Table Tennis

Like most other sports, table tennis had humble beginnings as a “parlor game,” open
to
anyone with access to a table, paddle, and ball. The game began in the 1880s, when
lawn tennis players adapted their game to play indoors during the winter.Ping-
Pong is a trademark name for table tennis and associated equipment. The name
“Ping
-
Pong” was invented by the English firm J. Jaques and Son at the end of the 1800s
and later
trademarked in the United States by Parker Brothers, the board game
company.The game quickly caught on, and as early as 1901, tournaments were being
conducted withover 300 participants. The Ping-Pong Association was formed but
was renamed The Table TennisAssociation in 1922.In 1902 a visiting Japanese
university professor took the game back to Japan, where heintroduced it to
university students. Shortly after, a British salesman, Edward Shires, introduced
itto the people of Vienna and Budapest, and the seeds were sown for a sport that
now enjoys popularity all over the world. In Britain, table tennis had also begun to
spread outside the distinctlymiddle-class confines of London, and leagues sprang up
in provincial towns as far apart asSunderland and Plymouth. In 1922, an All England
Club was formed, which boasted suchluminaries as Jack Hobbs the cricketer and
other famous names of the time from the world of sport.

The Daily Mirror organized and sponsored a nationwide tournament in which there
were 40,000competitors.Table tennis was firmly on the map, and on April 24, 1927,
the English Table TennisAssociation was born, under the chairmanship and
direction of Ivor Montague, son of LordEwatthling. He was not only to become the
architect of modern-day table tennis, but he alsoachieved critical acclaim as both a
director and film producer. At the time, The ETTA had amembership of 19 leagues
but now has over 300, with around 75,000 registered players.The first world
championships were held in 1927 and were won by a Hungarian, Dr. Jacobi.Apart
from the famous Fred Perry redressing the balance for England in 1929, this was
to be thestart of an unprecedented run of success for the Hungarians, who
completely dominated the gamethroughout the thirties. Their team was led by the
legendary Victor Barna, whose inspiration andskill did so much to elevate the game
to sports status.The 1950s saw the game turned upside down by the invention of
the sponge or sandwichrubber, this new material for bats, which, up until now, had
been a relatively simple affair with auniversal thin covering of pimpled rubber.Until
this time, spin had played only a minor part in a game that had been dominated
bythe defensive style of play. But these new bats or paddles, introduced by the
Japanese, had the
capacity to move the ball around in an almost magical way. The ITTF, the game’s
governing body,
was quick to legislate in a bid to control this new development, seen in some
quarters as equipping players with an unfair advantage. The thickness of the
sponge and rubber sandwich was controlledand remains so to this day. But the
nature of the game had been changed, establishing the fastattacking speed and
spin style of the modern game.Today, the sport both in England and abroad is very
well established and is growing eachyear. The culmination of this has been its
recognition as an Olympic Games sport, being featuredfor the first time in the
1988 games in Seoul. Television coverage
of the men’s singles final
attracted an incredible worldwide audience of 2 billion. In China, the game is played
by literallymillions at work, in school, and in community parks. Chinese top players
are regarded as nationalheroes with pop star statuses.

Table tennis, also known as ping pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit
alightweight ball back and forth across a table using a small bat. The game takes
place on a hardtable divided by a net. Except for the initial serve, the rules are
generally as follows: players mustallow a ball played toward them to bounce one
time on their side of the table, and must return itso that it bounces on the
opposite side at least once. A point is scored when a player fails to returnthe ball
within the rules. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. Spinning the ball alters
itstrajectory and limits an opponent's options, giving the hitter a great
advantage.Table tennis is governed by the worldwide organization International
Table TennisFederation (ITTF), founded in 1926. ITTF currently includes 226
member associations. The tabletennis official rules are specified in the ITTF
handbook. Table tennis has been an Olympic sportsince 1988, with several event
categories. From 1988 until 2004, these were men's singles,women's singles, men's
doubles and women's doubles. Since 2008, a team event has been playedinstead of
the doubles.

Table tennis

SPORT

Table tennis, also called (trademark) Ping-Pong, ball game similar in principle to lawn
tennis and played on a flat table divided into two equal courts by a net fixed across
its width at the middle. The object is to hit the ball so that it goes over the net
and bounces on the opponent’s half of the table in such a way that the opponent
cannot reach it or return it correctly. The lightweight hollow ball is propelled back
and forth across the net by small rackets (bats, or paddles) held by the players.
The game is popular all over the world. In most countries it is very highly organized
as a competitive sport, especially in Europe and Asia, particularly in China and
Japan.

History

The game was invented in England in the early days of the 20th century and was
originally called Ping-Pong, a trade name. The name table tennis was adopted in
1921–22 when the old Ping-Pong Association formed in 1902 was revived. The
original association had broken up about 1905, though apparently the game
continued to be played in parts of England outside London and by the 1920s was
being played in many countries. Led by representatives of Germany, Hungary, and
England, the Fédération Internationale de Tennis de Table (International Table
Tennis Federation) was founded in 1926, the founding members being England,
Sweden, Hungary, India, Denmark, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Wales. By
the mid-1990s more than 165 national associations were members.

The first world championships were held in London in 1926, and from then until
1939 the game was dominated by players from central Europe, the men’s team
event being won nine times by Hungary and twice by Czechoslovakia. In the mid-
1950s Asia emerged as a breeding ground of champions, and from that time the
men’s team event has been won by either Japan or China, as has the women’s event,
though to a lesser extent; North Korea also became an international force. In 1980
the first World Cup was held, and Guo Yuehua of China won the $12,500 first
prize. Table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988, with singles and doubles
competition for men and women.

The Game

Table tennis equipment is relatively simple and inexpensive. The table is

rectangular, 9 feet by 5 feet (2.7 metres by 1.5 metres), its upper surface a level
plane 30 inches (76 cm) above the floor. The net is 6 feet (1.8 metres) long, and its
upper edge along the whole length is 6 inches (15.25 cm) above the playing surface.
The ball, which is spherical and hollow, was once made of white celluloid. Since 1969
a plastic similar to celluloid has been used. The ball, which may be coloured white,
yellow, or orange, weighs about 0.09 ounce (2.7 grams) and has a diameter of about
1.6 inches (4 cm). The blade of a racket, or bat, is usually made of wood, is flat and
rigid, and may be covered with a thin layer of ordinary stippled, or pimpled, rubber,
which may be laid over a thin layer of sponge rubber and may have the pimples
reversed. Whatever combination is used, each of the two sides of a paddle must be
different in colour. The racket may be any size, weight, or shape.
A match consists of the best of any odd numbers of games, each game being won
by the player who first reaches 11 points or who, after 10 points each, wins two
clear points ahead. A point is scored when the server fails to make a good service,
when either player fails to make a good return, or when either player commits a
specified infraction (e.g., touches the playing surface with a free hand while the
ball is in play). Service changes hands after every two points until 10-all is reached,
when it changes after every subsequent point.

The serve is made from behind the end of the table, the server tossing the ball
upward from the palm of the free hand and striking it as it descends so that it
first bounces on the server’s own court and then, passing over the net, bounces on
the opponent’s court. In serving, no spin may be imparted to the ball by the fingers.
This was not always so. Finger spin, especially in the United States, reached a
stage where the experts could produce untakable services and the game became
farcical. Finger spin was universally banned in 1937.

Interest to the spectator lies in observing the ability of one player to defeat
another by well-thought-out strategy. Increasing the speed of the game, slowing it
down, varying the direction of or imparting different spin or pace to the ball, and
employing gentle drop shots over the net when the opponent is out of position are
some of the tactics that may be used to support the strategy planned.

Slow or defensive play at one time was so dominant that, at the 1936 world
championships in Prague, an hour was needed to decide a single point. Play is now
restricted. If a game is unfinished 15 minutes after it has begun, the rest of that
game and the remaining games of the match proceed under the Expedite System.
Thereafter if the service and 13 following strokes of the server are returned by
the receiver, the server loses the point. The service changes after each point.

Table tennis may be played with one player at each end of the table or with two
players at each end who may be both men or both women or one of each.
Worldwide, the women’s game is comparable in organization to the men’s, and
women take part in world championships and all other organized events. Table
tennis as well as being fully organized is also extremely popular as a recreational
game and is so played in all types of sports clubs, social clubs, and game rooms, in
the home, and even out-of-doors when conditions are reasonably calm.