The origins of table tennis go back to the 1880s when game makers tried to emulate the popularity of Lawn Tennis by developing indoor versions of the game.

The modern game of table tennis started in the early 1900s in Europe.

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Table tennis is played on a hard table measuring...

9 feet (2.74m) long,
5 feet (1.525m) wide and
2 feet 6 inches (76cm) high

... and the net is

6 feet (1.83m) long and
6 inches (15.25 cm) high.

The game is played by two players (singles) or four players (doubles) who hit a 40mm diameter ball made of celluloid or plastic, back and forth over (or around) the net, using table tennis rackets made of wood covered with pimpled rubber.

The object of the game is to score 11 points before your opponent.

If the score becomes tied at 10 points each, the first player or pair to establish a two point lead will win.

A match consists of winning the best of any odd number of games - usually 3, 5 or 7 games.

Players hit the ball back and forth over the net and must only allow a ball played towards them to bounce once on their side of the table and must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side.

Points are scored when a player fails to return the ball in accordance with the rules of table tennis.

A point commences with a player serving in accordance with the official table tennis rules.

Each player has two serves.

After each two points have been scored, the receiving player or pair becomes the serving player or pair, and so on until the end of the game, unless both players or pairs have scored 10 points.

If the score is tied at 10 points each, each player shall serve for only 1 point in turn.

A skillful player can impart different spins onto the ball, which alters its' trajectory and limits their opponent's chances of returning the ball.

The game can be very fast and requires quick reactions.

If you're going to be playing table tennis, it's useful to know some table tennis terminology.

A rally is the period during which the ball is in play. (The ball is in play from the moment a player intentionally starts his service, until the rally is decided as a let or a point).

A let is a rally of which the result is not scored.

A point is a rally of which the result is scored.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), founded in 1926, controls the sport of table tennis.

The ITTF headquarters are located in Switzerland.

The chinese table tennis players currently dominate the world game, although table tennis is also very popular in Europe.

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