Table Tennis Rules
Any rule and situation not specifically covered are subject to the current version of the International Table
Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) Laws of Table Tennis and the judgement and discretion of the Intramural Sports
staff.
All rules are subject to change at the discretion of the Intramural Sports Office, and the Intramural
Sports Office has the final decision on all situations covered and not covered by the rules. When there is a
conflict between the TN Tech IM Table Tennis Rules and the ITTF Table Tennis Rules, the TN Tech IM
Table Tennis Rules shall take precedence.
Rule 1: Player Eligibility & Registration
Player Eligibility
✓ Currently enrolled (at least half-time), fee-paying Tennessee Tech University students as well as faculty
and staff of the University with a current, active membership to the fitness center may participate in
intramural leagues, tournaments, and contests.
✓ Prior to each contest and event, participants must check in with a member of the IM staff.
✓ Players can compete for only one (1) team in each single-gendered league and, if applicable, one (1)
co-rec league. Once he or she checks-in for one (1) team, that player CANNOT transfer to another team
in that league for the duration of the season.
✓ For postseason eligibility, a player must have participated in at least one (1) regular season game.
✓ Current varsity athletes cannot participate in their sport or related sport. Former varsity athletes cannot
participate in their sport or related sport for one calendar year (365 days) after their official affiliation
with a college or university team has ended.
✓ Current professional athletes cannot participate in their sport or related sport. Former professional
athletes cannot participate in their sport or related sport for five (5) years after their official affiliation
with a professional team has ended.
✓ Intramural Sports Professional staff shall make the final decision on eligibility issues.
Registration
✓ Teams should register by the deadline by registering on FusionIM (recreation.tntech.edu).
Rule 2: League Format & Team Composition
League Format
✓ A pool play section shall precede the postseason tournament. The overall number of registered teams
will determine the number of pools and number of teams in each pool.
✓ Pool standings will determine a team’s eligibility for the postseason tournament. The following criteria
will determine the pool play standings: (1) Number of Wins, (2) Sportsmanship, (3) Head-to-Head
Record, (4) Point Differential, and (5) Coin Toss.
Match Format
✓ Each match shall be best two-out-of-three games.
Leagues
✓ Singles’ Open
o No Gender Restrictions
✓ Doubles’ Open
o No Gender Restrictions
Team Format
✓ For the Doubles’ League, no more than one (1) sport club member may appear on the roster.
Rule 3: Defaults, Forfeits, Grace Periods, & Protests
Defaults
✓ A default is a game not played without penalty (e.g. dropped from the league).
✓ To receive a default, the team captain or representative must notify the Intramural Sports Office by 2:00
PM on the day of the contest.
✓ Sportsmanship Rating will be as followed:
o Winning Team = 8
o Defaulting Team = 5
✓ To verify that the request is legitimate, the team captain or representative must notify the Intramural
Sports Office via e-mail or in person. Phone calls are not accepted.
Forfeits
✓ A forfeit is defined as one (1) of the following:
o Failing to field a team for an intramural contest without contacting the Intramural Sports Office.
▪ The final score shall be 2-0.
o Receiving three (3) or more conduct warnings before, during, and after an Intramural contest.
▪ If the forfeiting team is ahead, the final score shall be 2-0 in favor of the opposing team.
▪ If the non-forfeiting team has the higher score, the game shall end with the existing score.
o Defaulting two (2) games during pool play.
✓ If a team forfeits its first (1
st
) game of the season, that team may be dropped from the league and
replaced with a team on the waiting list.
✓ Forfeits automatically withdraws you from Post-Season play.
✓ Sportsmanship Rating will be as followed:
o Winning Team = 8
o Forfeiting Team = 2
✓ A second (2
nd
) forfeiture may result in removal from the league.
Grace Period
✓ If at least one (1) team member is checked-in at game time, the team will be granted a five-minute
(5:00) grace period.
✓ Once a team reaches the minimum number of players to start the game, the team MUST start when
directed by IM staff.
✓ A team may not wait for additional players once the minimum number of players have arrived.
✓ If the team has NOT reached the minimum number of players required to play at the end of the grace
period, a forfeit WILL be declared.
Protests
✓ Intramural Sports Graduate Assistants and Professional Staff will consider protests.
✓ During the contest, teams may protest (a) the misinterpretation or the misapplication of a rule or (b) a
scoring error. The protest must be submitted immediately, and, if the protest is denied, a timeout will be
charged to the protesting team.
✓ Protests regarding the judgement of the game officials will NOT be recognized.
✓ When protesting player eligibility:
o Regular season: The eligibility of any player MAY be protested at any point during the regular
season (e.g. before, during, and after the contest; anytime during office hours)
o Postseason Tournament: Player eligibility MUST be protested before the start of the contest.
Protests made after the start or end of the game will NOT be recognized
Rule 4: Playing Area & Equipment
Playing Location
✓ All games will be played in the Marc Burnett Student Recreation and Fitness Center.
Paddles & Balls
✓ The teams and players may checkout equipment from the Equipment Room of the Marc Burnett Student
Recreation and Fitness Center.
Clothing & Equipment
✓ All attire and equipment are subject to the approval of Intramural Sports staff. Any clothing or
equipment that is deemed unsafe or illegal must be removed prior to competition.
✓ Proper athletic attire is required. Non-athletic clothing including but not limited to jeans, dress pants,
dresses, khakis, and blouses is PRHIBITED.
Rule 5: Timing & Scoring
Timing
✓ There is no time limit for TN Tech IM Table Tennis matches.
Scoring
✓ Teams and players will score each time either team fails to legally play the ball or commits a violation
(Rally Scoring System)
✓ All games to twenty-one (21) points with a two-point (2pt) advantage.
✓ The game must be won by a two-point (2pt) advantage, but the first (1
st
) team to reach twenty-five (25)
points will be declared the winner if a two-point (2pt) advantage is not gained.
Rule 6: Playing Rules
TN Tech Intramural Table Tennis is self-officiated. Players should review the rules prior to play and honor the
legitimate calls of their opponents. The Intramural Sports Office will settle disagreements that cannot be
resolved in a reasonable time.
Please click the following link to view the official ITTF rules.
Determining the serving order
✓ To determine the serve in the first (1
st
) game of the first (1
st
) set, the sides will volley. Once the ball has
legally crossed the net three (3) times, the ball will be "live."
✓ The person or team who wins the volley has choice of serve/receive or side.
✓ At the end of the first (1
st
) game, the receiver will become the server, and the server will become the
receiver. The third (3
rd
) game will resemble the first (1
st
) game in terms of serving order.
Serving
✓ The service must touch the server’s court first (1
st
), then pass directly over the net, and touch the
opponent’s court.
✓ If the ball hits the net, passes over and lands into the opponent’s court, there will be a re-serve.
o There is only allowed one (1) re-serve per serve.
▪ Opponent will receive point if the ball hits the net, passes over and lands into the
opponent’s court if it happens on the second (2
nd
) serve.
✓ Switching serves
o The players will switch every five (5) serves until a winner is decided.
▪ Exception: when each player has reached twenty points (20), the serve will alternate until
a player wins by two (2) points.
▪ Exception: When a player has reached twenty (20) points, the opponent will serve until
game has ended or when both players reach twenty (20) points.
Switching sides
✓ After each game, the players or teams will switch sides.
Doubles play modifications
1. Serving
a. The pair who has the right to serve will decide which partner will serve first (1
st
). The opposing
pair will then decide who will receive first (1
st
).
2. Alternating shot attempts
a. No player should hit two (2) consecutive shots in doubles play. Partners should alternate shots
during the rally.
Ejections
✓ When one (1) member of a team is ejected, that team shall forfeit the contest.
✓ Ejected players must leave the Fitness Center and/or Intramural Fields immediately and cannot return to
play ANY sport until he/she has been cleared for participation by a professional staff member of the
Intramural Sports Office.
