Part #:11101 - JOOLA Infinity Instruction Manual

RULES OF THE GAME
Terms and Definitions:
• Rally - the period during which the ball is in play.
• In play - once the ball is intentionally projected in service.
• Let - a rally, the result of which is not scored.
• Point - a rally, the result of which is scored.
• Racket hand - the hand holding the racket.
• Strike - to touch the ball with the racket while carried in the racket
hand, or with the racket hand below the wrist.
• Server - the player required to strike the ball first in a rally.
• Around the net - under or around the projection of the net and its
supports outside the table, but not between the end of the net and
post.
• Server's right hand court - the part of the playing surface nearest the
server and to his right of the center line.
• Server's left hand court - the part of the playing surface nearest the
server and to his left of the center line.
• Receiver's right hand court - the part of the playing surface on the
other side of the net from the server and to his left of the center line.
• Obstruction – if the player himself or anything he wears or carries,
touches the ball during a point, before it touches the player's court
since last being struck by the opponent.
The Choice of Sides and Service:
The choice of sides and the right to serve or receive first in a match shall be
decided by a toss. The winner of the toss may:
• Choose to serve or receive first, and then the loser has the choice
of sides.
• Choose a side, and then the loser has the choice to serve or receive
first.
• Require the loser to make first choice.
In doubles: The pair having the right to serve first in any game decides
which partner will do so. In the first game of a match, the opposing pair then
decides which partner will receive first. In subsequent games of a match, the
serving pair chooses their first server and the first receiver then is estab-
lished automatically to correspond to the first server.
Order of Play:
• In singles: The server first makes a good service and then the
receiver makes a good return. Thereafter, server and receiver alter-
nate making good returns.
• In doubles: The server first makes a good service and the receiver
returns the ball. Then the partner of the server makes a good re-
turn, followed by the partner of the receiver returning the ball. This
process is repeated until the point is over.
Changing of Sides:
The players (or pairs, if in doubles), alternate sides after each game until the
end of the match. In the last possible game of a match, the players or pairs
change sides when the first player or pair scores five points.
Changing of Service:
• In singles: After two points, the receiver becomes the server and so
on, until the end of the game or the score 10-10. From the score of
10-10, also known as 'deuce,' each player delivers only one service
in turn until one players leads by two and ends the game.
• In doubles:
• The first two services are delivered by the selected partner of
the pair who has the right to serve and are received by the ap-
propriate partner of the opposing pair.
• The second two services are delivered by the receiver of the
first two services and are received by the partner of the first
server.
• The third two services are delivered by the partner of the first
server and are received by the partner of the first receiver.
• The fourth two services are delivered by the partner of the first
receiver and are received by the first server.
• The fifth two services are delivered and received as the first
two, and so on until the end of the game, or the score 10-10.
• From the score 10-10 the sequence of serving and receiving are
the same, but each player delivers only one service in turn until
one player leads by two and ends the game.
• The player or pair who served first in a game receives first in
the next game and so on, until the end of the match. In the last
possible game of a doubles match, the receiving pair changes
the order of receiving when either pair first reaches the score
of five. In each game of a doubles match, the initial order of
receiving is opposite to that in the immediately preceding game.
Service:
Service begins with the ball resting on the palm of the free hand, which must
be open and flat. The server then tosses the ball upwards (6 inches) and
strikes it before the ball touches anything else. At the moment of impact
of the racket on the ball, the ball must be behind the end of the line of the
server's court or any imaginary extension thereof and above the level of the
playing surface. The ball must make contact with the server's side of the
table before hitting the opponent's side. Up until the ball is struck, the ball
must be above the level of the playing surface and behind the server's end
line, and it cannot be hidden from the receiver.
• In singles: After striking it, the ball must first touch the server's own
court and pass directly over the net or around the net assembly,
then touching the receiver's court.
• In doubles: The ball must first touch the server's right half-court or
center line, pass over the net, and then touch the receiver's right
half-court or center line. If, in attempting to serve, a player fails to
strike the ball while it is in play, the other team wins a point.
Return:
The ball, having been served or returned, must be struck so that it passes
over or around the net assembly and touches the opponent's court, either
directly or after touching the net assembly.
Serving or Receiving Out of Order:
• If, by mistake, the players neglect to change ends when required,
play is interrupted as soon as the error is discovered and the players
change ends. If a game has been completed since the error, the
error is ignored.
• If, by mistake, a player serves or receives out of turn, play is inter-
rupted and continues with that player serving or receiving who, ac-
cording to the sequence established at the beginning of the match,
should be server or receiver respectively at the score that has been
reached.
Ball is In-Play Until:
The ball is in play from the last moment at which it is stationary on the palm
of the server's free hand before being projected in service until:
• A point is scored.
• It touches the same side of the court twice, consecutively.
• It has been volleyed.
• It touches a player, or anything he wears or carries, other than his
racket or his racket hand below the wrist.
• It is struck by a player, more than once, consecutively.
• It is struck, in doubles, by a player out of sequence, except where
there has been a genuine error in player order.
A ball, which strikes the top edge of the table, is still in play. A ball that
strikes the side of the table below the edge, is out of play, so the play and the
point are counted against the last striker.
Let:
The rally is a let:
• If the ball is served, and in passing over or around the net,
it touches the net or its supports, provided the service is
otherwise good or the ball is obstructed by the receiver or his
partner.
• If a service is delivered when the receiver or his partner is not
ready. However, a player may not be considered unready if he
or his partner attempts to strike the ball.
• If owing to an accident outside his control, a player fails to
make a good service or a good return or otherwise violates a
rule.
• If it is interrupted for correction of an error in playing order.
Loss of a Point:
Unless the rally is a let, a player loses a point:
• If he fails to make a good serve.
• If he fails to make a good return.
• If he volleys the ball.
• If he strikes the ball with the side of the racket blade which has an
illegal surface.
• If he, or anything he wears or carries, moves the playing surface
while the ball is in play.
• If he, or anything he wears or carries, touches the ball in play before
it has passed over the end line or side line, not yet having touched
the playing surface on his side of the net since being struck by his
opponent.
• If his free hand touches the playing surface while the ball is in play.
• If he, or anything he wears or carries, touches the net or its supports
while the ball is in play.
• If, in doubles, he strikes the ball out of proper sequence.
Official Game Rules:
A game is won by the player (or pair, if in doubles) first scoring 11 points,
unless both players (or pairs) score 10 points. Then, the game is won by the
first player or pair that subsequently gains a lead of two points.
Playing a Match:
A match consists of the best of any odd number of games (usually five or
seven).