My today's topic is Table tennis, also known as Ping Pong, which was first played in Victorian England in the 1880s. It was first played in Olympics in 1998. International Table Tennis Federation governs the game.
INTRODUCTION:
Table tennis is one of the best indoor games. Many people think that it is easy and not hard to play, but it is not that easy. You need to be proactive if you are playing against a good player. It involves a lot of running, and it is right for your health. It is also an excellent physical exercise.
It is played at a high rate in Asian countries, especially in China and Japan. The USA also shows a keen interest in this game. It would help if you had a lot of practice to become a good player. I play Table Tennis regularly because "Practice makes a man perfect."
HISTORY OF TABLE TENNIS :
If you are thinking about the History of this game, then here is it. British Army Forces around the 1870s developed it as they had nothing to be done. They placed a line of books in the center of the table as a net and used two books as rackets, and they hit a golf ball to and fro on the table continuously. It might seem pretty weird, but it is a reality and later in the 1880s advanced form of table tennis came. The picture below shows the rackets made by Parkers Brothers in the 1880s.
HOW TO PLAY TABLE TENNIS?
It was now coming towards how it is played? It is played on a hard table made up of plywood divided into two portions by a net. Two or four-player hit a lightweight ball called Ping Pong ball on the table using a small wooden pad called Racket.
If you are thinking, How can you play it at home? You might have heard. Passion leads to Perfection. When you have a passion for doing something, no one can stop. To play it at home, you need to have two rackets and a Ping Pong ball. Use any table at your home, made up of wood, and I prefer using a spare table.
Ping Pong ball is made up of polymer instead of celluloid, which was previously used. The diameter of this ball is 40mm. The Racket has rubber on its sides, which provides good spin. This Racket can not be exchanged during the game until damaged.
The game starts with a serve. Now to decide who will serve first, a coin is tossed. A legal serve means to throw a ball into the air held on a straight palm and allow it to drop, then hit it with a racket such that it bounces first on his side and then the other side of the table.
The opponent must return the ball by hitting it on the other side of the table, and the game goes on the same way.
Scoring rules:
- A player gets the point if the opponent fails to serve legally.
- If a player touches the surface of the table with his non-playing hand, the opponent gets the point.
- A player gets the point if the opponent hits the ball with the surface of the Racket not covered with rubber.
- If a player obstructs, the ball opponent gets the point.
The followings are types of shots in Table Tennis:
Hit: It is similar to smash and a sort of powerful impact. The opponent is usually unable to control the ball because of its speed.
Smash: It is played when the receiver receives a ball with high bounce and hits the ball with full force, and the opponent is unable to react in time. Smash is rapid acceleration.
There are many other types, but these are basic and most used ones.
I hope you gained some knowledge from it and also liked it. It is a very joyful game, and I advise you to play it once. It is also suitable for human fitness and one of the best indoor games to play in this pandemic. You probably learned something new from it, and I tried my level best to explain everything but in a short context. That is all I have to say. Thanks!
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