How to Serve a Ping-Pong Ball

Whether you regard ping-pong as a casual activity or a competitive sport, this tabletop ball and racquet game makes an enjoyable pastime. With its large table and central net, the ping-pong playing field resembles a tennis court. Players stand on each end of the table and use paddles to hit the light ball back and forth to each other. The object of ping-pong is to earn points when your opponent misses the ball or hits the ball off the table. Serve a ping-pong ball properly to begin the play.

Instructions

    • 1

      Stand at the your end of the table with your opponent standing at the opposite end. If you are playing singles, stand immediately behind the center line in the middle of the table. To play doubles, stand to the left or right of the center line beside your teammate and serve from your half of the table.

    • 2

      Hold the ping-pong ball in the palm of your non-dominant hand and the paddle in your dominant hand.

    • 3

      Throw the ping-pong ball gently straight up at least 6 inches and allow the ball to fall straight back down without contacting anything. The ping-pong ball serve must occur over the table.

    • 4

      Strike the ping-pong ball with your paddle with a firm move of your arm during the ball’s descent from your throw. Direct the paddle so the ball hits the table first on your side of the net, travels over the net and hits the table on your opponent’s side of the net before you opponent returns it back to you. While playing doubles, the ball must strike the table on your half before it travels over the net.

    • 5

      Wait to serve until a playing official starts the game to ensure the official observes the legality of your serve if you are playing a competitive game of ping-pong.

    • 6

      Use some of the more advanced serves as you improve, including the back-spin, top-spin, side-spin and no-spin serves. Hit the ball with your paddle from different angles to place an unexpected spin on the ball that may confuse your opponent. To place a spin on the ping-pong ball, hit the ball with your paddle from beneath it, above it or to the side of it. These serving techniques require practice and most beginners serve the ball without spin.