Yes, in the vast majority of normal ping - pong play, the ball must bounce. Here are the key aspects regarding the bouncing of the ping - pong ball:
1. During the Serve
- Server's Side: When a player serves, the ball must first bounce on the server's half of the table. This is a fundamental rule. If the served ball fails to bounce on the server's side, hits the net and doesn't land on the server's side, or goes out of bounds without hitting the server's side, it is a service fault. For example, if the ball is served and goes straight into the net without bouncing on the server's side, the receiver wins the point.
- Receiver's Side: After bouncing on the server's side, the ball must pass over or around the net and bounce on the receiver's half of the table. If the ball hits the net and then bounces onto the receiver's side, it is a "let" serve (in most cases), and the serve is retaken. If the ball hits the net and fails to land on the receiver's side, it is a fault, and the receiver scores a point.
2. During Rallies
- Alternating Bounces: Once the serve and return of serve have occurred, the ball must continue to bounce alternately on each player's side of the table during the rally. A player must hit the ball after it has bounced on their side and before it bounces a second time. If a player allows the ball to bounce more than once on their side without hitting it, the opponent scores a point. For instance, if the ball bounces on a player's side, and they wait for the second bounce before hitting it, the other player wins the point.
However, there are some rare and specific situations where the ball doesn't need to bounce:
- Out - of - Bounds Judgments: If a ball is clearly going out of bounds and has not bounced on the table, a player may choose not to play it. The umpire will then make a call based on whether the ball was going to land in or out of bounds. If it was going out of bounds, the player who didn't attempt to play it is not penalized, and the point is awarded based on the out - of - bounds rule.
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