Basic Instructions
The basic instructions of SmashPong give you everything you need to start playing this exciting new sport. The full set of rules can be seen in the Official Rules section bellow.
- To play you need 2 teams of 2 players per team.
- Serve the ball onto your opponents’ side of the table just like regular ping pong.
- Each team has 3 hits (ball striking paddle or hand) and 3 bounces (ball striking table or ground) to get the ball back onto your opponents' side of the table.
- A player cannot hit the ball twice in a row.
- The team that wins a point serves the next point.
- One point is awarded when the opposing team fails to get the ball back onto your side of the table during their possession.
- Play to 21 point. Win by 2 points.
- Switch sides when the combined score adds up to 20.
Official Rules
Bounces |
B.1 – 3 bounces allowed per team during a teams possession.
B.2 – A Bounce is counted when the ball in play hits the surface (area of the table facing the sky) of the playing table or the ground (surface level where the legs of the table rest) B.3 – Bounces off a persons head, the Saturn Rp700, or any other object that is not the table or the ground do not count as a bounce. |
Hits
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H.1 – 3 hits are allowed per team per possession
H.2 – A hit is counted when the ball in play strikes a paddle or the hand. Hand calls are made by the offensive player doing the hitting and no question shall be made on his judgment. H.3 – Exception – Blocks (see rule 6). H.4 – No single player can engage in consecutive hits. H.5 – No other body part counts as a hit besides the hand from the base of the palm up. |
Serves |
SE.1 – The team who thinks they are the better team, or the team who won the last game in the set will serve the first point. If neither of these methods does not produces a clear first serve team the team whose player has the largest biceps (measured in circumference) will serve the first point.
SE.2 – After the first game, the team that won the previous game in the set will serve the first point. SE.3 – The team that wins each point will serve the next point. SE.4 – Serves must strike the servers side of the table, cross over the net and hit the receiving teams side of the table for a serve to be valid. SE.5 – Servers can be performed by either teammate on the serving team with no rule about alternating serves between players of the same team. |
Change of Possession |
CP.1 – A change of possession occurs when the offensive team hits the ball and said ball crosses over the plain of the net from the offensive side to the defensive side of the table and (a) strikes the table on the defending side (b) is blocked (See rule – Blocks).
CP.1.a – The plane of the net extends beyond the table surface in both directions infinitely. So even if the ball is off to the side, the offensive team can hit the ball diagonally onto the other team’s table to change possession, even though the ball does not go over the physical part of the net on the table. CP.1.b – There is no penalty for a player’s body or paddle crossing to the other team’s side of the table, so long as there is no hindering of the offensive team’s ability to play the ball. CP.2 – If at any time the defensive team hits the ball that team automatically takes possession and becomes the offensive team. |
Scoring
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S.1 – A point is scored when the offensive team fails to change the possession to the defensive team (see rule: Changing of Possession) within the allotted 3 bounces and 3 hits.
S.2 – Rally scoring is used where every play results in a point. S.3 – Official match and league play games are played to 21 points. S.4 – 11 point games are allowed to be played but are for recreational purposes only and will not count towards a teams ranking or game stats. S.5 – When the score of team A + the score of team B = 20 , teams switch sides (10 for 11 point games). S.6 – Hitting, kicking, or damaging the net is an automatic point for the opposite team. S.7 – Before hitting the opponents side of the table, the pong ball must cross over the imaginary Y- plane of the Net. The plane extends infinitely in all directions. S.8 – If the ball goes on a roof or over a fence while switching possessions, it is a mandatory redo. S.9 – A player can prematurely take possession on the pong ball before it hits his side of the table by hitting the ball intentionally – IE. Nick’s tomahawk Blocks change possession. S.9.a – A player can only take possession prematurely if the ball is on the player’s side of the table. A player cannot cross to the opponent’s side of the table to prematurely take possession. S.10 – Club rules allow change of possession after ball crosses and hits either an opponents paddle, body, or table. |
Stalls
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ST.1 – A stall occurs when the ball in play comes to rest on a surface that is not the ground or table and in turn does not expend all of the allowed bounces.
ST.2 – Stalls are resolved by the “Ball on paddle” rule (see rule Ball on Paddle). ST.3 – Stalls cannot be intentionally created with cloths on the players immediate person, hats, or any other planned method. ST.4 – A stalled ball cannot be moved from one location to another while in the stalled position. This action is know as a carry and the ball will be returned to the location of the original stall if a carry is called. |
Blocks |
BL.1 – A block is counted when a hard driven ball, that has a high likely hood of hitting the table, is hit from the offensive side of the table to the defensive side of the table and hits the paddle or body of the defensive player before it touches the table.
BL.2 – A block is only counted if the ball is driven into said block. BL.3 – A block constitutes a change of possession. BL.4 – A block does not count as a hit even if the ball in play strikes the paddle. BL.5 – When a block occurs there is usually jeering and taunting that takes place form the defensive team. BL.6 – When a block occurs the same player that blocked the ball can hit the ball in play directly after the block since the block did not count as a hit. BL.7 – Blocking paddles and hands cannot extend beyond the plan of the net from the defensive side to the offensive side. This action will result in a loss of point for the defensive team and usually an argument. BL.8 – Blocking violations can be called by the offensive team. BL.9 – Instant replay is allowed in the case of blocking disputes. |
Ball On Paddle |
BP.1 - The ball must be placed on the surface of one or both of the paddles within 1 foot of the stalled ball and "flung" back into play.
BP.2 - The ball cannot bounce off the "flinging" player’s paddle, if so a "fling" did not occur and the "flinging" team will lose the point. BP.3- A one hit, one bounce penalty is incurred if a team uses the "Ball on Paddle" play. Example - Ball bounces once off the table and stalls in Kris's musty, discarded shirt. The offensive team opts for the "Ball on Paddle" with one bounce already on the table, after the penalty is incurred they will only have 1 bounce and 2 hits after "flinging" the ball back into play. BP.4 - If a ball stalls after your third bounce or third hit, the point is automatically awarded to the defensive team due to the penalty incurred. |
Due Diligence |
DD.1 - The defensive team will exercise due diligence in allowing the game to play on by moving out of the way of an offensive player who is trying to keep a ball in play, no matter where the ball is on the court.
DD.2 - A hindrance call can be called if the offensive team feels the defensive team did not exercise due diligence in letting the game play on. **Warning** If this rule is abused, the abusing team will go up for review and possible penalties by the WSPA and no one will want to play with you. |
Other |
O.1 - A maximum of two instruments (paddles or shields) may be used per player.
O.2 - A video camera may be used at the net to review challenges as to whether the ball crossed the net before it was hit by a player, or other plays authorized for official review. |
