play anymore (when it falls down the ground, or when one team has made a foul).
The court has four sections on the court for doubles ping pong, each side separates into two areas on the left and right.
There are four zones but the players only can use two zones in a serve. The player from one team starts with the right side and hits the ball to the left opposite side.
When two players are playing are played, the serving space is larger, but it is shorter than singles.
The range is restricted by the centerline as well as serving line and the long boundary, as well as the long upper serve.
In ping-pong doubles, when a player makes a serve, he has to stand on the right-hand corner of the area.
Then the opponent player who is in the proper position of the receiver can hit back.
If the score of the service team is odd, the player standing in the left-hand of the serving area will become the server and only the player at the left side of serving teams will have the right to strike.
The serving rules for ping pong doubles Rules
The player must place the ping-pong ball in the open palm and while the other hand holds the paddle.
One note in ping pong doubles is that the law requires the ball used at least 16cm in diameter and not spinning.
If the ball drops below, the players need to make the ball back into the table by using paddles to hit.
The ball bounces across the ping-pong net until it is able to touch the field of the opponent (diagonally in relation to the server).
The player cannot make use of any item (or any part of their body) to block the other team’s view of the ball.
Once the service has been done, the server’s arm must take off the area between the net and the server.
The rules also say that the ball has to be in behind the bottom line of the table, but not farther behind the body of the batter, apart from the head, hands, or feet.
If you serve or receive the ball in a manner that is in contact with the net, the referee must announce re-serve by speaking loud as “let.”
Players who serve in the wrong way and are not on the right side need to serve again from the proper place.
The ping-pong double let rule is given out when any of the participants are warned by the referee or don’t follow the law.
The referee has the power to ask the server to serve again in the event of a doubles violation.
Read more: How To Serve In Table Tennis – The Best Guide For You
How to Return a serve
Not only the server but also the receiver has to follow certain rules.
The service team must be in ready status and not do anything that could slow down the process.
After both sides are ready, the server’s first paddle movement will be considered as the start of a serve.
After the paddle is moving, any action that causes a delay in the serving process is considered to be an intentional slowdown.
Even though they aren’t ready yet if the receiver performs an action of receiving they are considered to be ready.
The person who receives the ball must stay within the permitted area and not walk across the markers and lines.
The feet of the receiver should be in a fixed position at the start of the serve until they strike the ball.
If the player moves before striking the ball they’re considered as a foul.
In ping pong doubles, The opponent member who standing in the diagonal opposite to the server will be given the right to hit back.
Table tennis rules say that players can use it anyways to return the ball. However, you still need to comply with the same ballpoint rules as to when you make a serve.
Switching serve
In ping pong double, the serve will change every 2 points until one team lead with a gap of 2 points.
If the score is at 10-10 (Deuce) The serve order is switched after each point.
The game will be over when one team has scored 11 points, and the winner must lead at least 2 points gap.
The double table tennis rule states that they serve is also changed between players in one team.
A member from team A is served two shots, then the other member from team B will get the right to serve.
In the same way, if this member of team B has completed twice, the right to serve goes to the remaining guy of team A.
The serve is exchanged follow this way until the end of the game.
Court change
Official Ping Pong doubles rules provide regulations on how to switch courts in table tennis doubles games.
The teams will have to change court when either team has reached 5 points. This ensures impartiality and fairness during the game.
But you must be aware that after changing court, the order of the server also changes.
Special error cases
In accordance with ping-pong rules for doubles, in the game, if either of the opposing sides does not serve or receive the ball in an incorrect turn, the referee has to stop the match immediately.
This is the case, the right to serve belongs to the group that identified the mistake.
In the time of changing court, if the player disagrees the referee has the power to end the game at once.
Once this error is identified The game will resume by determining the score from the left side of the table that was established when the match began.
In ping-pong competitions, the points are awarded prior to error detection are still recorded as normal.
Point rule for Table Tennis Doubles
Players get points if an opponent is unable to hit the ball, let the ball land on the table once, and then fly out or when the ball hits the table at least twice.
In addition, if someone makes the wrong serve, the other team will get points.
The server or receiver who touches a specific area of the table or makes a force that results in the table being moved will result in losing points for his team.
Last but not least is whenever any part of your body touches the net or your empty hand contacts the table, your opponent’s side will also score points.
Winning the Ping pong doubles game
In accordance with the latest Doubles Rules, the match is over when either team has reached eleven points first.
If both teams both have scored 10 points, it is essential to continue to play until a team leads with 2 points difference. For instance, If team A scored 13 points, and Team B scored 11, then team A will be the winner.
The number of rounds in ping pong doubles normally is an odd number like 5 7 or 9.
Ping Pong Doubles Rules FAQs
#1. What is the main difference between rules for doubles and singles table tennis?
While single table tennis includes 2 opponent players, table tennis doubles need two members for each team.
The order of the serve is also followed in a different way.
It is important for you to have the best strategy and good cooperation between 2 members to win the game.
#2. Do you need to switch hits in doubles Ping-Pong?
Yes. The players on your team need to alternately hit no matter where the ball grounds.
#3. When is it supposed to win in double Ping-Pong?
Of course, you have to base on the score of the two teams. Which team can reach score 11 points first will be the winner.
In the event that the score is 10-10, the game will be extended and the winner will be the team that can lead with the gap by 2 points
Further Reading:
Playing Doubles – Table Tennis England
How to Play Doubles in Table Tennis – wikiHow
In conclusion
To get good results in table tennis, you as well as your partner must be aware of the rules of double ping pong to be able to obey the rules correctly and avoid making errors that could lead the team to the game.
In addition, the ping pong doubles rules can also improve the fairness of the game and prevent any unnecessary debate.
Thank you for taking the time to read. If you like this post, please help us to share so that other people who love this sport can know well the knowledge of double ping-pong.
