What is Table Tennis:
Table tennis, an incredible sport that was also known as ping-pong, is a fast-paced and exciting sport played on a rectangular table with small rackets (paddles) and a lightweight ball. Table tennis is an exciting, accessible, and rewarding sport for players of all ages and skill levels! Table tennis is a sport that is played by an individual or in a team where two members are there.
If it is played in teams then both the players get their turn alternatively in each round. A small ping-pong ball goes over the table’s net on the opposite side of the court and it is done by using small rackets until one of the opponents fails to pass back, which results in scoring a point for the other opponent.
Rackets and Ball
Hit the ball over the net and make it land on the opponent’s side while preventing the opponent from doing the same. The gameplay of table tennis is done by singles or doubles. When one fails to return the ball a point is scored by the opponent. These matches are typically best 3 or 4 out of 5 or 7 games. The types of gameplay in this indoor sport are recreational, competitive, and wheelchair table tennis.
Birth of Table Tennis:
Table tennis was invented first in England in the 19th century and became very popular all over the world in the early 20th century. The English Table Tennis Association originated in 1922, and the first-ever world championship was held in Berlin four years after the foundation of the Table Tennis Association. The game was first named “Whiff-Whaff”. After that James Gibb in 1901 named the game “Gossima”. For one last time, the name of the sport was changed to “Ping-Pong” by J.Jaques & Son Ltd in 1902.
Amazing equipment of Table Tennis:
The basic equipment required in table tennis gameplay is a table, a net, a ball, and a racket.
Table:
Table tennis must be played on a rectangular table with an estimated size of 9 feet long,5 feet wide, and 2 feet,6 inches of height. The table is basically made with wood with a proper matte finish along with a dark color complimenting the structure.
Net:
A net is attached to the table at the center which helps in the division of two equal sides, the size of the table must be 6 inches high.
Ball:
A small round-shaped plastic ball is used during the match and two specific colors that are used in table tennis are white and orange. The weight of the ball needs to be specific at 2.7 grams along with a diameter of 40 millimeters. The other name of this ball is ‘Ping Pong’. These balls are made for intense play.
Racket:
The racket of table tennis can be of any shape, size, or weight but the blade needs to be flat and rigid. The covering material of the surface on the side of the blade needs to be matt, along with a bright red on one side and black on the other side as a specified color. In the UK it is called ‘Paddle’.
Busting Matches:
The game of table tennis is played by a player or team and it can be won by first scoring 11 points until and unless both players or teams score 10 points. The game shall be won by the first individual or team later gaining a leading of 2 points.
The players take their turns hitting the ping-pong ball over the net, allowing it to bounce once on their side before returning it. The server tosses the ball up and hits the ball so that it bounces onto their side of the table before going over the net. If the opponent did not serve the ball back then the other player gets the point as per the allotted rules of the match.
Basic Benefits:
- It improves hand-eye coordination and reaction time.
- Enhances mental focus and strategy.
- Promotes social interaction and teamwork.
- Low-impact exercise for physical fitness
FOLLOWERS 850 MILLION (APPROX):
Table tennis is very fast-paced and skillful which makes it attractive and convincing for people of all age groups and backgrounds to join this sport. It is a very popular indoor sport with an estimated popularity of 850 million fans all over the world. It is loved by many which results in adding table tennis in levels starting from schools and social clubs all around the world along with that this sport is preferred in some other countries like Europe, Africa, Asia, America, etc.
In India in the category of indoor sports table tennis is considered one of the most popular and finest indoor sports and it is a little more preferred in states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat, etc.
Some of the popular table tournaments held all over the world are:
Terminology of Table Tennis are :
- Ace: Serve that lands directly on opponent’s side
- Smash: Powerful shot that wins point
- Loop: Curved shot with spin
- Spin: Rotation of ball affecting
- Let: Point replayed due to interference
Tournaments of table tennis in all levels:
- International tournaments
- National tournaments
- Regional tournaments
conclusion
In conclusion, table tennis is an awesome sport that helps an individual to grow mentally as well physically because during this sport mind as well as physical existence throughout the game is very crucial. Some other useful points are in helping in developing the well-being of a person, social interaction becomes more fluent and fun.
For casual play, or the need to spend some quality time with friends and family it can be a highly preferable sport because of its simplicity, accessibility, and excitement which makes this game an ideal sport for all. So, all we need to do is just get out of our screens, grab a paddle, find a place and a perfect table and there we go all set to play, and experience the exciting journey of table tennis!