Table tennis

Table tennis is a game played using paddles, a ball, and a specially marked table with a small net across the center. Individuals or pairs of players stand at opposite sides of the table and move the ball over the net. Recreational players often call it ping-pong, although most competitive organizations use the term table tennis. The game is believed to have been based on the game of court tennis, which dates to the twelfth century.

Origins and History

Table tennis began in England during the nineteenth century. The upper-middle-class Victorians enjoyed genteel games, such as lawn tennis. Since lawn tennis was a daytime game played outdoors, some individuals decided to re-create the game on a smaller scale, using a dining room table for the court, a row of books or similar objects for the net, and a cork or ball of string for the ball. They used whatever was at hand, such as the lids of small boxes, for rackets. Some sources claim that British Army officers serving in India and South Africa were the first players to devise the game during the 1880s. The game was known by various names, including flim flam, gossamer, ping-pong, and whif whaf. A game set patented in 1890 offered the first evidence of the game's popularity.

An Englishman discovered hollow celluloid balls in 1900 in the United States. Table tennis players quickly adopted the balls. The English company John Jaques & Son of London registered the name Ping-Pong as a copyright in 1901, and sold the game idea to the American company Parker Brothers. That same year, some Westerners took table tennis to China, where it became popular. In December of 1901, both the Table Tennis Association and the Ping Pong Association formed in England.

The game enjoyed popularity during the 1920s in Europe. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) formed in 1926, and players competed at the world championship games.

China was absent from the international table tennis scene for a number of years due to political reasons—the Communist takeover in 1949 limited outside involvement in the country. Chilly relations between the United States and China thawed in early 1971 over a few games of table tennis. The US table tennis team embarked on a diplomatic mission when it accepted an invitation from the Chinese team to visit and play exhibition matches in what was labeled Ping-Pong Diplomacy. American president Richard M. Nixon took the opportunity to arrange a visit to China that took place in February of 1972. In April of that year, the Chinese team returned the courtesy with a visit to Detroit, Michigan, for a series of matches and a ten-city tour.

Table tennis debuted at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. Many of the medal winners hailed from Asian countries. Of the twelve medals awarded at the 1988 games, China took home five (including all three women's singles medals), while South Korea claimed four.

Rules and Regulations

The equipment used for table tennis is far removed from the makeshift collection of items Victorians used. The International Table Tennis Federation moved from traditional celluloid balls to plastic or poly balls on July 1, 2014. The ITTF mandated the change to improve the game for spectators, by slowing down the ball and making it easier to follow a game.

The table tennis player needs a racket, also called a bat or paddle, which is used to hit the ball over the net. Although serious players may consider many versions, the basic paddle is a flat, rigid wooden blade of any shape, size, or weight. One or both sides used to hit the ball are covered with pimpled rubber. Only a covered side may be used to hit the ball; if both sides are covered, one side must be black while the other is red. When the pimples on the rubber face outward, it is called pimples-out or pips-out. The pimpled rubber may be glued directly to the paddle or may be glued to a layer of cellular (sponge) rubber that is then glued to the wood. If the pimples are glued to the sponge with the pimples facing in, it is called a pimples-in sandwich rubber, reverse rubber, or smooth rubber.

Ping-pong balls are forty millimeters in diameter. Manufacturers use a star grading system, with 0 and 1 star balls the lowest quality. Competition standard balls have 3 stars.

Competitive events use full-sized tables, although compact tables are popular for recreational use. The standard table is nine feet by five feet and thirty inches high, and for competition has a one-inch-thick top (to meet bounce requirements). Many models fold and have roller wheels for portability. The net across the center should be six inches high. Lines across the short edges of the table are end lines, while the lines along the long edges are sidelines. Another line parallel to the sidelines bisects the center of the table for doubles play.

The time in which a ball is in play is called the rally. The rally begins when the serving player begins the serve and ends when the ball touches the net assembly or anything other than the playing surface, such as a player's hand below the wrist. A rally that results in a score is a point, while a rally that does not result in a score is a let.

A player holds the paddle in one hand, the racket hand, and the ball in the palm of the other hand, known as the free hand. In a singles game, the server lightly tosses the ball upward, vertically and without adding spin, then strikes it with the paddle so it bounces off the server's side of the court, then over the net, ideally to strike the opponent's side of the table. If completed correctly, this is known as a good service. In doubles play, the ball should bounce on the right side of the server's court, and the right side of the opponent's court.

The opponent uses his or her paddle to make a good return, which means to hit the ball over the net. The rally continues as each player makes a good return. A player scores a point when the opponent does not make a good return or good service, for example, if the opponent hits the ball twice in a row or with an illegal surface. A player may also score a point due to some sort of interference, such as if the opponent moves the playing surface or touches it with his or her free hand.

The game is won when a player or pair scores eleven points. If both players or pairs score ten points, the game is won by the first to gain a two-point lead. A match is the best of a series of odd-number games—for example, winning four out of seven games.

Before a match, the players or teams draw lots, and the winner can choose to serve or receive first, or to begin the game at a particular end of the court. Players or pairs alternate serving after every two points are scored, and in doubles play, team members alternate serving.

Tournaments follow rules that allow for brief breaks between matches and games, as well as time-outs and other features common to other sports, including using yellow cards for offenses and red cards to disqualify players for actions. Umpires and referees oversee games and matches; in addition to ruling on play, they may also allow practice time in some cases, such as when a paddle is damaged during a match and a player must replace it. In tournament play, rules also address issues such as clothing, including dress codes and logos on attire.

The English Ping Pong Association distinguishes between rules for table tennis and ping-pong. Players of ping-pong may view rules as negotiable. Games may be played to an agreed-upon score, or the favored long format of twenty-one points, for example.

Strategy and Tactics

Table tennis is much like court tennis. Experts advise players to vary their speed, spin, and the direction of the strokes, to prevent one's opponent from anticipating a return. Players want to keep their opponents off guard and moving throughout a match.

Smooth rubber paddles give greater speed and spin. Pips-out rubber is sometimes sandwiched with sponge for players who value control.

Professional Leagues and Series

Players may join a number of leagues. Some of the most influential are the Chinese Super League, German Bundesliga, Russian Premier League, French Pro A League, Austrian Premier League, Swedish Elite League, Belgian Super Division, and Italian League. Britain, the United States, and many other countries also have their own leagues.

The International Table Tennis Federation holds an annual series, the ITTF World Tour. The most well-known stage for table tennis, however, is the Summer Olympic Games. Two events are held for men and two for women. Both genders competed in singles and doubles until the Olympics of 2008, when team competition replaced doubles.

Popularity

Table tennis is the world's most popular sport. Many millions of people worldwide play the game recreationally, including a large number of people in China, where it is wildly popular. About forty million people play table tennis competitively. The ITTF estimates that three hundred million people play the game around the world.

Bibliography

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"History." University of Florida Interactive Media Lab, iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall04/baksh/history.html. Accessed 18 Apr. 2017.

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