Table tennis

Table tennis (also called ping-pong) is a racket sport that grew out of tennis. It is not played on a court. It is played on a table that stays in one place. Players, either alone or in teams of two, hit a light, hollow ball over a net to the other side of the table. They use small rackets. If a player misses, the other player wins a point.

The game is fast. Players need quick reactions and close attention. Spin is very important. It can change the path of the ball more than in many other ball sports.

Table tennis needs only a small space to play. It can be played indoors in any kind of weather, and its equipment is easy to get. Because of this, people all over the world enjoy it. Some play it as a competitive sport, and many others play it as a fun hobby at any age and skill level.

Table tennis has been an Olympic sport since 1988 (/wiki/Table_tennis_at_the_1988_Summer_Olympics). Men's and women's singles, and men's and women's teams, are events. Teams replaced doubles in 2008 (/wiki/Table_tennis_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics).

The sport is run by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), which was founded in 1926. The ITTF writes the official rules in its handbook. It currently has 226 member associations around the world. If you search for "Ping-pong," you may also want to see [Ping-pong (disambiguation)](/wiki/Ping-pong_(disambiguation) for other uses of the name.

History

The sport began in Victorian England, where wealthy people played it as an after-dinner parlour game. Some people think British army officers in India made simple versions of the game in the 1860s or 1870s and took it home. In 1883, the company Slazenger filed a patent for a table tennis net. David Foster is also given credit for the idea in 1890. The name "ping-pong" is an onomatopoeia, a word that copies the sound of the game. In 1901, the British maker J. Jaques & Son Ltd trademarked the name, so other makers called the game "table tennis." In the United States, Jaques sold the rights to the name to Parker Brothers, which protected its trademark in the 1920s. Today, the U.S. trademark for "Ping-Pong" is owned by Indian Industries, Inc., which does business as Escalade Sports.

In 1901, a British fan named James W. Gibb found celluloid balls on a trip to the US and thought they were perfect for the game. That same year, E.C. Goode created the modern racket by attaching bumpy rubber to a wooden blade. The early scoring system was like lawn tennis. A new Table Tennis Association was started in 1921 and became the English Table Tennis Association in 1926. The International Table Tennis Federation started in 1926, and London hosted the first official World Championships that year. In 1933, the United States Table Tennis Association was formed. In the 1930s, Edgar Snow wrote in Red Star Over China that soldiers in the Chinese Civil War had a "passion for the English game of table tennis." In the 1950s, paddles with a rubber sheet over a sponge layer added more spin and speed. From the mid-1980s, speed glue made the game even faster, so the rules were changed to "slow the game down." Table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988.

Rules and regulations

The official rules are written in the ITTF handbook, which was first published in 1927. The current (fiftieth) version came out in 2022.

After the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, the ITTF changed some rules to make table tennis more fun to watch on television. In October 2000, the old balls were replaced with slightly larger 40 mm balls. This slowed the game down. Players had been making the fast sponge layer on their paddles thicker, which made the game too fast to follow easily. In September 2001, the scoring changed from 21 points to 11 points. The serve rotation also changed from five points to two. This made games shorter and more exciting. In 2002, new serve rules stopped players from hiding the ball during a serve. This made rallies longer. The ball must now be tossed at least 16 centimetres (6.3 in) into the air so the opponent can see the serve. The ITTF says that all events after July 2014 are played with a new plastic-based ball.

Equipment

The table tennis ball is small, light, and hollow. The international rules say it weighs 2.7 grams and is 40 millimetres wide. When dropped from 30.5 cm onto a steel block, it must bounce 24 to 26 cm. This is measured by its coefficient of restitution, which must be between 0.89 and 0.92. Since 2015, balls have been made of a plastic-like material called a polymer instead of celluloid. They are white or orange. The 40 mm ball was introduced after the 2000 Summer Olympics, replacing a 38 mm ball. Some people were unhappy with the change. Vladimir Samsonov, who was then the world's top-ranked player, threatened to leave the World Cup, which was going to be the first event to use the new ball.

The table is 2.74 m long, 1.525 m wide, and 76 cm high. Its dark, non-shiny surface is split in two by a net that is 15.25 cm high. The ITTF only approves wooden tables or tables made from similar materials. Concrete tables are sometimes found in outdoor public places, such as parks. Playing areas must be at least 14 m long and 7 m wide, with a height of at least 5 m above the table.

Players use a wooden racket with a layer of rubber on one or both sides, depending on how they hold it. The wooden part, called the "blade", is usually made of one to seven layers of wood. Some rackets use other materials, such as cork, carbon fiber, and Kevlar. At least 85% of the blade must be natural wood, such as balsa, limba, cypress, or hinoki. Each side of the racket can have a different rubber surface, which can make the ball spin or move faster or slower. One side must be black and the other a bright colour, so players can tell the two rubbers apart.

Gameplay

A coin toss, or a guessing game with the ball hidden in a player's hand, usually decides who serves first. The server tosses the ball straight up at least 16 cm (6.3 in). Then they hit it so it bounces on their own side and then on the other side. The receiver must hit the ball back. The players keep taking turns until the rally ends. Sometimes a rally is replayed without a point, such as when the serve touches the net. A player scores when the opponent misses a serve or return, hits the ball into the wrong place, or breaks another rule.

The first player to score 11 points wins the game. If both players reach 10, one player must get a 2-point lead to win. Matches are played as the best of an odd number of games. In competitions, they are usually best of five or seven. Serving switches every two points. In doubles, the pair takes turns hitting the ball. Both singles and doubles are played at the Olympic Games and at the Commonwealth Games. If a game lasts more than 10 minutes and fewer than 18 points have been scored, an "expedite" rule speeds it up. Each player serves for one point in turn.

Grips

Table tennis players hold their rackets in many ways. Most grips fall into two main families: penhold and shakehand. The rules do not say how a racket must be held, so many different grips are used. The penhold grip gets its name because the racket is held like a writing instrument. The most popular version is the Chinese penhold, where three fingers curl on the back of the racket. Chinese players often use a round racket head. The Japanese/Korean penhold spreads those fingers across the back instead. Penhold players are common in East Asian countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

The shakehand grip gets its name because the racket is held as if shaking hands. It is sometimes called the "tennis" or "Western" grip, but it is not the tennis grip used on the West Coast of the United States. In table tennis, "Western" refers to Western nations, whose players have almost always used this grip. It is common even in China because it is simple and flexible. The Seemiller grip is a version of the shakehand grip. It is named after the American champion Danny Seemiller, who used it. In 1985, four of the United States' five participants at the World Championships used it.

Stance

'A good ready position will enable you to move quickly into position and to stay balanced whilst playing powerful strokes.'

The stance in table tennis is also called the "ready position." Every player starts in this position when waiting for the ball, and goes back to it after each shot so they are ready for the next one. The feet are placed wider than the shoulders, and the player bends their knees a little, into a partial crouch. This crouch helps them move quickly and preloads the muscles, which makes it easier to move with energy. The upper body leans slightly forward, the player looks ahead, and the racket is held ready with a bent arm.

The position should feel balanced. It gives a solid base for hitting the ball and for moving quickly from side to side. Players can change their stance to suit themselves, and they may adjust it during a game depending on what is happening.

Types of strokes

Table tennis strokes are usually sorted into attacking and defensive types.

Among the attacking strokes, the hit, also called a speed drive, sends the ball forward quickly. It has mostly speed and little spin. Players use it to keep the ball in play and to pressure their opponent. The loop was perfected during the 1960s. It is the opposite of the chop and creates a lot of topspin, so the ball arcs high and jumps forward after it hits the table. Players such as Ding Ning, Timo Boll and Zhang Jike mostly use the loop to attack. The counter-hit is a quick counterattack, often used against high loop drives. Kenta Matsudaira is known for relying on it. A flip is used when the ball has not bounced past the edge of the table. The backswing is squeezed into a quick wrist action. A smash is a fast, powerful forehand shot. Players usually aim it at a ball that bounces too high or too close to the net. It often has little spin.

Defensive strokes help a player keep the point going and create chances to attack. The push, called a "slice" in Asia, cuts under the ball to add backspin. This makes the ball float slowly across the table. The chop is a bigger, heavier push played well back from the table. It matches the topspin of an opponent's shot with backspin. Famous choppers include Joo Sae-hyuk and Wu Yang. A block is made by placing the racket in front of the ball right after it bounces. It sends the ball back with almost as much energy as it arrived with. A defensive lob lifts the ball about five metres high with lots of spin, which can make it hard for the opponent to return. Professional players use the lob less often. Michael Maze is a notable exception.

Effects of spin

Spin changes how table tennis works. Almost every stroke or serve has some spin, and knowing the different types helps players defend and play well. Backspin makes the bottom of the ball turn away from the player. Professionals mostly use it to defend and to keep the ball low. Topspin makes the ball dip and then speed up after it bounces. It is the main attacking stroke in professional games because it gives the opponent less time to respond. Topspin also changes the ball's curve through the Magnus effect. Sidespin is mostly used in serves. It makes the ball spin sideways and has little effect on its bounce. Corkspin, also called "drill-spin," is used almost only in serves. It makes the ball dart left or right after it bounces, though it is usually mixed with another type of spin.

Competitions

Table tennis competitions are popular in East Asia and Europe. They are also growing in the United States. The most important international competitions are the World Table Tennis Championships, the Table Tennis World Cup, the Olympics, and the World Table Tennis Finals. Some competitions are held on each continent. These include the European Championships, Europe Top-16, the Asian Championships, and the Asian Games. Chinese players have won most of the men's World Championships since 1959. They have also won almost every women's Corbillon Cup World Championship since 1971. Other strong teams come from Austria, Belarus, Germany, Hong Kong, Portugal, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Sweden, and Taiwan.

Many countries have professional club leagues. These include the top leagues of Austria, Belgium, China (China Table Tennis Super League), Japan (T.League), France, Germany (Bundesliga), and Russia. Club teams also play in the European Champions League and its former rival, the European Club Cup. In these contests, the best club teams from European countries compete. In June 2023, a virtual reality table tennis competition was held during Olympic Esports Week in Singapore. It used Eleven Table Tennis. The final match was played between two players from France.

Naturalized players in international competition

See also: List of naturalised Olympic table tennis players from China

According to the New York Times, 31% of the table tennis players at the 2016 Summer Olympics were naturalized. This was twice the rate of the next sport, basketball, which had 15%. Feng Tianwei, a player born in China, now represents Singapore. Feng has won medals in three Olympic table tennis events. That is more than native Singaporeans have won in all other sports combined, which is two. Some people in Singapore have had mixed feelings about these successes. In 2014, the president of the Singapore Table Tennis Association, Lee Bee Wah, resigned over this issue. Her successor, Ellen Lee, later supported the citizenship application of Zeng Jian, a table tennis player born in China.

The number of naturalized players grew faster after the ITTF made a decision in 2009. This was one year after China won every possible Olympic medal in the sport. The decision limited how many players each association could enter in the Olympics and the World Table Tennis Championships. In 2019, the ITTF adopted new rules. Players who gained a new nationality must wait before representing their new association. How long they wait depends on their age when they registered and whether they had represented another association. The wait ranges from 1 year for players under 15 who had never represented another association, up to 9 years for players who were at least 21.

Notable players

For a longer list, see List of table tennis players.

An official hall of fame exists at the ITTF Museum. A Grand Slam is won by a player who wins singles titles at the Olympic Games, World Championships, and World Cup. Jan-Ove Waldner of Sweden was the first to win the grand slam, at the 1992 Olympic Games. Deng Yaping of China was the first woman recorded at the first Women's World Cup in 1996. The table below lists all players who have won a grand slam.

Jean-Philippe Gatien, Wang Hao and Sun Yingsha won both the World Championships and the World Cup, but lost in the gold medal matches at the Olympics. Ma Lin and Chen Meng won both the Olympic gold and the World Cup, but lost in the World Championships finals. Jörgen Persson, Liu Shiwen and Wang Chuqin also won all the titles except the Olympic Games. Persson is one of five table tennis players to have competed at seven Olympic Games. Zhang Yining and Ma Long are the only players to have won the grand slam twice.

Governance

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) was founded in 1926. It is the worldwide governing body for table tennis. It keeps an international ranking system and runs events like the World Table Tennis Championships. In 2007, the ITTF took over responsibility for table tennis for persons with a disability from the International Paralympic Committee.

Many continents have their own governing body for the sport. For example, the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) looks after table tennis in Europe. Countries and local groups also help run the sport. USA Table Tennis (USATT) is the national governing body for table tennis in the United States.

Variants

Hardbat table tennis uses rackets with short, outward-facing "pips" and no sponge. This makes the ball move more slowly and spin less. The World Championship of Ping Pong uses old-fashioned wooden paddles covered with sandpaper.

Round the World (also called Round Robin or Round the Table) is a fun, informal party game. Players stand in a line on each side of the table. When a player hits the ball, they put their paddle down, and the player behind them picks it up to hit the ball back. A player is out when they lose a point. When only 2 players are left, one player hits the ball, puts down their paddle, spins around, and then picks the paddle back up to return the ball.