Ping pong serve rules
A legal serve starts with the ball resting on a flat, open palm behind the end line, thrown near-vertically at least 16 cm, and struck as it falls — bouncing once on your side, then once on your opponent's. Six conditions, all of which must hold at once.
On this page
The six conditions
- The ball rests freely on the flat, open palm of your stationary free hand. No gripping it in your fingers.
- You throw it near-vertically upward, at least 16 cm — roughly the height of the net — without imparting spin.
- You strike it as it descends, so that it touches your court once and then your opponent's court once.
- From the moment you toss it until the moment you strike it, the ball stays behind your end line and above the level of the playing surface.
- Neither your body nor your free arm hides the ball from the receiver at any point.
- The ball and racket stay above the playing surface level when you make contact.
Why the toss height exists
The 16 cm minimum stops players serving straight out of the hand, where a flick of the fingers can add spin the receiver never sees. A near-vertical throw with a bare hand cannot impart much spin, so whatever the ball does after that has to come from the racket — which the receiver can watch.
The hidden serve is the rule most often broken at club level. If your opponent cannot see the ball at the moment of contact, the serve is illegal regardless of how good it looked.
Service faults and lets
An illegal serve is a fault: the point goes to your opponent immediately. There is no second serve in table tennis — unlike tennis, one attempt is all you get.
The exception is a let. If the served ball clips the net and still lands legally in the receiver's court, the serve is replayed with no penalty and no change to the score. There is no limit on how many lets can happen in a row.
Where the serve may land
In singles, a serve may land anywhere on the opponent's half of the table. There is no service box and no diagonal requirement — the whole half is fair game, and short serves near the net are as legal as deep ones.
Doubles is the exception: the serve must travel diagonally, from the server's right half-court into the receiver's right half-court. That is what the white centre line down the middle of the table is for.
Serving order
Each player serves twice, then service passes to the opponent. At 10–10, service changes after every point for the rest of the game. Whoever served first in one game receives first in the next.
Frequently asked questions
How high do you have to throw the ball when serving?
At least 16 cm — about the height of the net — thrown near-vertically upward from a flat open palm, without spin.
Do you get a second serve in table tennis?
No. Unlike tennis, there is no second serve. An illegal or missed serve is a fault and the point goes to your opponent.
Does the serve have to be diagonal in ping pong?
Only in doubles, where the serve must go from the server's right half-court to the receiver's right half-court. In singles the serve may land anywhere on the opponent's side.
What happens if the serve hits the net?
If it still lands legally on the receiver's side it is a let — the serve is replayed with no change to the score. If it hits the net and fails to land legally, it is a fault and the point is lost.
Can you hide the ball when you serve?
No. The ball must be visible to the receiver from the moment it leaves your palm until it is struck. Screening it with your body or free arm makes the serve illegal.
Now find a table
Thousands of public ping pong tables are mapped on League of Spin — outdoor tables, clubs, and bars, with directions and ratings for each one.