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How to keep score in table tennis This applies to 11 Game Matches. Most experienced players can keep score & remember the serving order without much thinking but this webpage is for the less experienced. Described below is the best way that I can think of as to how you remember as to which player or team should be serving at any given point in the match. The key thing to remember is who started serving in the beginning of a match & subsequent games. Most of the problems for inexperienced players comes from not remembering this. That player or (doubles) team who served in the beginning of a match will be serving in the beginning of odd numbered games such as Games 3, 5 & 7. That said, you can easily remember who should be serving at any given points in a match, by using the total points scored in the game up to that point. Player A is playing B. Let us say player A started to serve 0-0 in game 1. If you take the point total & divide it by 2 and get an even number (0 or 2 or 4 or 6 or 8 or 10), then player A should be serving at that point. If the division of point totals by 2 results in an odd number (1 or 3 or 5 or 7 or 9) then player B should be serving at that point. Examples: Score is 3-7. Point total is 10. Dividing by 2 you get 5, which is an odd number. Player B should be serving. Score is 8-4. Point total is 12. Dividing by 2 results in 6, which is an even number. Player A should be serving. Of course, if you are an experienced player you do not have to perform these seemingly ridiculous calculations in the middle of a match especially if a player does not even understand what an odd number is or an even number is LOL. Above method applies only up to the point total of 20 (Deuce). After that, it gets somewhat easier, since serve alternates every point instead of every two points. If the score is deuce (that is, same, such as 11-11 or 14-14 etc), player A serves. If the score is off by one point, with either player leading by one (such as 12-13 or 14-13) then player B serves. What if the score is 4-7 or 8-5 instead. This is where lot of confusion comes for inexperienced players. If the point total is an odd number, the server does not switch. If the score is 4-7 or 8-5, decide who should be serving at score 3-7 or 8-4 and that player gets to serve one more time. Of course this does not apply if the score has reached deuce. If the expedite rule has been enforced at any score in a game, the servers afterward will alternate every point regardless of the score, for the rest of the match. Quite a few players have no clue as to what the expedite rule in table tennis is, given the nature of the current status of the sport, which can be mostly described as third ball & fifth ball high speed comedy of errors for matches at all levels. Player A will be on the same end for odd numbered games (1 or 3 or 5 or 7) and be on opposite end for even numbered games (2, 4 & 6). Player B is opposite. Most amateur level matches are either best 3 out of 5 games but sometimes best 2 out of 3 games. But 2 out of 3 games must be avoided unless there is a severe time constraint. Most pro level singles matches are best 4 out of 7 games in higher rated events but can be best 3 out of 5 games in early qualifying matches. All doubles & mixed doubles matches even at pro levels are best 3 out of 5 games. They should at least be having the finals with 4 out of 7 games but not sure why they don’t. Things to remember while keeping score in games: 3. In singles or doubles, if an error in score is discovered at some point, you do not go back to the point at which error occurred. Current score stays. And the server would be the person who should be serving when the score is as shown at that point. 4. In doubles only, if an order of serving & receiving players is discovered, the order will be what the serve & receive order of players should be at that particular point. Also keep in mind that if you win the (coin) toss, you can choose either to serve or receive. You do NOT have to serve if you win the toss. You can choose to receive. Usually it is better to choose to receive in doubles, as you can choose which partner will receive depending on which of the two opponents is serving first. If you win the toss, you can choose which end you want to start with and in that case your opponents get to choose whether they want to serve or receive first. You don't get to choose both. The choice alternates. On a related note, keep in mind that, if there is a deciding game in match (game 3 or 5 or 7 etc) the following should happen when either player or team reaches a score of 5 first: 1. The players or teams switch ends. 2. In doubles, the server who should be serving at that point stays the same but only the receiver switches in the opposing team & that order continues till the end of the match. During club practice sessions, some clubs use the following convention to make things easier. For example, players closest to the outer wall sides always serve first as opposed to the player closer to the inner barriers. This eliminates the need to remember who started serving first. Many clubs use this convention. After year 2000, 21 point games (with server switching every 5 points) is no longer used except for hardbat events. Hardbat refers to old type rackets. There is a method you can remember scores as well & I will add it later. |