HISTORY OF TABLE TENNIS

The earliest known form of the sport, called indoor tennis, was played in the early 1880s by British army officers in India and South Africa, using lids from cigar boxes as paddles and rounded corks from wine bottles as balls, with a row of books set up across the middle of a table to form the net. Other versions developed in England during the 1890s, known variously as "whiff whaff" and "gossima," and Parker Brothers began manufacturing an indoor tennis kit that included a portable net that could be set up on a table, a small ball covered with netting, and miniature paddles. However, an English manufacturer of sporting goods, John Jacques, registered "Ping Pong" as a trade name in 1901 and sold American rights to Parker Brothers, who came out with a new kit under that name. Another Englishman, E. C. Goode, in 1902 covered his wooden ping pong paddle with pebbled rubber, which allowed him to put spin on the ball. A Ping Pong Association was founded in England that year, but it lasted less than three years, mainly because Parker Brothers' control of the name made equipment rather expensive. Nevertheless, the sport spread rather quietly in England and Europe, primarily with equipment marketed by other manufacturers using the generic name of table tennis. A new Table Tennis Association was established in England in 1921. It was followed by the Fdration Internationale de Tennis de Table (International Table Tennis Federation), founded at a 1926 meeting in Berlin by England, Sweden, Hungary, India, Denmark, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Wales. The first world championship tournament was held in London in 1927. From then until World War II, Hungary dominated the sport. The top players of that early period were two Hungarians: Maria Mednyanszky, who won seven women's championships, and Viktor Barna, a five-time men's champion. Czechoslovakia and Romania also produced several champions. The American Ping Pong Association was organized in 1930, but its membership was limited because only Parker Brothers equipment could be used. Two rival organizations, the U. S. Amateur Table Tennis Association and the National Table Tennis Association, were founded in 1933. The three groups merged in 1935 into the U. S. Table Tennis Association, which was renamed U.S.A. Table Tennis in 1994. Asian players also developed the "penholder" grip, in which the handle of the paddle is held between forefinger and thumb, which allows the player to strike the ball with the same face of the paddle on any stroke. That grip is now used by virtually all top international players.

Table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988, with singles and doubles competition for both men and women.
The Basic Table Tennis Strokes

Well, the easist table tennis stroke to learn first is the backhand push. Then you should move on to the forehand drive, followed by the backhand drive, and finally the hardest of the four basic table tennis strokes - the forehand push. 1. The Backhand Push To play this stroke, stand close to the table and take a stance facing the line of play. Using a short stroke, your racket arm should move from the elbow in a horizontal plane whilst your free arm should point towards the ball to assist with your balance. Hit the ball at the top of the bounce (i.e. when the ball it at its highest point) using 50% of your stroke action before hitting the ball and 50% after hitting the ball. Strike the ball on the back bottom portion so that you impart slight backspin. 2. The Forehand Drive To play this stroke, stand close to the table and take a sideways stance facing the line of play. Using a medium stroke, your racket arm should move forward and slightly upwards in the direction that the ball is going to travel, whilst your free arm should point towards the ball to assist with your body turn and balance. During your stroke, your upper body should rotate approx. 45 degrees to the right then turn back to face the ball, whilst your body weight moves from your right foot to your left. The racket angle should be slightly closed to impart topspin. Hit the ball at the top of the bounce (i.e. when the ball it at its highest point) using 50% of your stroke action before hitting the ball and 50% after hitting the ball. 3. The Backhand Drive To play this stroke, stand close to the table and take a stance facing the line of play. Using a medium stroke, your racket arm should move forward and slightly upwards in the direction that the ball is to travel, whilst your free arm should point towards the ball to assist with your balance. The racket angle should be slightly closed, and by keeping a loose wrist you can impart topspin as you move your arm forward.

Hit the ball at the top of the bounce (i.e. when the ball it at its highest point) using 50% of your stroke action before hitting the ball and 50% after hitting the ball. 4. The Forehand Push To play this stroke, stand close to the table and take a stance facing the line of play. Using a short stroke, your racket arm should move from the elbow in a horizontal plane whilst your free arm should point towards the ball to assist with your balance. Hit the ball at the top of the bounce (i.e. when the ball it at its highest point) using 50% of your stroke action before hitting the ball and 50% after hitting the ball. Strike the ball on the back bottom portion so that you impart slight backspin. Basic Skills
1.The Grip In table tennis, professionals play with either the shakehand grip (see fig. 1, 2) or the penhold grip. The shakehand grip is aptly named because you hold the paddle as if you were shaking someone's hand, with your index finger extending over the bottom part of the rubber on the backhand side (see fig. 2)and your thumb slightly touching the rubber on the forehand side (see fig. 1). Notice how only 3 fingers wrap around the handle. The penhold grip is also aptly named because you hold the paddle just lika pen, only grasping the paddle at the top of the handle. Because of this, "penholders" often use paddles with special handles more comfortable for them. It is your choice which grip you want to use, but I strongly suggest you use the shakehands grip, because very few people use the penhold grip now and it is difficult, if you play penhold, to play against someone who uses shakehands. Also, the shakehands grip makes table tennis a lot easier to play, because it gives you freedom of wrist and allows you to hit easily from both forehand and backhand sides. 2.Spin To play table tennis, it is essential that you first learn how spin works in affecting the balls trajectory and bounce. Also in this section are a few paragraphs on how to create different kinds of spin. Every professional in the world uses spin while attempting to hit the ball over the net and onto the opponent's side The three spins most commonly use are topsin, backspin and sidespin. To hit a forehand "no spin" ball with topspin, you must angle your paddle so the forehand side faces downward 45 degrees (closed face). With a forward motion, swing through the ball. The sound should be a low "pop". To make topspin you must always swing over the ball. To hit a "no spin" ball with back spin, you should do nearly the opposite of a topspin ball. Angle your paddle upwards so that the forehand side faces the ceiling, facing upward 45 degrees(open face).

Swing through the ball, but don't use as much speed as you would using topspin. A backspin ball tends to rise, and a topspin ball tends to drop downward. To make backspin always remember to swing under the ball. A ball hit with backspin is most commonly called a chop. Almost no players use sidepin shots in there strokes, but many use it in their serve. You could probably infer that you'd angle the paddle sideways and swing sideways. That's how pure sidespin is used, but professionals mainly combine topsin and sidespin, or backspin and sidespin in their serves. You might ask, why use spin? Spin affects both the trajectory of the ball, and how the ball bounces. When an opponent tries to hit a ball with topspin, the ball will most likely hit his paddle and go relatively high in the air. This is why the opponent should always angle his paddle downward (closed) when blocking back a topspin ball. The most common way to return a ball with topspin is to hit it back with topspin. A topspin ball, after the first bounce, will speed up and jump forward very quickly.

Rules & Regulations

Scoring Rules A point is scored when your opponent fails to properly return the ball to your side of the table. In a standard game of table tennis, the first player to reach 11 points is considered the winner. Rules also state, however, that a player must be leading his opponent by a margin of at least two points before a win can be declared. Matches are typically played as a series of five games, with the first player to win three games declared the winner. Table According to the ITTF, the tabletop should be precisely 76 centimeters above the floor and on an even, horizontal plane. The playing surface is rectangular in shape with a measurement of 2.74 meters long and 1.525 meters wide. The surface of the table may be made of a variety of materials, as long as a standard ball can achieve a consistent bounce of 23 centimeters when dropped from 30 centimeters above the table. Net The ITTF states that all table tennis nets shall be attached on both sides to upright poles that stand 15.25 centimeters high, with the posts set 15.25 centimeters beyond the side line. The top of an ITTF-sanctioned net will be exactly 15.25 centimeters above the surface of the table with the bottom of the net resting as close to the tabletop as possible. Racket There are no regulations pertaining to the exact size, shape or even weight of a table tennis racket; hence there are many variations. Official ITTF standards do state that the racket's blade must consist of at least 85% natural wood, however. The sides of a racket's blade should also be covered with rubber. Players must allow both their opponent and the umpire an opportunity to inspect the racket before it is used in play.

Ball In order to adhere to the official ITTF guidelines, a table tennis ball must measure exactly 40 millimeters in diameter and weight exactly 2.7 grams. Table tennis balls must be constructed out of celluloid or another similar plastic and must be white or orange in color. BENEFITS OF TABLE TENNIS

Throughout the world, people play table tennis for exercise, recreation and social outlet. In fact, it trails only soccer as a participant sport. Little understood and lightly regarded in The United States, table tennis offers several advantages as a life sport that have caused it to be embraced by millions of players worldwide. Little risk of injury As a non-contact sport, using a ball that weighs only a few grams, table tennis is practically a risk-free sport. Table tennis players do not run the risk of being struck by lightning, breaking bones, banging heads, concussion, or being mistaken for a deer. Physical benefits Table tennis, when played competitively, has an impressive list of physical benefits, the most obvious of which is eye-hand coordination. The speed, spin and placement of the ball are crucial, and practiced players are expert in both creating and solving puzzles involving these three attributes. Improved reflexes result because of the fast-paced nature of the sport over very short distances. Both gross and fine muscle movements are improved. The game is distinguished by bursts of exertion and recovery, leading to fast-twitch muscle development. Over the course of play, a fair, yet not extreme, amount of aerobic activity occurs. Players can set their own level of involvement. Mental benefits Table tennis is accurately described as 'high-speed chess'. The mental alertness encouraged by the sport's tactical challenges is particularly good for seniors. The ability to concentrate on applying a tactic is good for all ages. Table tennis is available year-round as a social outlet. It is one of the few sports in which size, age, and sex are irrelevant competitive factors. This aspect has led to it's adoption as the world's most popular life sport and the slogan "table tennis: anybody, anytime, anywhere". Weight Loss A 2006 report in the Los Angeles Times says that a 150-pound person can burn 272 calories by playing table tennis for an hour. Considering the fact that the sport is entertaining and addictive, it can be a fun and easy way to burn calories. While the calorie exemption is lower than in singles tennis, the risk of injury and falls is also significantly lower. A highspeed game of table tennis can burn a significant amount of calories and improve your

concentration and reflexes. It also helps your cardiovascular system and improves your overall fitness level.