How a point is won in table tennis
The full list of ways a player scores — the returns that fail, the ball through the net, the double hit, the free-hand touch, and the moving-table rule most players never meet.
Overview
Unless the rally is a let, a player scores a point when their opponent does something the Laws prohibit. Law 2.10 sets these out as a list rather than a principle, and the list is longer than most players realise.
The familiar ones come first: a point is scored if an opponent fails to make a correct service, or fails to make a correct return.
Where the ball goes
A player scores if, after a service or return, the ball touches anything other than the net assembly before being struck by the opponent. They score if the ball passes over their opponent's court or beyond their end line without touching that court after being struck by the opponent.
And they score if the ball, after being struck by an opponent, passes through the net, or between the net and the net post, or between the net and the playing surface. That is the enforcement clause behind the net assembly's no-gaps requirement.
What a player does
A player scores if an opponent obstructs the ball, or deliberately strikes it more than once in succession, or strikes it with a side of the racket blade whose surface does not comply with the covering requirements.
The double-hit rule says "deliberately", which is why an accidental double contact does not automatically lose the point. The racket-surface clause is why the rubber thickness limits are enforceable in play rather than only at equipment control.
Touching the table and the net
A player also scores if their opponent, or anything their opponent wears or carries, moves the playing surface, or touches the net assembly, or touches the playing surface with their free hand.
The free-hand rule is the one that catches players leaning on the table to reach a wide ball. Touching the surface with the racket hand is fine; touching it with the free hand is not.
Key points
- A point is scored when an opponent fails to make a correct service or return.
- A ball passing through the net or between net and post loses the point.
- Only a deliberate double hit loses the point.
- Touching the playing surface with the free hand loses the point.
- Moving the table, or touching the net assembly, loses the point.
Where it’s used
Sports that use how a point is won in table tennis:
Related rules
Sources
The rules, dimensions and specifications on this page were read from these documents.
- ITTF Statutes — The Laws of Table Tennis — International Table Tennis Federation, 2026, Law 2.10 — A point (read 2026-09-12)
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place How a point is won in table tennis in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Builds on
Understanding these first makes this one make sense.
Frequently learned together
Taught side by side in the same stage of a learning path.
- LetBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Table Tennis learning path.
- The legal table tennis serveBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Table Tennis learning path.
- Table tennis scoringBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Table Tennis learning path.
- Table tennis scoring and service orderBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Table Tennis learning path.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect How a point is won in table tennis to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Scoring systems
- Table tennis scoringTable tennis is scored on every rally to 11 points per game, won by two clear points, over a best-of odd number of games.
- Table tennis scoring and service orderHow games and matches are won — 11 points with a two-point margin, service changing every two points, and the expedite system that stops a game lasting forever.
Equipment
Techniques
- Table Tennis Forehand DriveA controlled attacking stroke in table tennis, played on the forehand side with a compact swing and light topspin.
- One-Handed BackhandA backhand groundstroke struck with a single hand on the grip, driving through the ball with a full extension of the hitting arm.
- VolleyA shot played near the net by blocking the ball out of the air before it bounces, using a short, firm punch rather than a full swing.
- Padel BandejaA controlled overhead shot in padel, hit with slice and moderate pace to keep the player at the net without over-committing.
- Tennis ServeThe overhead stroke that starts every point, hit from behind the baseline into the diagonally opposite service box.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Rule
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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