30 Must-Know Table Tennis Terms, Phrases and Slang

63 table tennis terms explained, from loop, chop and pips to penhold, edge ball and the expedite rule, plus the slang players use.

Almost all table tennis terminology describes one of two things: what the ball is doing and what the rubber did to it. Learn the spin words and the stroke words and the rest follows. The words related to table tennis below cover strokes, spin, equipment and scoring, and the words associated with ping pong in a basement or a club hall are in there too, since the two vocabularies overlap almost completely. Look anything up in the table tennis glossary further down.

New to the game? Our guide to table tennis rules explains how a game works from start to finish, which makes most of the terms below fall into place.

👉 Think you know table tennis? Test yourself with our Table Tennis Quiz.

Must-Know Table Tennis Terms, Phrases and Slang:

1. Backspin
2. Block
3. Chop
4. Dead ball
5. Drive
6. Edge ball
7. Forehand
8. Let
9. Loop
10. Match Point
11. Penhold
12. Pips
13. Push
14. Rally
15. Receive
16. Serve
17. Set
18. Smash
19. Spin
20. Topspin
21. Expedite rule
22. Volley
23. Warning
24. Shakehand
25. Anti-spin
26. Ball placement
27. Game point
28. Long pips
29. Rubber
30. Skunk

Table Tennis Glossary: Every Term A to Z

Terms A to E

Term	What It Means
Anti-spin	A rubber that returns almost no spin, used to blunt an opponent’s topspin or backspin.
Backspin	Spin that rotates the ball backward, so it slows, stays low and drops off an opponent’s bat.
Ball Placement	Where you put the ball on the opponent’s side. Often worth more than sheer speed.
Banana flick	A backhand flick over the table with sidespin, also called a chiquita.
Bat	The British name for the racket. Americans usually say paddle, the rules say racket.
Blade	The wooden body of the racket, before the rubbers are glued on.
Block	A short, firm return that uses the opponent’s own pace against them.
Chop	A heavy backspin defensive stroke played from well back from the table.
Chopper	A defensive player who chops from far behind the table.
Counterloop	A loop played against an opponent’s loop.
Crossover	The point near the playing elbow where a player must choose between forehand and backhand.
Dead Ball	A ball with almost no spin, tricky precisely because it does nothing the receiver expects.
Deuce	Ten points all, from which the game must be won by two clear points.
Drive	A flat, fast attacking stroke driven low over the net.
Edge Ball	A ball clipping the edge of the table. It counts, and it is usually unreturnable.
Expedite Rule	A rule that speeds up long defensive games by limiting the server to thirteen returns before losing the point.

Terms F to P

Term	What It Means
Flick	A short, wristy attacking return of a short ball over the table.
Footwork	Moving the feet to get behind the ball. The part of the sport spectators notice last.
Forehand	A stroke played on the same side of the body as the racket hand.
Game Point	One point from winning the current game.
Hidden serve	An illegal serve in which the ball is hidden from the receiver by the body or arm.
Inverted rubber	A smooth rubber with the pips facing inward, the most common type.
ITTF	The International Table Tennis Federation, which writes the rules of the sport.
Kill	A shot hit to end the rally outright, often used interchangeably with smash.
Let	A rally replayed without a point being awarded, for example when a serve clips the net and still lands correctly.
Lob	A high defensive return played from far back, usually with heavy topspin.
Long Pips	Rubber with long, widely spaced pimples that returns spin unpredictably.
Loop	The main attacking stroke: heavy topspin brushed onto the ball so it arcs over the net and dives.
Match Point	One point from winning the whole match.
Net	The barrier across the middle of the table, and the call when a serve clips it.
Obstruction	Hitting the ball before it has bounced on your side of the table.
Pendulum serve	A forehand serve with a swinging motion that creates side and backspin.
Penhold	A grip in which the handle is held between thumb and index finger, as you would hold a pen.
Ping Pong	The everyday name for the sport. Ping-Pong began as a trademark, which is why the governing bodies say table tennis.
Pips	The rubber pimples on the playing surface. Pips-in faces smooth side out, pips-out faces the pimples out.
Pips-out	Rubber mounted with the pimples facing outward, which returns less spin and speeds the ball up.
Push	A short backspin stroke played close to the table, usually to keep a serve from being attacked.

Terms R to S

Term	What It Means
Racket	The official name for the bat or paddle: a blade with rubber on one or both sides.
Rally	The exchange of shots from serve until a point ends.
Receive	The return of the opponent’s serve, and the skill of reading their spin in time.
Reverse pendulum	A forehand serve that creates sidespin in the opposite direction to the pendulum.
Rubber	The sheet glued to each side of the blade. It decides most of the speed, spin and control.
Rubber Sandwich	Rubber built as a top sheet over a sponge layer, the standard construction for attacking play.
Serve	The stroke that opens each point, bouncing once on the server’s side and once on the receiver’s.
Serve Toss	The upward throw of the ball that must start every legal serve, at least sixteen centimetres.
Set	A game within the match, played to eleven points and won by two clear points.
Shakehand	The grip in which the handle is held as if shaking hands. The most common grip worldwide.
Short pips	A rubber with short pips facing out, for fast, flat hitting.
Sidespin	Spin around the vertical axis, which makes the ball curve sideways in the air and off the bat.
Skunk	An informal rule ending a game early when one player leads by a set margin, often seven to nothing. Not used in official play.
Smash	The finishing shot, hit hard and downward on a ball that has come up too high.
Speed glue	Glue that made rubbers faster and bouncier, banned in 2008.
Spin	The rotation put on the ball. The single biggest factor in how it flies and bounces.
Sponge	The layer of foam under the top sheet of a rubber.

Terms T to W

Term	What It Means
Table	The playing surface itself, two and a half metres long and divided by the net.
Third ball attack	Attacking the first return after your own serve.
Tomahawk serve	A forehand serve with the bat held upright, creating sidespin.
Topspin	Forward rotation, which makes the ball dip sharply and kick forward off the table.
Twiddle	Turning the bat in the hand to switch rubbers during a rally.
Two-winged looper	A player who loops from both the forehand and backhand side.
Undercut	Another name for backspin, from the slicing motion under the ball that produces it.
Volley	Hitting the ball before it bounces. Illegal in table tennis, and the point goes to the opponent.
Warning	A yellow card from the umpire for an illegal serve, delay or misconduct.

What Is It Called When…? Table Tennis Terms by Situation

Know what happened but not the word for it? Find the situation on the left and the table tennis term on the right.

When…	It Is Called
The ball clips the top of the table edge	Edge ball
The serve touches the net and lands in	Let
The score is 10-10	Deuce
You hit the ball before it bounces on your side	Obstruction
You return a loop with a short, still bat	Block
You return backspin with backspin close to the table	Push
You cut down under the ball far from the table	Chop
You brush up the ball with heavy topspin	Loop
You hit a high ball as hard as you can	Smash
You hold the bat like a pen	Penhold
You hold the bat like shaking hands	Shakehand
You turn the bat in your hand mid rally	Twiddle
You attack the first return after your serve	Third ball attack
You flick a short ball with sidespin on the backhand	Banana flick
A long defensive game goes over ten minutes	Expedite rule
You win a game 11-0 or 7-0 in casual play	Skunk
The umpire shows a yellow card	Warning
The ball comes back with no spin at all	Dead ball

#1 Backspin

Spin that makes the ball rotate backward, against its direction of travel, created by brushing under the ball. Backspin balls float, stay low and pull down into the net if they are returned flat. Pushes, chops and many serves carry heavy backspin.

In a sentence: “That serve had so much backspin it came back toward the net.”

#2 Block

A short, compact return against an attacking shot, using the opponent’s speed instead of a full swing. The bat is held still and angled to control the ball. Blocking close to the table is the main defense against loops.

In a sentence: “She just blocked everything back and waited for his mistake.”

#3 Chop

A defensive stroke played away from the table, cutting down under the ball to send it back with heavy backspin. Choppers stand several meters back and wait for the attacker to make a mistake. Modern defenders mix chops with sudden attacks.

In a sentence: “Classic chopper, five meters back and chopping every loop.”

#4 Dead ball

A ball with little or no spin. Some players hit dead balls on purpose with a motion that looks like spin, so the opponent reacts to spin that is not there. Long pips and anti-spin rubbers make returns that are often close to dead.

In a sentence: “He disguised a dead ball as a backspin serve and she popped it up.”

#5 Drive

A fast, fairly flat attacking stroke with light topspin, played close to the table. The drive is the first attacking stroke most players learn, usually forehand to forehand, before moving on to the loop.

In a sentence: “Ten minutes of forehand drives to warm up.”

#6 Edge ball

A ball that clips the top edge of the opponent’s side of the table. It counts as a good return, and the player who hit it usually raises a hand to apologize because it is pure luck. A ball that hits the side of the table below the top edge is out.

In a sentence: “Edge ball at 10-9, sorry about that one.”

#7 Forehand

A stroke played on the side of the playing hand, so on the right for right-handers. The forehand usually has the bigger swing and generates the most power. Modern players often step around the backhand corner to play a forehand.

In a sentence: “Step around and use the forehand when you can.”

#8 Let

A rally that is replayed without a point being scored. The most common let is a serve that touches the net and still lands in the correct half. Play is also stopped for a let if a ball from another table rolls in.

In a sentence: “Let, the serve clipped the net, play it again.”

#9 Loop

An attacking stroke with heavy topspin, brushing up the back of the ball with a fast, upward swing. The ball arcs high over the net and then dips down sharply and kicks off the table. Loops against backspin and counterloops far from the table define the modern game.

In a sentence: “He opened with a slow loop and then smashed the next ball.”

#10 Match Point

The situation in which a player needs one more point to win the match. Matches are usually best of five or best of seven games to 11. Saving several match points and coming back is one of the great moments in the sport.

In a sentence: “Match point, 10-8 in the fifth.”

#11 Penhold

A grip in which the bat is held like a pen, with the thumb and index finger in front and the other fingers behind the blade. Traditional penholders only use one side of the bat, and the reverse penhold backhand let modern players use both. The grip is common in China, Japan and Korea.

In a sentence: “Ma Lin won with a penhold grip and a brilliant serve.”

#12 Pips

The small rubber pimples on a table tennis rubber. Pips-in rubbers have them facing inward and a smooth surface for spin. Short pips-out give a fast, flat hit, and long pips return the opponent’s spin in an unpredictable way.

In a sentence: “Careful, he has long pips on the backhand.”

#13 Push

A short, controlled backspin return against backspin, played with an open bat close to the table. Pushing keeps the ball low and stops the opponent from attacking. Long pushes deep to the baseline and short pushes that bounce twice are both used.

In a sentence: “Keep the push short so he can’t loop it.”

#14 Rally

A sequence of shots from the serve until a point is won. Most professional rallies last only a few shots, which is why serve and receive are so important. Long rallies between attackers and defenders are rare and loved by spectators.

In a sentence: “What a rally, both of them back off the table.”

#15 Receive

The return of the opponent’s serve. A good receive reads the spin and either attacks or keeps the ball short and low. Many points are won or lost right here.

In a sentence: “His receive is weak, serve short to his forehand.”

#16 Serve

The stroke that starts each point. The ball is tossed at least 16 cm up from an open palm and must bounce once on the server’s side and then on the receiver’s side. Players serve two points each in turn, and one point each from 10-10.

In a sentence: “Toss it higher, the serve has to go at least 16 centimeters up.”

#17 Set

A single game within a match, officially called a game. A game is played to 11 points, and the winner must be two points ahead, so it can go on to 12-10, 13-11 and beyond. Before 2001 games were played to 21.

In a sentence: “She took the first set 11-7.”

#18 Smash

A hard, flat kill shot against a high ball, played to end the point. Players smash lobs and high balls that sit up over the net. A good defender can still return a smash from far back with a lob.

In a sentence: “That ball sat up and she smashed it away.”

#19 Spin

The rotation of the ball, which changes how it flies, bounces and comes off the opponent’s bat. The main kinds are topspin, backspin and sidespin, usually combined. Reading spin from the opponent’s bat angle is the hardest skill in the sport.

In a sentence: “You can’t read the spin, so you keep putting it in the net.”

#20 Topspin

Spin that makes the ball rotate forward in the direction of travel, created by brushing up the back of the ball. Topspin makes the ball dip and then jump forward off the table. Loops carry the most topspin.

In a sentence: “Close the bat against topspin or it flies long.”

#21 Expedite rule

A rule against endless defensive rallies. If a game lasts 10 minutes and both players have not reached at least 9 points, the umpire brings it in. Players then serve one point each in turn, and the receiver wins the point after 13 good returns.

In a sentence: “Two choppers, so the expedite rule came in during the second game.”

#22 Volley

Hitting the ball before it bounces on your side of the table. In table tennis this is called an obstruction, and the player who does it loses the point if the ball was above or moving toward the playing surface. Casual players often call it a volley.

In a sentence: “You can’t volley in table tennis, that’s an obstruction.”

#23 Warning

The first sanction from the umpire for misconduct or an illegal serve, shown as a yellow card. Further offenses cost a point and then two points, shown with yellow and red cards. Shouting, throwing the bat or slow play can all draw a warning.

In a sentence: “The umpire gave him a warning for his serve toss.”

#24 Shakehand

The most common grip, holding the bat as if shaking hands, with the index finger along the rubber on one side and the thumb on the other. It gives a strong backhand on both wings. Nearly all European players and most of the world’s top players use it.

In a sentence: “Use the shakehand grip, it’s easier to learn both sides.”

#25 Anti-spin

A slick, low-friction rubber that ignores most of the incoming spin and returns the ball with very little. Defenders use it on one side to confuse attackers. Players twiddle the bat to switch between anti and a normal rubber.

In a sentence: “He twiddled to the anti-spin and the ball died in the net.”

#26 Ball placement

Choosing where the ball lands on the opponent’s side. The main targets are the two wide corners and the crossover point, the spot near the opponent’s playing elbow where they must choose between forehand and backhand.

In a sentence: “Great ball placement, right into the crossover.”

#27 Game point

The situation in which a player needs one more point to win the game, for example at 10-8. At 10-10 the game goes to deuce and must be won by two clear points.

In a sentence: “Game point, and he saves it with an edge ball.”

#28 Long pips

A rubber with long, thin pimples that bend on contact. Long pips return the opponent’s spin in a confusing way, so a topspin can come back as backspin. Defenders and older club players often use them on the backhand.

In a sentence: “Against long pips your own topspin comes back as backspin.”

#29 Rubber

The rubber sheet glued to each side of the blade, made of a top sheet and a sponge underneath. Rubbers decide speed, spin and control. Under ITTF rules one side must be black and the other a clearly different color, traditionally red.

In a sentence: “Time to change the rubber, it’s lost all its grip.”

#30 Skunk

An informal house rule in which a game ends early if one player leads 7-0 or 11-0, depending on where it is played. It has no place in official rules and is mostly heard in basements, offices and bars.

In a sentence: “Seven to nothing, that’s a skunk.”

Table Tennis Slang Players and Fans Actually Use

Slang	What It Means
Ping pong	The everyday name for the sport, from the sound of the ball. It began as a trademark and is still used for casual play.
Paddle	The everyday American word for the bat, which players and the rules call a racket.
Chiquita	A banana-shaped backhand flick with sidespin, named after the banana brand.
Pips	Used for any pimpled rubber, and for the player using it, as in “he plays pips”.
Junk rubber	Long pips or anti-spin, rubbers that confuse opponents more than they win points on their own.
Chopper	A defensive player who chops from far behind the table.
Twiddler	A player who constantly turns the bat to switch between two different rubbers.
Skunk	Winning a casual game 7-0 or 11-0.
Net ball	A rally ball that clips the net and drops over, which players apologize for.
Lollipop	A high, easy ball that is begging to be smashed.
Cho	The shout many players make after winning a point, popularized by Japanese players such as Jun Mizutani.

Table Tennis Expressions and Sayings in Everyday English

• Ping-pong diplomacy: The 1971 exchange of table tennis players between the United States and China that opened the way to Nixon’s visit to Beijing. Now used for any thaw through informal contacts.
• Ping-pong back and forth: Used for any discussion or argument that goes back and forth quickly, like a rally.
• Ball is in your court: It is your move. A tennis phrase that table tennis players use as well.
• Sorry, edge: The polite apology after winning a point on a lucky edge or net ball, expected at every level of the game.

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