Again, it's raining like crazy outside. But that's no reason or excuse to spend all day on the sofa again. Are you looking for some exercise and fun?
All you need is two paddles, a ball and a table. That's it. Let the fun begin! Table Tennis is a great way to get you moving. I know what I am talking about. I started playing table tennis when I was fifteen.
Soon thereafter I joined my first club and I've been playing ever since. My current rating is about 2150 and I am registered at USATT.
You probably noticed, that I use the term 'table-tennis' and not 'ping-pong'. Well, even though the basic concept of both variations is the same, there is indeed a huge difference. If you go on Youtube for instance and search for table tennis videos, you will find thousands of snippets or even whole matches illustrating what a powerful and strenuous sport it is.
Did you notice the footwork or did you only try to follow the ball? Pretty impressive, right? Some shots exceed 100 mph and it takes a very good physical condition to keep up with that.
Yes, ping-pong and table-tennis are related, but as you know by now, there still is a huge difference between a casual activity on hand, and some very serious and effective work-out regimen on the other. But that shouldn't stop you from trying. Just start out slowly in the beginning.
Try that how: together with your opponent, attempt to hit the ball 20 times over the net, without making an error. Consistency is key and you should know that a regular exercise like this is part of every serious player's routine. Well, on that level though, it's not twenty but a hundred or more shots in a row at a very fast speed just to warm up.
And that's it. As I said, everybody follows the same warm-up routine. But in order to get there, hitting the ball at that pace without making any mistakes, it requires a lot of regular practice. Ideally, every day for a few hours. But anyway, everybody has to start slowly, there's no way around. Try to do 20 hits in a row with your partner, that's your first milestone before you move on to the next step.
Speed is secondary. Don't try to hit the ball too hard, actually, try to hit it lightly and focus on placement. The speed will come as you keep practicing. And if you can make 20 shots, you can step it up to 50. That's actually a huge jump and it will probably take you some time to get there. After that, it's time to take on the magic 100.
So that's it for now. Try it out, give it a shot. Indoor table-tennis is a perfect example of a cool sport that combines fun and serious work-out exercises at the same time. - 31983
All you need is two paddles, a ball and a table. That's it. Let the fun begin! Table Tennis is a great way to get you moving. I know what I am talking about. I started playing table tennis when I was fifteen.
Soon thereafter I joined my first club and I've been playing ever since. My current rating is about 2150 and I am registered at USATT.
You probably noticed, that I use the term 'table-tennis' and not 'ping-pong'. Well, even though the basic concept of both variations is the same, there is indeed a huge difference. If you go on Youtube for instance and search for table tennis videos, you will find thousands of snippets or even whole matches illustrating what a powerful and strenuous sport it is.
Did you notice the footwork or did you only try to follow the ball? Pretty impressive, right? Some shots exceed 100 mph and it takes a very good physical condition to keep up with that.
Yes, ping-pong and table-tennis are related, but as you know by now, there still is a huge difference between a casual activity on hand, and some very serious and effective work-out regimen on the other. But that shouldn't stop you from trying. Just start out slowly in the beginning.
Try that how: together with your opponent, attempt to hit the ball 20 times over the net, without making an error. Consistency is key and you should know that a regular exercise like this is part of every serious player's routine. Well, on that level though, it's not twenty but a hundred or more shots in a row at a very fast speed just to warm up.
And that's it. As I said, everybody follows the same warm-up routine. But in order to get there, hitting the ball at that pace without making any mistakes, it requires a lot of regular practice. Ideally, every day for a few hours. But anyway, everybody has to start slowly, there's no way around. Try to do 20 hits in a row with your partner, that's your first milestone before you move on to the next step.
Speed is secondary. Don't try to hit the ball too hard, actually, try to hit it lightly and focus on placement. The speed will come as you keep practicing. And if you can make 20 shots, you can step it up to 50. That's actually a huge jump and it will probably take you some time to get there. After that, it's time to take on the magic 100.
So that's it for now. Try it out, give it a shot. Indoor table-tennis is a perfect example of a cool sport that combines fun and serious work-out exercises at the same time. - 31983
About the Author:
Tony Ulrich writes articles for 'Inside Table Tennis' and features a mini-series about Table Tennis Serving Rules on his website.
