What Are Some Fun Ways to Play Table Tennis?

Table tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world, with an estimated 850 million fans. This puts the sport in 6th place in the list of the world's most popular sports, ahead of sports such as golf, basketball, American football, and baseball. The incredible speed at which the game is played and the skill level that the top athletes in the sport possess make it a fascinating spectacle.

The sport dates back to the early days of the 20th century in England when it was known as ping-pong. The International Table Tennis Federation was founded in 1926. Table tennis has been an Olympic sport since 1988; China has dominated the competition since its introduction.

The beauty of table tennis is that it can be played by anyone, of any age and of any ability. As Forrest Gump showed so brilliantly, there is a huge amount of fun that can be obtained even from playing table tennis solo.

In this blog post, we will highlight some fun ways to play table tennis, whether you are on your own or playing with friends. Let's get started!

Regular Table Tennis

Let's first look at the most common way to play table tennis. When it comes to table tennis scoring, a regular game of table tennis is played to 11 points and the serve alternates every 2 points. Once the game is tied at 10-10 or more, the serve alternates after every point until one player (or team) wins by 2 points.

To serve, simply toss the ball straight up (at least 6 inches) and strike it as it comes down. The ball must hit the server's side of the table, cross the net, and then hit the other side. Volleys are not allowed in table tennis, which means the ball must bounce on your side of the table before hitting it.

Table tennis rules are largely the same for doubles games, though there are a few differences. Firstly, doubles serves must be played right court to right court. Secondly, alternative hitting is required in a doubles game, meaning that a player cannot return the ball twice in a row without their partner taking a turn.

Playback Position

If you don't have any playing partner, don't worry because there is still the opportunity to improve your game and enjoy the sport on your own. Simply raise up one half of the court so that it is vertical, allowing you to hit the ball against the court and have it returned to your side. This is possible with two-piece tables.

In this playback position, you can practice on your own and it's a great way to improve hand-eye coordination and ball control. We've already mentioned how Forrest Gump became such a table tennis star and we saw him both practising and showing off to his military colleague when playing in the playback position.

If you do have a playing partner, there are games that you can both play in this position. Each player will take one-half of the court and strike the ball against the vertical side of the court, aiming to land the ball in their opponent's half of the court. Our tip here is to utilize sidespin to make it difficult for your opponent to return the ball.

Multiball

This is a fun game for up to 4 players that really tests the hand-eye coordination and other skills of the participants! Whether it is 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 2, start with 2 balls and see how long you can keep a rally going. Once you get used to playing with 2 balls, add in a third, then a fourth, etc.

Rather than this being a competitive game between the 2 sets of players, it's a game where everyone is on the same team as they try to keep a rally going. It's a whole lot of fun and is great for families and parties.

Long Ping Pong

If you are looking to create a different kind of challenge, you can raise the net and play lob ping pong. You can simulate a higher net with string or anything else you have.

The trick with this game is that you have to lob the ball much higher to ensure that it crossed the net. Given how bouncy the ball is, it becomes a really fun challenge to stay in control of a rally.

Around the World

This game requires at least 3 players and can have as many as 10, making it excellent for when you have a lot of people around. The participants will form 2 queues at each end of the table. The player who serves the ball will run around the join the back of the queue at the other end of the table.

The first player at the other end will return the ball and then run to join the other queue. The game will continue with players in continuous movement around the table tennis table. When a player makes a mistake, they will lose a 'life' (each player has 3 lives and the winner is the last man standing).

Fun Ways to Play Table Tennis

As this article highlights, table tennis is a fun, energetic, and competitive sport that can be played both individually and with others. If you are looking for a fun sport that is convenient to play, then table tennis is a wonderful option.

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