Ping-Pong? Nah, Table-Tennis!
Posted on January 22, 2010
Filed Under Tennis
Did you ever ask yourself what to do if it’s pouring outside but you feel like getting some exercise in, that’s also fun at the same time?
The cool thing about Table-Tennis: it doesn’t take a lot to get started. Two paddles, a ball and table and you are good to go. I was about fifteen years old when I started playing table-tennis seriously.
Pretty much around that time, I joined a table-tennis club to take it to the next level. Well, I stuck with it and I am still playing as a USATT member with a rating of 2150.
By now you must have noticed, that I am not talking about ping-pong but ‘table-tennis’. Because there is in fact a difference, even though they are both based on the same concept. Check out Youtube for instance and punch in the term ‘table tennis’ – you will get tons of links to videos where professional players are competing with each other. And I am sure you will notice a difference to what people commonly refer to as ping-pong.
I hope you didn’t only focus on the ball, but also the athleticism, especially the footwork that is required to keep up with chasing that little thing. Because it can get very fast at times, shots with speeds over 100 mph are not uncommon.
Yes, ping-pong and table-tennis are related, but as you know by now, there still is a huge difference between a casual activity on hand, and some very serious and effective work-out regimen on the other. But that shouldn’t stop you from trying. Just start out slowly in the beginning.
Try that how: together with your opponent, attempt to hit the ball 20 times over the net, without making an error. Consistency is key and you should know that a regular exercise like this is part of every serious player’s routine. Well, on that level though, it’s not twenty but a hundred or more shots in a row at a very fast speed just to warm up.
And that’s it. As I said, everybody follows the same warm-up routine. But in order to get there, hitting the ball at that pace without making any mistakes, it requires a lot of regular practice. Ideally, every day for a few hours. But anyway, everybody has to start slowly, there’s no way around. Try to do 20 hits in a row with your partner, that’s your first milestone before you move on to the next step.
Forget about the speed. Do as slowly as you can, but with the best possible precision. Speed comes automatically as you get more consistent and confident. Once you can do 20 times, step it up to 50 times. That will take you some time to get there and that’s normal. And then the next milestone would be a hundred times. I will talk about exercise variations a little later to give you some ideas.
Alright, that’s it. The important thing is to get started. You will notice how much fun indoor table-tennis can be. And you will get a good workout in at the same time.
Tony Ulrich writes articles about how to enjoy Table Tennis as fun and healthy activity and features a mini-series about Rules for Table Tennis on his website.
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