User:Nymets8228

Overview
Pingpolleyball is a four player game that is a combination of ping pong and volleyball. It is played on a ping pong table.

Starting a game
To start the game the two players that are set up in the “back” position will play one point of ping pong with standard ping pong rules. Whoever wins the point gets the option to choose to serve, receive. Most players feel that it is smarter to receive first, this is because you then get to choose who plays back and front for the duration of the game as after the first serve is the only time during the game that the receiving team has an option not to rotate.

Positions
There are six positions that players can start at in the beginning of a pingpolleyball point. Positions A and D are considered the “back” positions, and positions B,C,E, and F are considered “front” positions. The “server” starts at position A or D depending on which side they are on (for now assume position A). Then if all players are right handed, they will usually set up with the servers partner playing at position F, and the returning team at positions D and C. If one player is lefty or a player does not want to play at that exact setup then the returning team will have first choice of how they set up. Once the returning team has chosen what “front” position they will use the servers partner must play from the opposite side “front” position.

Service
In game play, the player serving the ball commences a point. The server is allowed to serve from anywhere as long as their body remains behind the back of the table (may not move over to the side of the table during the serve). The server may reach over the table or serve from any spot on the table that he/she can reach. To serve the ball must remain in the servers palm and then hit by the racket underhand (as one would serve an underhand volleyball serve). In addition, as with the rest of the game, the serve must have an arc and be considered “soft”. The serve is allowed to bounce anywhere on the opposite side of the table and once this happens the serve is considered “good”. The server’s teammate may not touch the ball on the serve and it must bounce first on the other side before it is first hit. When returning the serve after the first bounce either player on the returning team can hit the ball. Only the serving team receives a point for winning the rally, yet they are still considered the defensive side.

Playing the point
During the point teams are allowed three hits per side before the ball has to go over the net and bounce on the opponent’s side of the table. While the rally is undergoing all shots must be hit “softly” and topspin or hitting any balls overhand is illegal. One of the best ways to judge if the ball was hit soft is to make sure that the face of the racket that is hitting the ball is always facing an upwards direction.

While the point is going on players are allowed to move around their side wherever they like include having the “back” player move towards either “front” position, and the “front” player moving to the “back” position or (if can reach there) to the other “front” position. But both players feet must always stay on their side of the table, or in line with the net if it was extended. But their bodies including hands and rackets are allowed on the other side of the table and can hit the ball while it is on the other side. If the player is going to hit the ball while on the other side they have to follow the same rules as if the ball were still on their side (must still be in the air, has to be three or less hits, cannot hit the ball after has bounced on opposing side). In addition, if the player is hitting from the other side the ball may not hit the net on a fly, it must first bounce on the opponents side of the table (so the player may hit it straight down or in any direction as long as it bounces before hitting the net). Player’s are not allowed to hit the ball on the fly.

Scoring
Points are awarded to the opponent for any of several errors in play:

•	Allowing the ball to bounce on one's own side more than once.

•	Double hitting the ball, unless they continued in one motion unchanged by the double hit in which case this is legal.

•	Allowing the ball to strike anything other than the racket (see above for definition of the racket)

•	Causing the ball not to bounce on the opponent's half (i.e., not making a "good" return)

•	Offering and failing to make a good serve (i.e., failing to strike the ball fairly into play)

•	Hitting the net with racket or any body part.

•	By volleying the ball (not allowing the ball to bounce on your side, this rule applies at any time even if the ball looks like it is going out)

•	Hitting the ball more then three times

•	The same player hitting the ball twice in a row

•	Hitting the ball off a wall

•	Hitting the ball off the ceiling to the other side (it is legal to hit the ball off the ceiling on your side and counts as if the ceiling never happened, the ceiling is also legal on the other side if the partner can legally hit it again before it bounces)

•	If one players feet went onto the other side of the table

•	If a player hits the ball “down”

•	If a player hits the ball straight into the net without bouncing (only applies to when players are hitting the ball on the opponents side of the court)

•	If the ball hits your body while you are bending over the table or seem like you stopped a reasonable chance of the ball going in

Alternation of service
If the service team wins the rally they will receive a point and everyone resets to their positions before the point and play another point. If the returning team wins the point then no point is rewarded but they become the service team and must rotate (switch “back” and “front” players).

Games are played until the first team reaches fifteen while winning by fifteen. Usually a match will consist of a best of three format.

Strategy
As noted quickly above, the offensive position is considered the return of serve while the defensive position is considered the serving team. This is because the returning team has the first chance to “use” their partner and therefore gains a huge advantage. The best way to take advantage of having a partner is hitting the ball towards your partner on the other side and then you partner will have many different options to “kill” the ball, primarily by hitting the ball back towards the net making it extremely hard for the serving team to reach the ball. There are many different strategies that can be used in order to try and stop this shot most of which is aimed towards making the opposing “front” player not hit the ball back towards the net and try a harder shot.

Pingpolleyball Terms
Musketeer A musketeer is a shot when a team uses all three shots before hitting the ball successfully over the net. There are many different forms of a musketeer and usually they happen when the first shot is hit defensively and then the second player sets up the original player for an offensive shot.

The bucket The bucket is usually in the shape of a quarter of a circle on the opposite side of the table near the “front” player stretching from about the middle of the net to the middle of the side depending on the size of the “front” player. The “back” usually tries to hit the ball into the bucket because it is the easiest place for the “front” player to kill the ball.

Kill A shot hit by the “front” player that wins the point. It is usually fed from their partner into the bucket and then can be hit a couple different directions to finish the point. Primarily it is hit back towards the net but can also be hit straight across the table, towards either back corner, or just into an opening formed by the opposing team.

Roller When a shot is hit by the “front” player in such a way that the ball then virtually rolls making it almost impossible for the opposing team to hit it.

Point Scoring Position When the serving team feels that they have an advantage by the way that the players are positioned and feels this is the best way to win points.

The bipper Another term for a very good kill.

History
Pingpolleyball has developed a lot since it was first invented. When first invented it was made as a version of ping pong that “bad” ping pong players could play. Points were more based on hitting the ball different amount of times on one side. The kill was not yet invented and the role of the “front” player was extremely minimized. The game was played at a much slower pace and considered much less competitive.

As the game started to develop towards how it is played now there have been many arguments about how to change the rules to keep up with the faster pace of the game. In addition, as some players continue to advance the game is still adapting to keep up with the new way the game is played and how to keep the game fair.