The service
The serve is simply a means to begin the rally, so attempting to get the upper hand with a tricky, spinny serve is (literally) pointless. As a mark of respect to the death of the traditional serve, the ball should simply be thrown across the net at the beginning of each session.
Scoring a rally
Each garage venue decides how a rally should be scored. There are two options:
(1) A point is awarded to the winner of the rally after a set number of strokes have been played – a minimum of six strokes is recommended.
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(2) The players themselves decide whether a fair battle has taken place, whether the rally has gathered sufficient momentum for the subsequent winner of the rally to be awarded a point. If there is any dispute, the resting player(s) shall decide the outcome. Refer to the Terminology page for further explanation, e.g. for borderline decisions or when an attacking shot has been played too early.
The winner of a live rally will score one point unless the opponent fails to get a racquet to the ball, in which case the winner scores two points. The only exception to this is when there is a net cord which results in a difficult or unplayable ball, in which case only one point will be scored. However, if a clean winner is achieved by the ball hitting the edge of the table, two points will be awarded.
Game variants
(1) Fast 5! is the traditional game, and is played to five points with no advantage. Because of the two-point rule, a player can win a game from 3-4 down by hitting a two-point clean winner, thereby winning 5-4. It should be noted that a game in the balance with scores tied at 4-all requires an above-average rally to settle the game.
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(2) Long 3 is simply a shortened version of Fast 5!, and is played to three points with no advantage. Again, if scores are tied at 2-all, an above-average rally needs to be played in order to settle the game.
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(3) Fast 3! is a shortened version of Long 3. It is also played to three points, however a clean winner immediately decides the game, no matter what the score is at the time. Fast 3! really comes into its own at the end of a garage session, especially when there are more than three players involved. Rather than players rotating, it is recommended that a Winner Stays On rule is employed.
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As described in the Terminology page, it is also recommended that an edged ball that hits the ceiling or side wall or other object in the room and subsequently bounces on the opponent's side of the table - a Tonnay - is in play. The game is immediately on the line, the winner of such a rally automatically winning the game.
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In a game of Doubles involving four players, there is no requirement for a team to hit alternate shots. The same rule applies when three are playing American Doubles. As the serve is simply a means to begin a rally, there is no need to serve in a particular direction as is required in the traditional game of doubles.​
Order of Play
​​​Any two of the three players can start proceedings. When the first game ends the loser takes a rest. Thereafter, the result of games is immaterial to the order of play. Each player plays two games in succession, then sits out one game. Such a rotation automatically provides for a change of ends when a player takes their next turn at the table.
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A Match
Because long, competitive rallies are continually being played, RallyX! table tennis is a strenuous game, and a social or garage match can end at any time the participants choose. It is purely up to the individuals concerned as to whether they keep a tally of games won and lost.
Player numbers
The ideal number of competitors is three. Fast 5! is a particularly strenuous form of table tennis, and the breather afforded a player after two games is usually welcomed. If there is a larger number of players in attendance, consideration should be given to playing Long 3 or Fast 3! so as to ensure quick rotation. Doubles or American Doubles is always an option when three or more players want to be involved in the action at the same time.
RallyX! Background
​​Introduction
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For decades now, the administrators of the sport of table tennis have been endeavouring to make the game more entertaining and accessible by slowing down the game, such as imposing limits on racquet technology and - more recently - enlarging the size of the ball. They have also tried to limit the effectiveness of the serve by making it more predictable, requiring players to clearly show the ball on the palm of their hand and tossing it in the air before striking it. Some players have even resorted to playing with old-style hardbats - racquets without sponges - in order to enjoy a game with reduced spin and power.
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Unfortunately, the game remains as unattractive to spectators and as unappealing to newcomers as ever. When played under competition conditions most table tennis rallies are decided well before there is a competitive exchange - a lengthy back-and-forth between the players. Little match time is taken up with closely-contested rallies, which is by far the most satisfying part of this great game. One rarely if ever sees on the television sports news any vision of an important table tennis match. However, one will occasionally see a replay of a crazy-long rally played in some competition in some corner of the planet, a rally that goes viral on YouTube.
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This unavoidable tendency towards short rallies hardly makes playing table tennis satisfying, unless of course it works to your advantage and you are concerned with the score and the score only. What social or garage players want is a series of long, hard-fought rallies. If they can win their fair share of those rallies, that's where the real enjoyment lies.
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The service - back to the future
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In the early days of the game of ping-pong, the serve was just a means to begin a rally. Over time, however, it evolved into such an effective weapon that the sport’s administrators were forced to introduce various rule changes in an effort to limit its potency. Nevertheless, it remains the most important shot in the game, so much so that most rallies are decided by (1) the serve, (2) the return, or (3) the server’s next shot - where the server takes full advantage of a weak return caused by a clever serve. This paucity of action does nothing to excite spectators, let alone garage players.
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The serve is largely irrelevant in RallyX! table tennis. There is nothing to be gained in producing a serve that is awkward for the receiver to return, in setting up an immediate opportunity to attack. The whole point of RallyX! is to produce competitive rallies. The rigmarole of placing the ball in one’s palm and projecting the ball vertically upwards the requisite distance does not apply here. In RallyX! the serve’s sole purpose is to put the ball into play. Indeed, the ball can literally be thrown over the net to initiate a rally. Tricky serves with loads of spin applied to the ball have no place in this game.
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Scoring a match? No need!
Because long, competitive rallies are continually being played, RallyX! is a strenuous game and the overall match ends when players collectively decide they have had enough, that the next little while is better spent having a restorative beer or a lemonade whilst practising the art of conversation. When RallyX! is played at a social level, there is no need for a tally of games won and lost, although players will obviously sense whether or not they have had the better of an opponent on the day.
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A particular attraction of RallyX! is that players can take whatever they like from a match. Whilst one of the three might have enjoyed superiority score-wise over the other two, one or both of the others might derive much satisfaction from being involved in some memorable rallies which, after all, is what the game is designed to provide. To win the holy grail of a long point played out like a legendary Federer-Nadal baseline rally – both players working the other side to side, the ebbing and flowing of the point – is more than sufficient reward for the session.
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Conclusion
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Three is usually a crowd, but such a group provides the ideal number for the game of RallyX! Obviously, two players can referee a game between them, but a threesome provides the perfect balance: varied competition and a short but regular spell where they can rest up and enjoy the others’ rallies.
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The founders of RallyX! do not revert to traditional play these days. Forgive the pun, but what’s the point? They truly hope you and your friends derive as much enjoyment and excitement from this modified game of table tennis as they do.
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