Free
1 pageQuick Start
Guide
Guide
Quick Start Guide
One page with everything you need for your first game. Great next to the court.
The 2-on-2 sport for any four tables
Four tables.One ball.Two hits.
Hantis is fast, creative and wide open. Hit the ball with any part of your body, bounce it off the walls and pass to your teammate. All you need is four tables, a tennis ball and a few friends.
2005Invented in Kentucky
2011Playworks Best New Game
30+Craters' Cup tournaments
01 · What it is
Like table tennis.
Like four square.
Like nothing else.
Hantis started in 2005, when a few bored students in a media class at Scott County High School in Georgetown, Kentucky, found a tennis ball in a backpack. The rules everyone could agree on stuck. Today it's played in P.E. classes, college intramurals, backyards and beaches, from Kentucky to Western Australia.
2
Hits per player
With your hands, head, knees or feet. Any body part counts. Use your hits to set yourself up or pass to your teammate.
1
Bounce per table
Your team gets one bounce on each of your two tables every possession. Two on the same table and you're out.
∞
Everything resets
When the ball touches the other team or their table, possession flips and all the counts reset. That's why you can dribble on their tables.
IllustrationFreestyle
- Four players at four tables, with everyone else in line.
- Get out and you go to the back of the line. Everyone rotates toward the serving table, like four square.
- Partners change almost every point. There's no bench.
Competitive
- Fixed teams of two score points instead of getting people out.
- First to 21, win by 2. Best of 1, 3 or 5 sets.
- Serve rotates through all four players, 5 serves each.
02 · Watch
See it before
you read it.
You'll understand Hantis faster by watching one rally than by reading a page of rules. Start with the intro, then watch top players battle it out at the Craters' Cup.
Coming soon · V1
Start here · 1:00What is Hantis?
HighlightsBest of Craters' Cups XXI–XXX
Coming soon · V3-01
Learn · Ep. 1How to serve
03 · The rules
The rules
in 60 seconds.
This is the short version, enough to start your first game. The Official Rulebook covers everything else, including the Edge Rule, X-Factors and Competitive scoring.
The serve
1
Stand behind your table
The serving team starts behind the back of their tables. The receiving team can stand up to the front of theirs.
2
Strike it onto your table
Hold the ball in one hand and strike it down onto your own table with the other. No throwing.
3
Land it on theirs
It has to bounce on either opponent's table, not your teammate's. Now the rally is on.
How you get out (or lose the point)
Freestyleyou're outCompetitivethe other team scores
4.0.0
Triple touch
You hit the ball a third time in one possession.
4.0.1
Table-table
The ball bounces on your table twice in one possession.
4.0.2
Table-ground
The ball hits your tabletop, then the ground.
4.0.3
Body-ground
The ball hits you, then the ground. The last player to touch it is out.
4.0.4
Grab or carry
Hit, strike or slap only. No catching, cupping, holding or carrying.
4.0.5
Trap
You pin the ball between your hand and an opponent's table.
4.0.6
Out of bounds
When you play with boundaries, the last player to touch it is out.
4.0.7 · The big one
The Double
Your shot hits both opponents' tables, then the ground. Two outs (or two points) at once.
04 · Set up
Ready in
five minutes.
You probably already have everything you need. Cafeteria tables, classroom desks and folding tables all work, as long as all four are the same size.
3 ftBeginner · 90 cm
4 ftIntermediate · 120 cm
5 ftAdvanced · 150 cm
- 4 tables of the same size, in a 2×2 square
- 1 tennis ball. A new one from a pressurized can bounces best
- 4 players to start. Freestyle works with a line of up to 12
- Optional boundary: 8 × 8 m is official for Competitive
05 · Play
Print it.
Play it.
The Quick Start and the Official Rulebook are free: print them, share them, put them on the gym wall. Want tables made for the game? Get the official build plans.
Free
Freestyle + CompetitiveOfficial
Rulebook
Rulebook
Official Rulebook
Every rule for both modes, with diagrams. The final word on the Edge Rule.
$29
Official DIY plansBuild Your
Own Tables
Own Tables
Table Build Guide
Build a full set of four tables in the official shape. Measured drawings, a cut layout and step-by-step photos.
06 · Go deeper
For P.E. teachers · grades 6–12
A full Hantis unit, ready to teach tomorrow.
Ten lessons that take your students from their first serve to a class tournament. Every student plays, nobody sits on a bench, and it all fits in a 30 to 50 minute class.
- 10 step-by-step lessons with learning targets
- 10 lead-up games and skill drills
- Exit slips, quizzes and worksheets, with answer keys
- Cross-curricular English and science assignments
- Rubrics, tournament brackets and scoring guides
SHAPE America 2024 standardsCommon Core ELA linksGrades 6–12
Hantis P.E. Lesson Plans
$99
One-time purchase · Instant PDF download · Grades 6–12
Buying for a school or district? Purchase orders welcome. See everything inside →
“Hantis has been a craze at our school. It is one of the most inclusive games our kids have played. We have our 3 different tables going based on difficulty and the kids self police each table. The constant rotation and change of possession keeps their interest. A must play for any PE Class. The rules are easy... just watch the video.”
“Hantis is one of the best PE days of our semester. Our students love it! Everyone is active, engaged, and having a lot of fun. The Hantis crew is the best. The atmosphere they create with the music and games is awesome. Every PE class needs to experience it.”
"Through bursts of maximal muscular output, followed by intervals of rest, reserves of aerobic and anaerobic fitness are acquired that improve your biological age. It's hard to believe so much benefit derives from having so much fun!"
For organizers
Run a tournament
Match formats, Competitive scoring, brackets and a day-of checklist for running your own event, modeled on the Craters' Cup.
For players
Level up
Serving tips, trick serves, the dribble trick combo and training drills. Then learn how to read a Beast, a Flyer, a Trickster or a Defender.
Spread the game
Play it. Film it.
Pass it on.
Tag your games #hantis so we can feature the best rallies. Join the list for new videos, rule clarifications and tournament news. About one email a month.