Table tennis
Table tennis, one of the most thrilling
sporting spectacles, is a game of
intense speed and jaw-dropping
perfection. Originally a leisure activity for the upper-class in Victorian-era England, the sport was
initially called ping pong before being renamed to table tennis in 1922. In its early days, the
sport was largely played and dominated by Europeans, especially the Hungarians. However,
table tennis became widely popular in Asia after finding its way to the continent in the 1950s,
which has since been a breeding ground for some of the best players in the world. Just eight
years after hosting its first World Cup in China, table tennis featured at the 1988 Summer
Olympics in Seoul and has since been a fixture at the Games.
A table tennis match begins with the
umpire conducting a coin-toss. The
winner has the options to serve the ball
first, receive it, or choose the side of the
table they’d like to play from. The server
has to hold the ball with an open palm, toss it up and strike it in a manner that the ball
bounces first on the server’s side of the table before bouncing over the net to the other
side. The receiver, however, can return it by hitting it over the net and into the
opponent’s half of the table. If the player attempts to return the ball before it bounces, a
foul is called. In singles competition, while the service rule allows the server to serve to
any part of the table on the opposite end, in doubles, the service has to travel diagonally
across the table. Here, the serving player plays from the right side of the table.
The aim in table tennis is to strike the ball in a manner that the opponent fails to make
contact with the ball, which earns the player a point. This can either be by sheer power,
spin or other deceptive means. However, if the ball hits the net and it fails to bounce
over into the opponent’s half, or hits it over the net and out of bounds without coming
into contact with the table, the opponent gets a point. In doubles, the rule gets a bit
more tricky. Here, the server and the partner have to alternate while attempting to push
the ball on to the opponent’s side of the table. Here the service alternates as well.
Theopponent can also be awarded a point if you hit the ball outside the playing surface
or if the ball comes in contact with any part of your body while attempting a shot.
According to the laws of table tennis, a player can win a game of table tennis by scoring
11 points - with one point awarded for every infringement. Every player gets to serve
twice in a row. The first to 11 points is declared the winner.If the points are tied at 10-10,
a player then has to strive for a two-point lead to win the game.A match is won by
winning games. The number of games per match varies across competitions and
categories. While singles matches are usually a best-of-seven event, doubles are a
best-of-five affair.
By changing pace and angle, players can extend their range and variation of shots. This
helps improve their game significantly. Some of the widely used shots are as follows:
Topspin, It’s one of the commonly used attacking shots in the game. Here, the player
glides the bottom side of the paddle, while holding it in a 45-degree angle, over the ball
to push it ahead. The ball spins after bouncing, making it relatively difficult for the
opponent to execute a timely return.
Block, It’s one of the first shots that a table tennis player is taught while being
introduced to the game. Standing square of the table, the player holds the paddle with
an open face, returning the ball using the paddle side facing the table.
Chop, It’s a defensive shot that many players resort to when trying to negotiate spin.
Staying away from the table, here, the player uses the top side of the paddle, pushing it
downwards at a 45-degree angle while making contact with the bottom half of the ball. A
chop can be played with both forehand and backhand, depending on the player’s
position while receiving the ball.
As per the official rules of table tennis, the game is played on a 2.74 x 1.53-metre
rectangular table made of fibrewood and is split into two halves. The table is coated with
dark and glossy paint, giving it a matte finish. A two centimetre-thick line runs over the
border of the table, marking the playing surface. The table is divided into two halves by
a net that's suspended using two poles attached to the table. The table tennis
net stands at a height of 15.25 centimetres.
Table tennis racquet, The bat, commonly referred to as a ‘racquet’ or ‘paddle’, is
approximately 17cms long and 15cms wide, made primarily of wood. It has a rubber
surface on either side - black and red - that help the players in applying and negating
the spin on the ball. Table tennis ball, the ball, usually orange or white, weighs about
2.7 grams and is spherical with a diameter of 40 millimetres as per rules and
regulations.
Ma Long is one of the greatest table tennis players ever to wield a paddle – perhaps the
greatest. The stats back up his claim for top billing: during his career he has been
ranked world number one for longer than any other male player – 64 months in total,
including an unbroken 34 months from 2015.He has been World Champion on three
occasions, 2015, 2017 and 2019, and his victory in the singles at the Rio 2016 Olympic
Games means he is the current World and Olympic champion. Adding the World Cup to
that list of honours means he is also only the fifth ever table tennis player to win the
‘Grand Slam’, too. He has won every singles title available in the game, and once went
on a streak of five successive ITTF Tournament wins. No wonder they call him “the
Dictator”.