Table Tennis

History
The game originated as a sport in Britain during the 1800s, where it was played amongst the upper-
class as an after dinner entertainment activity, commonly known then as "wiff-waff". A row of books were to
be stood up along the center of the table as a net, two more books served as rackets and were used to
continuously hit a golf-ball from one end of the table to the other. Later, table tennis was played with paddles
made of cigar box lids and balls made of champagne corks. Eventually, table tennis evolved into the modern
game in Europe and the United States. The popularity of the game led game manufacturers to sell the
equipment commercially. Early rackets were often pieces ofparchment stretched upon a frame, and the sound
generated in play gave the game its first nicknames of "wiff-waff" and "Ping-pong". A number of sources
indicate that the game was first brought to the attention of Hamley's of Regent Street under the name
"Gossima". The name "ping-pong" was in wide use before British manufacturer J. Jaques & Son
Ltd trademarked it in 1901. The name "Ping-Pong" then came to be used for the game played by the rather
expensive Jaquesses equipment, with other manufacturers calling theirs table tennis. A similar situation arose
in the United States, where Jaques sold the rights to the "Ping-Pong" name to Parker Brothers.

The next major innovation was by James Gibb, a British enthusiast of table tennis, who discovered
novelty celluloid balls on a trip to the US in 1901 and found them to be ideal for the game. This was followed
by E. C. Goode who in 1901 invented the modern version of the racket by fixing a sheet of pimpled, or
stippled, rubber to the wooden blade. Table tennis was growing in popularity by 1901 when table tennis
tournaments were being organized, books on table tennis were being written, and an unofficial world
championship was held in 1902. During the early 20th century the game was banned in Russia due to a belief
that was held by the rulers at the time that playing the game had an adverse effect on players' eyesight. In
1921, the Table Tennis Association was founded in Britain, and the International Table Tennis Federation
followed in 1926. London hosted the first official world championship in 1927. Table tennis was introduced as
an Olympic sport at the Olympics in 1988.

In the 1950s rackets that used a rubber sheet combined with an underlying sponge layer changed the
game dramatically, introducing greater spin and speed. These were introduced to Britain by the sports goods
manufacturers S.W. Hancock Ltd. The use of speed glue increased the spin and speed even further, resulting
in changes to the equipment to "slow the game down".

Toward the end of 2000, the ITTF instituted several rules changes aimed at making table tennis more
viable as a televised spectator sport. First, the older 38 mm (1.5 inch) balls were officially replaced by 40mm
balls. This increased the ball's air resistance and effectively slowed down the game. By that time, players had
begun increasing the thickness of the fast sponge layer on their rackets, which made the game excessively fast,
and difficult to watch on television. Secondly, the ITTF changed from a 21 to an 11-point scoring system. This
was intended to make games more fast-paced and exciting. The ITTF also changed the rules on service to
prevent a player from hiding the ball during service, in order to increase the average length of rallies and to
reduce the server's advantage. Variants of the sport have emerged. "Large-ball" table tennis uses a 44 mm ball
which slows down the game significantly. This has seen some acceptance by players who have a hard time
with the extreme spins and speeds of the 40mm game. The ball's mass is 2.47 grams.
 There is a move towards reviving the table tennis game that existed prior to the introduction of sponge
rubber. Classic table tennis like Liha or "hardbat" table tennis players reject the speed and spin of reversed
sponge rubber, preferring the 1940–60s play style, with no-sponge, short-pimpled rubber equipment, when
defense is less difficult by decreasing the speed and eliminating any meaningful magnus effect of spin.
Because hardbat killer shots are almost impossible to hit against a skilled player, hardbat matches focus on the
strategic side of table tennis, requiring skillful maneuvering of the opponent before an attack can be
successful.

Table
The table is 2.74 m (9 ft) long,
1.525 m (5 ft) wide, and 76 cm (30 inch)
high with a Masonite (a type of hardboard)
or similarly manufactured timber, layered
with a smooth, low-friction coating. The
table or playing surface is divided into two
halves by a 15.25 cm (6 inch) high net. The
table surface is often in a green, blue or red
color.

Racket
Players are equipped with a laminated wooden racket covered with rubber on one or two sides
depending on the grip of the player. This is called either a paddle, racket, blade or a bat depending on where in
the world the game is being played. In the USA the term "paddle" is common, in Europe[where?] the term is
"bat," and the official ITTF term is "racket."

The wooden portion of the racket, often referred to as the "blade," features, on average, anywhere
between 1 and 7 plies of wood, cork, glass fiber, carbon fiber, aluminum fiber, or even Kevlar. There are no
restrictions as to what kinds of materials may be used, just so long as the racket consists of at least 85%
natural wood. Common wood types include Balsa, Limba, Walnut, and Cypress or "Hinoki," which is popular
in Japan. The average size of the blade is about 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) long and 6 inches (15 cm) wide.
Although there are no official restrictions on the shape or size of the blade itself, these dimensions are optimal
for most styles of play. Table tennis regulations allow different surfaces on each side of the racket. The
different types of surfaces provide various levels of spin or speed, or in some cases, nullify spin. For example,
a player may have a rubber that provides much spin on one side of his racket, and one that provides no spin on
the other side of the racket. By flipping the racket in play, different types of returns are possible. To help a
player distinguish between different types of rubber used by his opposing player, international rules specify
that one side must be red while the other side must be black. The player has the right to inspect his opponent's
racket before a match to see the type of rubber used and what color it is. Despite high speed play and rapid
exchanges, a player can see clearly what side of the racket was used to hit the ball. Current rules state that,
unless damaged in play, the racket cannot be exchanged for another racket at any time during a match.
Rules - Single
A game is won when a player reaches 11 points with a difference of at least 2 points. Sides change
after every game and when a player reaches 5 points in a deciding game. A match can be best of 5 or 7 games.
The serve changes every 2 points, and then every point after a deuce. Shots can be played on any part of the
opponent's half of the table.

Rules - Double
The rules for doubles are mostly the same as the singles game. Scoring of points is also the same as
singles. There are only a couple of things that are different when it is a doubles match. First of all, the serving
rules are different. There are 2 players on each side, and the serve has to be taken from the right side of the
table. Each half of the table is divided into 2 more halves. The server has to strike the ball in such a way that
the ball bounces first in his team's half, and also in the right side half of his team's side of the table. The serve
needs to be in a cross of diagonal direction. Meaning, the ball has to land on the opposite side of the table in
the right half of the other team, right half of the other side as the other team sees it. Serve still changes every 2
points, but each player from a team takes one serve each. Shots are taken by each player alternatively in a
rally. This is the major difference from lawn tennis where in a double match any player can take a shot
according to the situation. Also, in a deciding game, after changing sides, the combination of players serving
and receiving changes. For example if player A was serving to player C, and player B was serving to player D,
after the change, player A would serve to player D and player B would serve to player C. Besides these few
aspects, all the rules are the same as the singles game. In doubles, coordination of both partners between
themselves play an important role in getting that winning edge over opponents.

Badminton
Rules - Single
1. Serving and receiving courts
1. The players shall serve from, and receive in, their respective right service courts when the
server has not scored or has scored an even number of points in that game.
2. The players shall serve from, and receive in, their respective left service courts when the server
has scored an odd number of points in that game.
2. The shuttle is hit alternately by the server and the receiver until a 'fault' is made or the shuttle ceases to
be in play.
3. Scoring and serving
1. If the receiver makes a 'fault' or the shuttle ceases to be in play because it touches the surface of
the court inside the receiver's court, the server scores a point. The server then serves again from
the alternate service court.
2. If the server makes a 'fault' or the shuttle ceases to be in play because it touches the surface of
the court inside the server's court, the server loses the right to continue serving and the receiver
then becomes the server, with no point scored by either player.
Rules – Double
1. At the start of a game, and each time a side gains the right to serve, the service shall be delivered from
the right service court.
2. Only the receiver shall return the service: should the shuttle touch or be hit by the receiver's partner, it
shall be a 'fault' and the serving side scores a point.
3. Order of play and position on court
1. After the service is returned, the shuttle may be hit by either player of the serving side and then
by either player of the receiving side, and so on, until the shuttle ceases to be in play.
2. After the service is returned, a player may hit the shuttle from any position on that player's side
of the net.
4. Scoring and serving
1. If the receiving side makes a 'fault' or the shuttle ceases to be in play because it touches the
surface of the court inside the receiving side's court, the serving side scores a point and the
server serves again.
2. If the serving side makes a 'fault' or the shuttle ceases to be in play because it touches the
surface of the court inside the serving side's court, the server loses the right to continue serving,
with no point scored by either side.
5. Serving and receiving courts
1. The player who serves at the start of any game shall serve from, or receive in, the right service
court when that player's side has not scored or has scored an even number of points in that
game and the left service court when that player's side has scored an odd number of points in
that game.
2. The player who receives at the start of any game shall receive in, or serve from, the right
service court when that player's side has not scored or has scored an even number of points in
that game and the left service court when that player's side has scored an odd number of points
in that game.
3. The reverse pattern shall apply to the partners.
6. Service in any turn of serving shall be delivered from alternate service courts, except as provided in
Laws 12 and 14.
7. In any game, the right to serve passes consecutively from the initial server to the initial receiver, then
to the initial receiver's partner, then to the opponent who is due to serve from the right service court
(Law 11.5), then to that player's partner, and so on.
8. No player shall serve out of turn, receive out of turn, or receive two consecutive services in the same
game, except as provided in Laws 12 and 14.
9. Either player of the winning side may serve first in the next game, and either player of the losing side
may receive.