A Brief History Of Table Tennis
If you watch the sports channels on TV, such as ESPN, a lot, you’re likely to catch a game of table tennis every so often. Table tennis, often called ping pong, is played on a wooden table, with a plastic ball and paddles covered in rubber and a net dividing the playing surface. It is sometimes called the miniature version of tennis since the rules are so similar.
Table tennis is a fun and exciting sport and it is easy to learn. A big advantage to taking up table tennis is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on expensive equipment. The most expensive part is obviously the table. You can find inexpensive ping pong sets, consisting of the net, 2 paddles and a number of balls, in almost any department store in the toy or sporting goods section.
The game of table tennis was invented in England in the 1880′s by rich Victorians looking for an activity to be played indoors. When the game was first played, books served as a net, a knot of string or a champagne cork was used as a ball and cigarette box lids were employed as paddles. Apparently people enjoyed this newly invented game with its make-shift equipment, since it continued to grow in popularity.
Improvements were made to the equipment during the early 1900′s. The balls were being made from celluloid and the paddles consisted of a piece of rubber glued to a wooden handle. The word ping pong originated because of the distinctive sound the ball made when hit with the rubber paddle. And Parker Brothers opted to go with the ping pong name when they introduced the game to the United States.
With the commercial availability of the equipment, the game continued to grow in popularity and the first tournament was held in 1902. In 1921 the Table Tennis Association was founded in England and less than 10 years later, the first World Championships also took place there.
Over time the sport spread to other parts of the world. In the Far Eastern countries, such as China, it is called ping pong, while in other countries similar terms in the native language are used.
The 1950′s rolled around and other innovations were made. As an example, a sponge layer was added to the paddles over the rubber, making the paddles lighter and easier for the players to use. And finally, after being around for more than a century, table tennis was included as an Olympic Sport in 1988.
In the latter part of 2000, the international body governing the rules of table tennis introduced more changes. They decided to increase the size of the plastic ball used in tournaments from 38mm to 40mm. This was an attempt to slow the game down a little. They also made changes to the way the game was scored, now using a 11 point system as opposed to the traditional 21 points, which makes each set fast and exciting for the players and spectators.
Enjoy your experiences with table tennis, and remember to keep your eye on the ball.
Beginner’s Tips For Ping Pong
Ping Pong is a simple and fun game that isn’t quite as demanding as some other types of sports. You can play it indoors, in any weather, and with minimal space, equipment and training. You don’t need to be incredibly fast, strong, or capable of running for hours on end to do it either, you just need a decent amount of stamina, good reflexes, and a fast mind. These factors add to the overall appeal of ping pong, and is a reason why a lot of personal gyms in people’s houses will either have a ping pong table or a billiards table (billiards sharing much the same factors as ping pong).
The first thing you’ll need to know about ping pong is the equipment. A ping pong table, net, a ball, and two paddles are all you need. Period. For keeping score, a simple notebook and pen will do, unless you want to buy a chalk scoreboard or something. Aside from those basic essentials, there’s nothing else for you to invest in initially.
The second thing to think about is clothing – almost anything will do as long as you can move about freely in it. Most people wear simple sneakers, shorts, and a tee shirt. Jogging pants will do too. Unlike more active sports like basketball and running, where shoes are designed to be high impact with special soles and other fancy features, you just need shoes that are comfy. Same goes with the shorts/jogging pants and tee shirt. No special materials needed, no anti-rip extended wear and tear ultra-mesh-fiber-super-high-tech stuff needed. Pick anything out of your closet and you’re done!
Now we get to the basic physical requirements. As long as you jog a bit from time to time and can walk up and down several flights of stairs without being reduced to a wheezing bag of blubber, you’ll be fine. The average person can get into ping pong quickly. The most important physical factors for ping pong are quick reflexes, agile wrists, and good balance. Of course, if you’ve got two left feet that’s a different story… Otherwise, if your balance and reflexes are decent you’ll do.
The main reason for the need for reflexes is obvious – the basic objective of ping pong is to thwack a little ball repeatedly between you and your opponent until one of you fumbles and misses swatting the ball. Poor reflexes means you’ll probably miss a shot. The need for quick wrists is because a majority of the action of hitting the ball in ping pong is controlled by the paddle’s angle – which is, of course, adjusted by your wrists. As for the balance factor, you’ll need to be moderately fast on your feet to hop from one side of the tennis table to the other. This doesn’t really require any running around, just minor modifications to your stance and shifts in body weight to make you lean more to one side or the other.
Aside from the physical requirements, there’s a simple mental requirement for ping pong – be calm, and be a planner. Like a good fencing game, ping pong requires a fast mind to go with the fast reflexes. It isn’t enough to be able to block every shot your opponent makes; you have to be able to plan the angles you send the ball back, and to plan a step or two ahead every time to know where your opponent’s return shot is going to be heading. This mental factor is actually why some people with slower reflexes can actually win against physically superior players – they can send one shot to a certain angle, force their opponent into a certain physical position, then when the ball heads their way again, return it at an angle that their opponent can’t get to in time because they’re out of position to counter.
These are all you need to get started on ping pong. Simple equipment, simple clothing, and decently fast reflexes and wits. Everything else follows as you practice and get more experience. Above all, just relax and have fun!
