Table Tennis Rule

[kenny1234]

If a player plays the ball back during a rally before it bounces and it was obviously going to go off the end of the table---what is the ruling. Has the player made a foul shot by playing before it bounced (even though it was "seemingly" obvious that the ball would have gone off the table)?

[factor-fiction]

yes

[kenny1234]

Thanks FF

[tamborine]

No, par of the game. Like an own goal.

[BlueToffee]

Yes and no!

[Svejk]

where's Craft?

[Calibax]

According to this site;
www.pingskills.com/PingSkillsTableTennisRules.doc
Can you hit the ball before it bounces on your side of the table?
If the ball is still in play, (over the table) and you hit it on the full you lose the point.
If the ball has gone past the table and you hit it on the full you win the point. The first mistake counts i.e. the ball going out of play on the full.
Either way as soon as someone hits the ball on the full the point stops.

[factor-fiction]

Maybe I'm wrong then but when I used to play in leagues we always tried to pull our bat out of the way if someone hit the ball at our body without the ball hitting the table, because if the ball hit our bat and play didn't continue we lost the point

[New Judge]

I've often played table tennis in the open air on holiday. It was sometimes the case that the ball had passed the edge of the table without hitting it but was then taken back by a gust of wind (sometimes even back over the net). We usually replayed the point!! :-)

[craft1948]

Calibax's reply is quite right. It used to be that even if the ball had gone past the end of the table and you hit it you lost the point...........this changed a few years ago.

[kenny1234]

I take on board all that has been said----but as craft says --if the ball passes the end of the table without touching you dont lose the point if your bat makes contact. However----WHO DECIDES WHETHER THE BALL WOULD HAVE TOUCHED THE END OF THE TABLE WHEN ITS A CLOSE THING??

[Svejk]

craft will know that. i'll direct her back here when I see her.

[kenny1234]

Any luck yet svejk?

[kenny1234]

Are you there craft 1948?

[craft1948]

The umpire........