They’re so confusing it’s not played by fools.

Regularly get beaten by my children… I am useless at any hand/eye co-ordination sports.

I have a demon serve, but that’s as far as I get.

Any pointers to help me not lose by such massive margins?

Make your own rules.

We booked a house for a stag do that had a games room where the table tennis table was under a low pent ceiling. That meant a high bounce would ricochet off at 90 degrees. So we created ‘Total Table Tennis’. Similar to Real Tennis in that all the surfaces in the room are in play (even the stairs).

The rules were –
1. you’ve got 3 bounces to get the ball back to the table,
2. everyone is probably drunk
3. there might be blood.

Serve must bounce on both sides, all subsequent shots must only bounce on the opposing side. 5 serves each then swap IIRC..1st to 21?
Can’t wait to get a bigger house with room for a table, been too long since I last played.

*ahem*

TT is like cricket, it has laws, not rules.

http://www.ittf.com/ittf_handbook/2014/2014_EN_HBK_CHPT_2.pdf

Anybody seen these hipster bars with table tennis tables in? Seemed really geeky to me then two hours and several beers later it all made sense! Good humoured carnage with four tables in close proximity!

On the “laws” bit – do you have to serve diaginally like proper tennis or anywhere as long as it bounces both sides?

I can’t believe they’ve made the ball larger and that you now only play to 11 🙁

You can serve anywhere in singles. Diagonally in doubles.

Ball was made larger for better TV viewing!

Regularly get beaten by my children… I am useless at any hand/eye co-ordination sports.

Any pointers to help me not lose by such massive margins?

I believe if you hit your opponent with the ball you win the point, the ball doesn’t even have to touch the table…

Sadly not. 😉

2.5.7 A player strikes the ball if he or she touches it in play with his or her racket,
held in the hand, or with his or her racket hand below the wrist.

2.5.8 A player obstructs the ball if he or she, or anything he or she wears or carries,
touches it in play when it is above or travelling towards the playing surface,
not having touched his or her court since last being struck by his or her
opponent.

And the point is over after the ball passes the edge of the playing surface without landing in play.

2.10.1.4 if the ball passes over his or her court or beyond his or her end line
without touching his or her court, after being struck by an opponent;

…and with my tank filled to the brim, you may suggest to me anything.

I find the laws governing hair in ice hockey much more confusing.

[Quote]DirtyLyle – Member
I find the laws governing hair in ice hockey much more confusing[/quote]

What is confusing? Beards help in fights and long hair (“flow”) sticking out from under your helmet adds speed. Pretty simple really…

(S&J, d-man for the Nottingham Outlaws).

As a side note we have the child of an English aristocrat turned Marxist and Russian spy for the popularity of table tennis – Ivor Montegeau. Hence why like cricket it’s laws not rules.

He was brother of Evan Montegeau who masterminded Operation Mincemeat in WW2…