Yes, you can use your hand to hit the ball, but only if it is your racket hand and below the wrist. A quote of the rules state: It is considered legal to hit the ball with your fingers, or with your racket hand below the wrist, or even any part of the bat.
Likewise, people ask, what is the free hand in table tennis?
5.6 The free hand is the hand not carrying the racquet. 5.7 A player strikes the ball if he touches it in play with his racquet, held in the racquet hand, or with his racquet hand below the wrist.
Hereof, what is a let?
A let is most commonly called when a player is serving. If the ball hits the net but still falls into the service court (the other side of the net within fair play), it’s called a let and the serve can be redone. … If they throw the ball up for a serve and miss, though, it’s not considered a let.
What are the 5 rules of table tennis?
Official Rules of Table Tennis
- GAMES ARE PLAYED TO 11 POINTS. …
- ALTERNATE SERVES EVERY TWO POINTS. …
- TOSS THE BALL STRAIGHT UP WHEN SERVING. …
- THE SERVE CAN LAND ANYWHERE IN SINGLES. …
- DOUBLES SERVES MUST GO RIGHT COURT TO RIGHT COURT. …
- A SERVE THAT TOUCHES THE NET ON THE WAY OVER IS A “LET” …
- ALTERNATE HITTING IN A DOUBLES RALLY.
Why can’t you touch the table in table tennis?
No – this is a very frequently misunderstood rule 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. … As soon as your FREE HAND touches the table your opponent wins the point.
What happens if you touch the table in table tennis?
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.
Why do table tennis players touch the table?
It’s a physical reaction to the game. A player will wipe the sweat from his hand onto the table in a spot that is not likely to be used during play, such as near the net where the ball rarely lands. … It helps them mentally set the position of the table in context with the placement of their bodies.
What was table tennis original name?
Ping-Pong
What are the specifications for a table tennis ball?
Each ball must weigh 2.7 grams (between 2.67 and 2.77 grams), have a diameter of 40 millimeters (between 40.0 and 40.6), and when dropped from 30 centimeters the ball must bounce back to 240 mm (240-265 mm).
Are rallies allowed in table tennis?
During a rally, if the ball hits the net but still bounces on the opponent’s side of the table, the rally continues, but 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.