Table Tennis

Table tennis, also known as ping pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball back and forth across a table using a small bat. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Except for the initial serve, the rules are generally as follows: players must allow a ball played toward them to bounce one time on their side of the table, and must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side at least once. A point is scored when a player fails to return the ball within the rules. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. Spinning the ball alters its trajectory and limits an opponent's options, giving the hitter a great advantage.

Table tennis is governed by the worldwide organization International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), founded in 1926. ITTF currently includes 220 member associations. The table tennis official rules are specified in the ITTF handbook. Table tennis has been an Olympic sport since 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 played instead of the doubles.

 

Governance

Founded in 1926, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the worldwide governing body for table tennis, which maintains an international ranking system in addition to organizing events like the World Table Tennis Championships. In 2007, the governance for table tennis for persons with a disability was transferred from the International Paralympic Committee to the ITTF.

On many continents, there is a governing body responsible for table tennis on that continent. For example, the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) is the governing body responsible for table tennis in Europe. There are also national bodies and other local authorities responsible for the sport, such as USA Table Tennis (USATT), which is the national governing body for table tennis in the United States.

 

Glossary of table tennis

Table tennis terminology is a set of English words and phrases used in the game of table tennis to describe the game, the play and the equipment. This article lists some of them.

• Antispin – A smooth rubber with very low surface friction, used to defend against strong spin or to confuse the opponent. This type of rubber is rarely (if at all) seen in modern top-level table tennis, but is popular with amateur and veteran players.
• Blade – The wooden part of the paddle
• Crossover – The point where a player has to change from playing a forehand stroke to backhand stroke; often a target for attack, since it is difficult to return balls aimed at this area.
• Early – The rising part of a ball's bounce
• Inverted rubber – Rubber which contacts the ball with its smooth surface, and is glued to the rest of the bat with its pimpled surface. With a larger contact area this type of rubber generally produces more spin than pimpled rubber, although some rubbers are designed to have the opposite effect.
• Heavy – Used to describe strong spin
• Late – The falling part of a ball's bounce
• Loop – A strong topspin stroke that aims to overpower the spin of the oncoming ball (usually backspin)
• Loose – A return which is too high, too long, has insufficient spin or a combination of the above. Easy for the opponent to attack or kill
• Multiball – Training method minimizing wasted time by using many balls which are continuously fed to the player, either by another player or a ball robot
• Penhold – Style of player who grips the paddle in a manner similar to holding a pen
• Pimples(Pips) – Rubber which contacts the ball with its pimpled surface; produces different effects on the spin compared with inverted rubber, due to the reduced contact area and flexibility of the pimples
• Sandwich rubber – Inverted rubber, with sponge
• Shakehand – The most popular table-tennis grip; similar to a tennis grip, with the index finger extended over the paddle head perpendicular to the handle
• Speed glue – Glue used to attach rubber to the blade; contains a high percentage of volatile solvents, which soak into the sponge of a rubber and increase the speed and spin of a stroke
• Third ball – The stroke hit by the server after the opponent's return of the serve. Because the serve can be used to make attacking difficult for the opponent, the third ball is frequently the first strong attacking stroke in a table-tennis rally.
• Tight – A return which is difficult for the opponent to attack. Always a low ball, usually in combination with being short, having strong backspin or both

 

 

• Outline
  

  SPORTS WORLD

  Table Tennis

  Table tennis, also known as ping pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball back and forth across a table using a small bat. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net.

  History: The sport originated in Victorian England, where it was played among the upper-class as an after-dinner parlour game.

  Equipment: The international rules specify that the game is played with a sphere having a mass of 2.7 grams (0.095 oz) and a diameter of 40 millimetres (1.57 in).

  Gameplay: In game play, the player serving the ball commences a play. The server first stands with the ball held on the open palm of the hand not carrying the paddle, called the freehand, and tosses the ball directly upward without spin, at least 16 cm (6.3 in) high.

  Doubles Game: Singles and doubles are both played in international competition, including the Olympic Games since 1988 and the Commonwealth Games since 2002.

  Grips: Though table tennis players grip their rackets in various ways, their grips can be classified into two major families of styles, penhold and shakehand.

  Types of Strokes: Table tennis strokes generally break down into offensive and defensive categories.

  Effects of Spin: Adding spin onto the ball causes major changes in table tennis gameplay. Although nearly every stroke or serve creates some kind of spin, understanding the individual types of spin allows players to defend against and use different spins effectively.

SPORTS

 

RESOURCES
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles "Table Tennis" and "Glossary of table tennis", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.