Editing Table tennis (section)

== Equipment ==
=== Ball ===
[[File:TT Plastic ball 40+ ITTF V1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Table Tennis Plastic Balls 40+ mm with ITTF approval]]
The international rules specify that the game is played with a sphere having a mass of {{convert|2.7|g}} and a diameter of {{convert|40|mm|2}}.<ref name="ITTF">{{cite web |url=http://www.ittf.com/stories/pictures/T3_40mmBall.pdf |title=ITTF Technical Leaflet T3: The Ball |date=December 2009 |publisher=ITTF |pages=4 |access-date=28 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304120600/http://www.ittf.com/stories/pictures/T3_40mmBall.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2011}}</ref> The rules say that the ball shall bounce up {{convert|24|–|26|cm|abbr=on}} when dropped from a height of {{convert|30.5|cm|abbr=on}} onto a standard steel block thereby having a [[coefficient of restitution]] of 0.89 to 0.92. As of 2015, balls are now made of a polymer instead of [[celluloid]], colored white or orange, with a [[wikt:matte|matte]] finish. The choice of ball color is made according to the table color and its surroundings. For example, a white ball is easier to see on a green or blue table than it is on a grey table. Manufacturers often indicate the quality of the ball with a star rating system, usually from one to three, three being the highest grade. As this system is not standard across manufacturers, the only way a ball may be used in official competition is upon ITTF approval<ref name="ITTF"/> (the ITTF approval can be seen printed on the ball).

The 40&nbsp;mm ball was introduced after the end of the [[Table tennis at the 2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Summer Olympics]]; previously a 38&nbsp;mm ball was standard.<ref name=USATTBall/> This created some controversies. [[Vladimir Samsonov]], the World No. 1 table tennis professional at the time, threatened to pull out of the World Cup, which was scheduled to debut the new regulation ball on 12 October 2000.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/tennis/654102.stm|title=Table tennis gets bigger ball |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=22 July 2019}}</ref>

=== Table ===
[[File:Table Tennis Table Blue.svg|thumb|upright=2|Diagram of a table tennis table showing the official dimensions]]

The table is {{convert|2.74|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|1.525|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} wide, and {{convert|76|cm|ft|1|abbr=on}} high with any continuous material so long as the table yields a uniform bounce of about {{convert|23|cm|abbr=on}} when a standard ball is dropped onto it from a height of {{convert|30|cm|1|abbr=on}}, or about {{percentage|23|30|0}}.<ref name=ITTF2.1>{{Harvnb|International Table Tennis Federation|2011| loc=index 2.1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ITTF Technical Leaflet T1: The Table |url=http://ittf.com/stories/pictures/T1_The_Table_BoD2013.pdf |publisher=ITTF |date=May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131025083208/http://ittf.com/stories/pictures/T1_The_Table_BoD2013.pdf |archive-date=25 October 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The table or playing surface is uniformly dark colored and matte, divided into two halves by a net at {{convert|15.25|cm|1|abbr=on}} in height. The [[International Table Tennis Federation|ITTF]] approves only wooden tables or their derivates. Concrete tables with a steel net or a solid concrete partition are sometimes available in outside public spaces, such as parks.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/nyregion/27critic.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion |title=The Joys of Ping-Pong in the Open |work=The New York Times |date=27 March 2011 |first=Ariel |last=Kaminer |access-date=23 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701051632/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/nyregion/27critic.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion |archive-date=1 July 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Playing area ===
ITTF regulations require a playing space of at least {{convert|14|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} long by {{convert|7|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} wide, and a height clearance of at least {{convert|5|m|ft|1|abbr=on}}.<ref name="handbook">{{cite web |title=Handbook 2021 |url=https://documents.ittf.sport/sites/default/files/public/2021-04/2021ITTFHandbook.pdf |publisher=International Table Tennis Federation |access-date=6 December 2021}}</ref> For wheelchair events, the minimums are {{convert|8|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|6|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} wide.<ref name="handbook" />

=== Racket ===
{{Main|Table tennis racket}}
[[File:ManikaBatra.jpg|thumb|India's [[Manika Batra]] hits the ball. She specialises in playing long-pimples on her backhand, a rubber which is not often played by top players.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.in/commonwealth-games/story/_/id/23077722/the-sleight-backhand-manika-batra-set-india-path-table-tennis-women-team-event-gold |title=Manika's sleight of backhand gives India historic gold |date=8 April 2018 |publisher=ESPN |access-date=24 August 2020 }}</ref>]]

Players are equipped with a laminated wooden racket covered with [[Table tennis rubber|rubber]] on one or two sides depending on the grip of the player. The ITTF uses the term "racket",<ref name="brandingguidelines">[http://www.ittf.com/stories/pictures/2013_ITTF_Branding_Guidelines_v2_0.pdf 2013 ITTF Branding Guidelines] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228142215/http://www.ittf.com/stories/pictures/2013_ITTF_Branding_Guidelines_v2_0.pdf |date=28 December 2013 }} Accessed 24 May 2014.</ref> though "bat" is common in Britain, and "paddle" in the U.S. and Canada.

The wooden portion of the racket, often referred to as the "blade", commonly features anywhere between one and seven plies of wood, though cork, glass fiber, carbon fiber, aluminum fiber, and Kevlar are sometimes used. According to the ITTF regulations, at least 85% of the blade by thickness shall be of natural wood.<ref name=ITTF2.4>{{Harvnb|International Table Tennis Federation|2021|loc=2.4 The Racket}}</ref> Common wood types include [[balsa]], [[Terminalia superba|limba]], [[cypress]], and [[hinoki]], which is popular in Japan. The average size of the blade is about {{convert|17|cm|in}} long and {{convert|15|cm|in}} wide. Although the official restrictions only focus on the flatness and rigidity of the blade itself, these dimensions are optimal for most play styles.

Table tennis regulations allow different [[Table tennis rubber|rubber surfaces]] on each side of the racket.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ittf.com/stories/pictures/T4_RacketCoverings2010.pdf |title=ITTF Technical Leaflet T4: Racket Coverings |date=August 2010 |publisher=ITTF |access-date=29 August 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101214054633/http://www.ittf.com/stories/pictures/T4_RacketCoverings2010.pdf |archive-date=14 December 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Various types of surfaces provide various levels of spin or speed, and in some cases they nullify spin. For example, a player may have a rubber that provides much spin on one side of their racket, and one that provides no spin on the other. By flipping the racket in play, different types of returns are possible. To help a player distinguish between the rubber used by their opposing player, international rules specify that one side must be black while the other side must be a bright color clearly distinguishable from black and from the color of the ball.<ref name=ITTF2.4/> The player has the right to inspect their opponent's racket before a match to see the type of rubber used and what color it is. Despite high-speed play and rapid exchanges, a player can see clearly what side of the racket was used to hit the ball. Current rules state that, unless damaged in play, the racket cannot be exchanged for another racket at any time during a match.<ref name=ITTF3.4.2.4>{{Harvnb|International Table Tennis Federation|2011| loc=index 3.4.2.4}}</ref>