Draft:Ultimate Ping Pong (Rules)

Ultimate Ping Pong is a fast paced party game similar to regular ping pong with a twist, recommended for 3 to 8 players, however it is entirely possible to play with more depending on available space.

Setup

To play you will need:

1. A table tennis racquet for every player
2. Plenty of extra ping pong balls
3. Standard ping pong table with about 4 foot of room all the way around
4. Standard ping pong table setup on a solid base like cement, basketball court, or tile

Gameplay

Assuming we have 4 players, all players self-assign numbers 1 through 4. Player #1 would serve to Player #2, Player #2 would serve to Player #3, Player #3 would serve to Player #4, and Player #4 would serve to Player #1. Play would continue in that order.

The game starts with a regular ping pong serve (behind one side of the table facing the net) from Player #1 serving to player #2. Here is the twist, Player #2 must allow the ball to land on the floor, letting it bounce only once, then hitting it back ANYWHERE on the top of the table. Player #3 must be ready once the ball lands on the table then rolls off, then after hitting the floor once must hit the ball back on the top of the table for Player #4. Player #4 must wait for the ball to land on the floor then after 1 bounce must return it to the table for Player #1, and so on and so forth. Remember, the ball can land on the table ANYWHERE and land on the ground ANYWHERE to continue play.

Play progresses until a player does one of the following actions:

1. Return ball bounces more than once on the ground during their turn
2. Return volley does not make contact with the top of the table (e.g. net*, or side of the table** or floor)
3. A person obstructs the direct path of the active player going for a play on the ball. If in question, a majority vote of all players will make final determination.

Eliminations

When one of these instances happens above and play is stopped, this is called a 'burn'. A typical game only allows for 5 burns per person, however that can be adjusted based on time limits. Once someone receives 5 burns, that person is eliminated from the rotation and play resumes with the remaining players until the final person with burns remaining is declared the winner. The person who received the burn must resume play, unless they are eliminated. Play is meant to continue even though burns are accumulated. The person that received the burn does not have to wait for the next player in rotation to be ready, they can pick it up and begin play as soon as they want.

When a player is eliminated from rotation, the next person in rotation begins play. This is the only time where play stops until everyone understands their new place in the rotation. It is good practice to recall everyone’s burn count at this time.

When resuming play, you must complete a regular ping pong serve, if you do not complete a regular ping pong serve on the first try, you receive one 'do-over' to complete a regular ping pong serve, if on the 2nd try do not complete a regular ping pong serve, the server will receive a burn. This rule can be adjusted based on the experience of the players, newer players tend to have trouble completing a regular ping pong serve on the first few times if they are new to the game. Whereas the rule prevents veterans from over-exaggerating a difficult serve over and over.

Gameplay Techniques

A few recommended tricks and techniques are as follows:

• The Ball Fan is an inactive player 'blowing' the trajectory of the rolling ball by swinging their paddle in a fan motion to create enough wind speed to move the ball from it's original path without making contact with the ball itself. This technique is useful if you want to push the ball to the opposite side of the table in order to cause the current active player to not return his serve effectively giving them a burn.
• The NATO Lob is a technique in where a player purposely volleys the ball up in the air much higher than usual in such a way that the following active player in the rotation could easily perform an easy kill shot on the ball thus forcing a burn on the next player in the rotation due to the difficulty of returning the volley to the table, an effective NATO ally against the other.
• The Kill Shot is one of the most difficult shots in the game, this technique is performed with the active player positioned behind the table facing the net, like a serve. The player returns the ball during their turn with as much force as possible, but aims for the top of the net, if executed properly, the ball will quickly roll off the net and return back to you and off the table with no chance at all for the next player to return it.

House Rules

Sometimes the venue calls for a slightly different alteration of the rules due to typical space limits such as a garage or carport. If walls or ceilings, or immovable objects are present within the play area, it is up to the host to call rule modifications based on location.

Examples:

1. A bounce off the wall or ceiling can still be in play as long as it follows regular rules such as hitting the table and only bouncing on the floor once per turn. A host can determine if these count as burns or not.
2. Some ground surfaces are uneven and may not allow for a nominal bounce back after hitting the floor. The host can determine if these off nominal bounce count towards a burn or not.
3. A legal but powerful return volley can put a ball in an almost unreturnable location. The host can determine if it is a burn or not.

Team Play

Teams can also be formed in Ultimate Ping Pong. Rules are the same as individual play; however the teams must coordinate the best player to return each volley based on location around the table. If a player from the alternate team fails to return the service, the entire team receives a burn. Team members must alternate services after burns.

Appendix

*Net hit or a net harness hit without hitting the table is not a legal hit, if the ball hits the net then hits the top of the table, that is indeed a legal hit.

** Side of the table shots are only good if the ball bounces UP, meaning it hits the top of the table on the edge. If it hits the side of the table and bounces straight down you know it was not a legal shot.