NORTHERN ILOILO UNIVERSITY

AJUY CAMPUS

Instructional Module in PE3

INDIVIDUAL/DUAL SPORTS
First Semester AY 2022-2023

ANN A. AZUCENA, MAT-HK

ASSIST. PROFESSOR IV

Module No. 6
Table Tennis

Time allotment: 2 hours

I. Introduction
Dear student,

Good day!

In this module, you shall be introduced to the history, nature and purposes
of table tennis. Understand the history background and development of table
tennis and its purpose in physical education programs also the rules of the
game. Failure to comply this module you will get incomplete grade for the
semester.

Read the Discussion and answer the questions that follow.

II. Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this module you should have to:
 discussed the history, nature and purposes of table tennis.

III. Learning Content

Overview of the lesson

For this Lesson, the following topics are contained:

A. Giving examples of the following:

1. Fundamentals skills in badminton

Instructional Materials
For this module, you are provided with the following:
1. A handout to read and take down notes.
To accomplish the activity for this module, you need the following:
1. internet references

Discussion

PE 3-MODULE 6
 NORTHERN ILOILO UNIVERSITY
AJUY CAMPUS

The History of Ping-Pong

All About Table Tennis
Like most other sports, table tennis had humble beginnings as a “parlor game,”
open to anyone with access to a table, paddle, and ball. The game began in the
1880s, when lawn tennis players adapted their game to play indoors during the
winter.

Ping-Pong is a trademark name for table tennis and associated equipment. The
name “Ping-Pong” was invented by the English firm J. Jaques and Son at the end of
the 1800s and later trademarked in the United States by Parker Brothers, the board
game company.

The game quickly caught on, and as early as 1901, tournaments were being
conducted with over 300 participants. The Ping-Pong Association was formed but
was renamed The Table Tennis Association in 1922.

In 1902 a visiting Japanese university professor took the game back to Japan, where
he introduced it to university students. Shortly after, a British salesman, Edward
Shires, introduced it to the people of Vienna and Budapest, and the seeds were
sown for a sport that now enjoys popularity all over the world. In Britain, table
tennis had also begun to spread outside the distinctly middle-class confines of
London, and leagues sprang up in provincial towns as far apart as Sunderland and
Plymouth. In 1922, an All England Club was formed, which boasted such luminaries
as Jack Hobbs the cricketer and other famous names of the time from the world of
sport. The Daily Mirror organized and sponsored a nationwide tournament in which
there were 40,000 competitors.

Table tennis was firmly on the map, and on April 24, 1927, the English Table Tennis
Association was born, under the chairmanship and direction of Ivor Montague, son
of Lord Ewatthling. He was not only to become the architect of modern-day table
tennis, but he also achieved critical acclaim as both a director and film producer. At
the time, The ETTA had a membership of 19 leagues but now has over 300, with
around 75,000 registered players.

The first world championships were held in 1927 and were won by a Hungarian, Dr.
Jacobi. Apart from the famous Fred Perry redressing the balance for England in
1929, this was to be the start of an unprecedented run of success for the
Hungarians, who completely dominated the game throughout the thirties. Their
team was led by the legendary Victor Barna, whose inspiration and skill did so much
to elevate the game to sports status.

The 1950s saw the game turned upside down by the invention of the sponge or
sandwich rubber, this new material for bats, which, up until now, had been a
relatively simple affair with a universal thin covering of pimpled rubber.
Until this time, spin had played only a minor part in a game that had been
dominated by the defensive style of play. But these new bats or paddles, introduced
by the Japanese, had the capacity to move the ball around in an almost magical

PE 3-MODULE 6
 NORTHERN ILOILO UNIVERSITY
AJUY CAMPUS

way. The ITTF, the game’s governing body, was quick to legislate in a bid to control
this new development, seen in some quarters as equipping players with an unfair
advantage. The thickness of the sponge and rubber sandwich was controlled and
remains so to this day. But the nature of the game had been changed, establishing
the fast attacking speed and spin style of the modern game.

Today, the sport both in England and abroad is very well established and is growing
each year. The culmination of this has been its recognition as an Olympic Games
sport, being featured for the first time in the 1988 games in Seoul. Television
coverage of the men’s singles final attracted an incredible worldwide audience of 2
billion. In China, the game is played by literally millions at work, in school, and in
community parks. Chinese top players are regarded as national heroes with pop
star statuses.

Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or
four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth
across a table using small rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by
a net. Except for the initial serve, the rules are generally as follows: players must
allow a ball played toward them to bounce one time on their side of the table, and
must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side at least once. A point is scored
when a player fails to return the ball within the rules. Play is fast and demands quick
reactions. Spinning the ball alters its trajectory and limits an opponent's options,
giving the hitter a great advantage.

Table tennis is governed by the worldwide organization International Table Tennis

Federation (ITTF), founded in 1926. ITTF currently includes 226 member
associations. The table tennis official rules are specified in the ITTF handbook. Table
tennis has been an Olympic sport since 1988, with several event categories. From
1988 until 2004, these were men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and
women's doubles. Since 2008, a team event has been played instead of the
doubles.

Official Rules of Table Tennis

We’ve summarized the essential ping pong rules from USA Table Tennis right here
to help you settle those garage or office disputes. This list is not exhaustive, but we
have found that these ones are common points of contention among many players.
Whether you call it ping pong, table tennis, or whiff whaff, these official table tennis
rules should help you keep things straight.

1. GAMES ARE PLAYED TO 11 POINTS

A Game is played to 11 points. A Game must be won by two points. A Match is
generally the best three of five Games.

PE 3-MODULE 6
 NORTHERN ILOILO UNIVERSITY
AJUY CAMPUS

2. ALTERNATE SERVES EVERY TWO POINTS

Each side of the table alternates serving two points at a time. EXCEPTION: After tied
10-10 (“deuce”), service alternates at every point. Can you lose on a serve in ping
pong? Yes! There is no separate rule for serving on Game Point.

3. TOSS THE BALL STRAIGHT UP WHEN SERVING

How do you serve the ball in ping pong? Hold the ball in your open palm, behind
your end of the table. Toss at least 6” straight up, and strike it on the way down. It
must hit your side of the table and then the other side. NOTE: Once the ball leaves
the server’s hand it is in play, and so counts as the receiver’s point if the ball is
missed or mis-hit.

4. THE SERVE CAN LAND ANYWHERE IN SINGLES

There is no restriction on where the ball lands on your side or your opponent’s side
of the table. It can bounce two or more times on your opponent’s side (if so, that’s
your point), bounce over the side, or even hit the edge.

5. DOUBLES SERVES MUST GO RIGHT COURT TO RIGHT COURT

The serve must bounce in the server’s right court, and receiver’s right court (NOTE:
landing on center line is fair). Doubles partners switch places after their team
serves twice.

6. A SERVE THAT TOUCHES THE NET ON THE WAY OVER IS A “LET”

Can the ball hit the net in ping pong? Yes, during a RALLY, if it touches the top of
the net and then otherwise lands as a legitimate hit. BUT not when serving. If a
served ball hits the net on the way over and otherwise legally bounces in play, it’s a
“let” serve and is done over. There is no limit on how many times this can happen.

7. ALTERNATE HITTING IN A DOUBLES RALLY

Doubles partners must alternate hitting balls in a rally, no matter where the ball
lands on the table.

8. VOLLEYS ARE NOT ALLOWED

Can you hit the ball before it bounces in ping pong? No. In regular tennis you may
“volley” the ball (hitting the ball before it bounces on your side of the net). But in
table tennis, this results in a point for your opponent. NOTE: When your opponent
hits a ball that sails over your end of the table without touching it and then hits you
or your paddle, that is still your point.

9. IF YOUR HIT BOUNCES BACK OVER THE NET BY ITSELF IT IS YOUR POINT
If you hit the ball in a rally or on a serve and it bounces back over the net after
hitting your opponent’s side of the table (due to extreme spin), without your
opponent touching it, that is your point.

10. TOUCHING THE BALL WITH YOUR PADDLE HAND IS ALLOWED

What happens if the ball hits your finger or hand during a ping pong rally? If the
ball touches your PADDLE hand and otherwise results in a legal hit, there is no rule
violation and play shall continue as normal. Your paddle hand includes all fingers
and hand area below the wrist. But what if the ball touches a player’s body
anywhere else during a ping pong rally? You may not touch the table with your non-

PE 3-MODULE 6
 NORTHERN ILOILO UNIVERSITY
AJUY CAMPUS

paddle hand for any reason. It will result in a point for your opponent. BUT if your
opponent’s hit sails over your side of the table without touching it, and hits any part
of you or your paddle, that is still your point.

11. YOU MAY NOT TOUCH THE TABLE WITH YOUR NON-PADDLE HAND
You may touch the ball or the table with your paddle hand (after reaching in to
return a short serve, for example), or other parts of your body. NOTE: If the table
moves at all from your touching it during a rally, that is your opponent’s point.

12. AN “EDGE” BALL BOUNCING OFF THE HORIZONTAL TABLE TOP SURFACE IS
GOOD
An otherwise legal serve or hit may contact the top edge of the horizontal table top
surface and be counted as valid, even if it bounces sidewise. The vertical sides of
the table are NOT part of the legal playing surface.

13. HONOR SYSTEM APPLIES TO DISAGREEMENTS

If no referee is present during a match and the players disagree on a certain call,
the “honor system” applies and the players should find a way to agree, or play the
point over. Ping pong carries a tradition of fierce but fair play. Help us keep it that
way!

Table Tennis Rules: Myth-busters

During the time I’ve been playing and coaching table tennis, I think I’ve heard every
made-up rule there is! Here are a few you might hear and why they are nonsense.
“Don’t you have to serve diagonally in table tennis?”
 Nope! In tennis, squash and badminton you must serve diagonally but in table
tennis singles you can serve wherever you like. Yes, that includes off the sides
of the table, if you can get enough sidespin. In table tennis doubles, you do
have to serve diagonally and always from your right-hand half to your
opponents right-hand half.
“The ball hit you, so that’s my point!”
 A common one with the kids in school. Sorry, but if you’ve whacked the ball at
me and it didn’t hit the table, then that’s a miss. We’re not playing dodge ball!
“I thought you were meant to play up to 21? I don’t like playing to 11.”
 In this case, many of the older players would probably agree with you but the
ITTF changed the scoring system from 21-points to 11-points back in 2001. If
you play competitively the game will be up to 11, so you might as well get
used to it!
“You can’t hit it around the net!”
 Actually, you can. And it can be a pretty hard shot to get back. If you put a ball
out really wide, your opponent is well within the rules to return it around the
net. This even means that in some cases the ball can just roll on your side of
the table and not even bounce! It’s very rare but it does happen. There are
numerous videos on YouTube.
“The ball has to cross the net four times before you start ‘play for serve'”

PE 3-MODULE 6
 NORTHERN ILOILO UNIVERSITY
AJUY CAMPUS

 I hear arguments about this a lot. ‘Play for serve’ is made-up. In a competitive
game, the server is usually decided by a coin toss or picking which hand you
think the ball is in. If you really want to ‘play for serve’, then just agree before
you start at which point you are allowed to start attacking the rally. However,
it’s probably easier just to put the ball under the table and guess which hand
it’s in!
Basic Table Tennis Rules
I’ve summarised the official (and very long) rules of the ITTF in these basic table
tennis rules. These should be all you need to start playing a game.
Service Rules
1. The service must start with the ball in an open palm. This stops you from
throwing it up with spin.
2. The ball must be thrown vertically, at least 16 cm. This stops you from serving
straight out of your hand and surprising your opponent.
3. The ball must be above and behind the table throughout the serve. This stops
you getting any silly angles and gives your opponent a fair chance at
returning.
4. After throwing the ball, the server must get their free arm and hand out of the
way. This is to allow the receiver to see the ball.
Doubles Rules
1. The service must go diagonally, from the server’s right-hand side to the
receivers right-hand side. This stops you from getting the opposing pair
tangled up before they’ve even hit a ball.
2. A doubles pair must strike the ball alternately. This makes doubles
challenging. None of that front court/back court tennis nonsense.
3. At the change of service, the previous receiver becomes the new server and
the partner of the previous server becomes the receiver. This makes sure
everybody does everything. After eight points you’re back to the start of the
cycle.
General match play
1. You have two serves before it is your opponent’s turn to serve twice. This used
to be five serves each but since changing to 11 it’s now just two.
2. At 10-10 it’s deuce. You get one serve each and must win by two clear
points. This is sudden death or table tennis’ equivalent of a tie break.
3. If you are playing a best of 3, 5 or 7 (as opposed to just one set) you have to
change ends after each game. This makes sure both players experience
conditions on both sides of the table. You also change ends when the first
player reaches five points in the final game of a match.
A let is called if…
1. An otherwise good serve touches the net. This ensures your opponent has a
chance at making a return.
2. The receiver isn’t ready (and doesn’t try to hit the ball). This is just common
sense really!
3. If play is disturbed by something outside of the players’ control. This allows
you to replay the point if your cat jumps onto the table, etc.
A point is lost if…
1. The service is missed.
2. The service is not returned.
3. A shot goes into the net.
4. A shot goes off the table without touching the court.

PE 3-MODULE 6
 NORTHERN ILOILO UNIVERSITY
AJUY CAMPUS

5. A player moves the table, touches the net or touches the table with their free
hand during play.
Odd Table Tennis Rules
Here are a few table tennis rules and regulations that surprised me.
You are allowed to accidentally ‘double hit’ the ball!
 The rules state that you lose a point if you deliberately strike the ball twice in
succession.
 Did you know this? I think it’s a new rule. What do you think of it?
You are allowed a maximum of two advertisements on the back of your shirt, in
international competitions.
 I wonder if they ever check to see if players have three?
 I’ve certainly never heard of a player having to change a shirt because they
have too many adverts on their back!
 Let me know if you ever see a video with someone wearing three in an
international competition.
The playing surface of the table can be made of any material.
 All it has to do is give a uniform bounce of about 23cm when a ball is dropped
from 30cm.
 I’m pretty sure they are always made of wood though but I may be wrong.
The racket can be any size, shape or weight.
 I’ve seen a few funny home-made bats recently from local league players. One
was made of balsa wood and about an inch thick!
 At the time I thought, “It’s fine here but they wouldn’t get away with that in an
actual tournament”.
 Well, apparently they would!
If a wheelchair player is playing in an able-bodied tournament their opponents must
play ‘wheelchair rules’ against them.
 I came into contact with this rule coaching at Junior British League Qualifiers
last summer. I was ensured by the tournament umpires and referees that this
was the case and I myself had no idea, so I had to go with it.
 I since discovered that the rules state that wheelchair service/receive rules
apply simply, “if the receiver is in a wheelchair”, regardless of who the server
is.
Whether you’re new to the sport or have been playing for years I hope you found
that interesting.
If you would like to have at look at the official table tennis rules and regulations, in
depth, then you can do so on the ITTF regulations page. You can even download a
PDF document full of all the table tennis rules you can possibly consume. Did I miss
anything important? Either serious or funny. If so, please let me know and I’ll
update the post.

PE 3-MODULE 6
 NORTHERN ILOILO UNIVERSITY
AJUY CAMPUS

IV. Assessment
Write your answer on intermediate paper and take a picture, upload to
our GOOGLE CLASSROOM if cannot access put it on a long white folder.

Discuss the following topics:

1. Summarize the history of table tennis.

V. TO DO: Do the following activities:

Reflection about the Rules of the Game, Write your answer on
intermediate paper and take a picture, upload to our GOOGLE CLASSROOM if cannot
access put it on a long white folder.

Date of Submission: ___________________

VI. Reference

 Myrana N. Alvarez, etc. Books Atbp. 2010. Physical Education 3

Individual/Dual Sports`
 https://www.athleticscholarships.net/history-of-table-tennis.htm
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_tennis#Rule_changes
 https://www.experttabletennis.com/table-tennis-rules-and-regulations/

-End of Module-

PE 3-MODULE 6