Table Tennis - General

=THE HISTORY= From what I could find, the earliest form of the sport, called indoor tennis, was played in the early 1880s by British army officers in India and South Africa, they started using lids from cigar boxes as paddles and corks from wine bottles shaped to form a ball, with some books stood up across the middle of a table to divide the table. There where versions developed in England around the 1890s, known as "whiff whaff" and "gossima," Then “Parker Brothers” began making indoor tennis kits that included a net that could be fixed to a table, a small ball with netting cover (Sounds ... more

It all started when I first represented my school for the tennis team – from the moment I put a racket in my hand I knew that was the sport for me. Netball, hockey, gymnastics and athletics were not my idea of a games period and never really enjoyed participating in any of those activities. The only sport I was interested in playing was tennis – so I bought myself a Prince racket and played in tournaments representing my school and other tournaments outside of school. One afternoon all the tennis courts were water logged and so we decided to play a game of table tennis. Table tennis is a ... more

My first memories of Table Tennis were in the late forties when I was given a Table Tennis set for Xmas. The large box contained a net and two fixing brackets, two balls and two bats, which, as it was just after the war, had something like sandpaper instead of the pimpled rubber that we get now. The opened out dining room table served pretty well as a “Ping Pong” table being about six feet long and three feet wide. It was under such conditions that I learned to play and love the game of Table Tennis. When it came to playing on a full size table many years later, the rainy days in ... more

I have been a table tennis player for 7 years now, and I can honestly say it is the best game I have ever played. Even from the early days as a begginner to now, when I am a serious player in the local Senior league I have found it to be fun, and exhuasting. Many people assume as the space of play is so small that you can not get tired playing, well try it and you will see just how tiring it is. Fast forehand rallies with speed and accuracy, or slow backhand chop rallies which require the utmost concentration to win the point. Serves which can win or lose the point, even if it is 10 shots ... more

Table Tennis is a sport very similar to Tennis, but is played on a Table with dimensions 9 feet in length and 5 feet in width. A net which is 6 inches high, divides the table into two halves. The table is a smooth finished surface made of processed timber. Each half is further demarcated into two, to assist in doubles, the rules of which are explained later. Players use a variety of Racquets, ranging from fast ones to spinny ones and a ball which is extremely light and made of a compound of camphor to play the game. This indoor Sport commonly known as Ping Pong is surprisingly addictive. I ... more