Top Ways Players Cheat In Table Tennis & How to Handle It

Last Updated on April 24, 2024 by Alex Horscroft

I wouldn’t say cheating in table tennis is a massive issue, but there’s no denying that many players are breaking the rules. Often, this is in the form of the beginners who are oblivious, so we’ll let that slide. Yet it becomes an issue when skilled players knowingly break the rules for a competitive edge.

It’s very poor sportsmanship, but alas, it’s an issue you will undoubtedly face if you play table tennis enough. For this fun article, I’ll be describing the top ways players cheat in ping pong, and also the best method of handling those damn rascals when you catch them in the act!  

The Top 6 Ways Players Cheat in Table Tennis

1. Illegal Serves

Without a shadow of a doubt, the main way players cheat is by performing illegal serves. You’d think that umpire would be quick to call players up on this, but for whatever reason, they are incredibly lax. 

We even see this on the world stage. Numerous top-20 players consistently perform illegal serves yet they are never called up for it. It’s an embarrassment really, and it helps cement the idea that it’s okay to serve illegally, which it is not. 

Of the ways to serve illegally, hiding one’s serve or not throwing it up the required 16 cm are the two most common violations. The former is a nightmare to deal with, and in my opinion, it is one of the most problematic acts of cheating you can face. 

2. Calling the Score Incorrectly

It’s easy to lose track of the score. I do it all the time, and I bet you do too. So most of the time when your opponent calls the score wrong it is likely a genuine mistake. However, there are serial score offenders about who will declare the score wrong multiple times per match to try and claw a point back here and there. I have such a player at my club, and I have to keep my eye on that fella!

3. Not Calling Edge Shots

Sure, the ball hits the edge a lot, but I’m not talking about standard edge shots here. Rather, those edges that are so faint, that the only way you can tell the ball made contact with the table is through the faintest audio cue. 

These are so hard to spot, that sometimes only the player who is right next to the ball can tell. Consequently, this provides a very easy method of cheating. Simply keep quiet and hope nobody noticed it. 

As a side point, when you call these shots, and essentially give your opponent the point (because nobody else saw), you usually receive a lot of praise. It feels pretty awesome to have good sportsmanship. 

4. Claiming an Edge Shot Hit the Side of the Table

Edges are back at it again with more controversy! This time, however, everyone saw the edge, but the cheater claims the ball hit the side of the table rather than the top, making it out.

The issue with such points is that they can be fairly dubious, but more often than not, you can tell whether it’s side or not depending on how the ball bounces off the table and where you hit the ball from.

I was once on the receiving end of this kind of cheating at a national tournament back in university. Despite explaining the ball couldn’t have hit the side of the table based on where I struck it from, the umpire didn’t relent. Probably because he was my opponent’s teammate! I went on to lose the match, and while it didn’t really change the outcome in the grand scheme of things, it left a very sour taste in my mouth.    

5. Not Admitting When the Ball Hits Their Clothing

This one doesn’t come up too often, and it’s pretty easy to miss, nonetheless, you should still be aware of it. As we know, the ball can only contact either your paddle or hand, so if you hit the ball with any other body part or clothing, the ball is dead. 

The area of clothing it sometimes hits is your shirt. This is when a fast ball comes to either your crossover or backhand and you quickly move your body to play a forehand shot. However, in this instance, while your torso clears the ball, your shirt isn’t quite quick enough, and the ball faintly touches your shirt before you strike it. 

Again, this is a violation that is easy to miss, but one you should certainly call. I remember umpiring once for a high-level match and spotting shirt contact. The player was very irritated with my call and refused to shake my hand at the end of the match. Sorry buddy. You got caught!

6. Using Illegal Equipment 

I for one, have never really bothered checking equipment, and even if I did, besides checking for an ITTF logo, there’s not much more I can really do.

While the vast majority of players use legal equipment, some tamper with their rubbers to gain an edge. This could mean making pimple rubbers frictionless or applying a booster to improve speed and spin. 

While boosters are widely debated in the table tennis community, the ITTF rules are pretty clear on the matter. 

“The racket covering shall be used without any physical, chemical, or other treatment.” 

So if you’re using booster, I’ve got news for you, you’re cheating my friend. 

How to Handle Cheaters in Table Tennis

Now that we’ve established some of the table tennis tricks players use to cheat in ping pong. It’s time to come up with some countermeasures. We can’t just let them get away with it!

Step 1) Remain Calm

One of the ways to perform optimally in table tennis is to stay cool and composed. If you get rattled, you’ll tense up and lose your fluidity.

Cheaters want you to lose your composure as they’ll end up winning more points. So before you take any action, have a cool head.

Step 2) Assess the advantage

Next up, you should assess the advantage. How much of an edge does their violation give them? If it’s no advantage or a very small one, it might not even be worth calling out the foul.

Some cheaters take callouts better than others, and it’s hard not to get riled up in the face of confrontation. I find it sometimes can throw me off my game a little even when I try to keep cool. So unless I feel like I’m losing points as a result of the violation, I’ll probably let it slide.

Step 3) Take Firm Action

If you’ve determined that the violation is causing you to lose points, you can’t ignore it. You need to act. Simply inform the player and umpire of the infraction. It may be that the umpire was debating calling the player up on it but was reluctant to do so. As I mentioned, violations go unpunished at the top level of the game, so it’s only natural that the same is true at the local level.

If you don’t have an umpire present. Things can sometimes be a little more difficult as both players have to find common ground. That being said, if you’re accurate in your assessment that they are breaking the rules, they don’t really have a foot to stand on. 

Whenever players hide their serves, I tend to take action pretty promptly. After they’ve hidden it a few times, I’ll let them know when the point has concluded. After that, I’ll simply catch the ball if they serve illegally again. In my experience, they usually serve correctly after that as they’re under pressure to do so. 

Step 4) Honor the Umpire’s Decision… Even If You Don’t Agree With It   

The truth is, decisions won’t always go your way. Sometimes you get a bad or biased umpire, and the reality is you just have to deal with it. Of course, this is very frustrating if your opponent is hiding their serve as it gives them a big advantage.

While you may not like it, the best way to proceed could be to hide your own serve. That way both the opponent and yourself are on even footing, and the umpire can’t in good faith call your serve illegal while allowing the opponent’s serve to go unchecked. 

This actually happened to me once a long time ago. I appealed to the umpire about my opponent serving illegally but for whatever reason they wouldn’t pull him up on it. After losing a series of points, I decided to serve illegally myself. It felt very odd as I’ve never tried serving illegally before, but I’m certain it gave my opponent extra trouble. Take that you damn cheater! 

Closing Thoughts

Cheaters are the worst. And while table tennis isn’t littered with them, you’ll come across a few every now and again. Remember to keep calm in the face of cheating table tennis players and weigh up whether or not you feel it is worth calling them out. 

If their violations are winning them lots of points, you need to do so, but if not, it may be worth just focusing on your game and avoiding confrontation.  

Other Interesting Reads

• Switching Hands Playing Table Tennis (And Why You Shouldn’t Do It)
• How to Win at Table Tennis (When You’re Playing Bad)
• Mercy Points in Table Tennis Explained