Table tennis is a very interesting sport. This game is a classical example where there must be hand to eye coordination is key in beating an opponent.

The way that a player holds the paddle is the best way to learn the various techniques. Take for example the shake handgrip where the person will literally take hold of it like shaking a person’s hand.

This is very easy to learn and the way it is handled will allow the player to serve, block, push and smash whenever it is needed. In fact, beginners do not only use this technique because experienced athletes still apply it during practice and in competition.

Another way of holding the paddle is called the pen grip. The individual will hold the handle as though this is like a pen. People will surely notice that a lot of Asians use this especially the Chinese who were the ones who invented it.

What is the difference between the two aside from how the paddle is held? Those who decide to use the handshake will keep the edge of the paddle always on the side. Players who use the pen grip will point this toward the ground.

These are two most popular ways of holding the paddle. Since the sport is not only about using the arms, proper technique is also developed with fancy footwork. This is achieved based on the stance one takes either being in the offense or defense.

It takes time to master one of the other. Perhaps when the individual’s skills have improved, this will be a good time to learn the second one then see which one is better when playing in a game.

Since the ball may come in any direction, the player should crouch a little keeping the hands close to the shoulders. This should be relaxed at all times since tension will build up later on as the game goes on further.

The person also does not have to run from one end of the table to the other unlike tennis but faster movement can be done with knees bent and the legs a few feet apart.

It will take some time to achieve proper timing. The player will realize later on that a miss will happen when the reaction is either too fast or slow.

While on the offense, the speed drive works best. The player starts the momentum by trading a few volleys and when the timing is right, a smash will be sent to the other side thus adding one more point on the scoreboard.

Of course, the other player can do the same thing so it is best to be prepared for it that is known as the counter drive. The player will just have to take the initiative when to smash it again to the other side but be prepared just in case the opponent is able to anticipate this at the same time.

Some matches will even have both players standing a few feet away from the table. This is called a lob given that both sides are trading some powerful shots. There is a way to end this and it goes back to the smash.

It will be a good idea to also learn how to block so that the energy given by the other player is returned in kind by simply putting the paddle up.

About the Author: Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on table tennis, also called ping pong, checkout his recommended websites.

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Read the original post: Table Tennis Techniques

Playing the game of table tennis can be compared to riding a bike. Anyone can watch how others do it and more or less understand how the game is played. But for those who want to have better skills, this is the time that table tennis coaching is necessary.

The person can check out the youth center or ask someone in school how to play the game. There is a lot to learn from holding the grip to the various poses that are done during offense and defense.

If the school does not have a team, maybe those who are members of a sports club can learn there. A small group of people can form a team that will later compete in other tournaments.

Most sports facilities will have the table and the net. The only thing that player needs to have is a paddle. The one in charge of training the people will usually start with drills. This will increases the chances of making contact with the ball using either the forehand or the backhand.

The beginner will not be rushed in learning how to play the game. There are those who need more time to practice before going any further while those who learn fast may move on to other techniques.

From drills, the player will finally get to spar with someone else. The opponent could also be a beginner or someone with more experience. The coach will be there the entire time to keep score and also point out errors that should be avoided.

When the coach feels that the player is ready, this is the time that the person will get to compete in a tournament. A lot of people get nervous the first time, which is perfectly normal. The event is like a graduation where the a beginner becomes a rookie.

The coach who is sitting in the sidelines will be giving advice during the course of the match. The player should listen carefully and follow the instructions because the instructor may have seen a weak point in the opponent that should be taken advantage of.

In the end, the outcome of the match will really depend on the player. The rookie may win because of pure luck or exceptional skill. This could also go the other way but the experience is worth remembering in order to become better in the next tournament.

The lessons given by the coach even before the competition are not enough to make the person a better player. This means there is still so much to learn and the individual should be open to the other things that can be taught.

Some coaches will show video clips of other players and even encourage the rookie to watch actual games if there any in town or on television. These individuals did not become one of the best in the country or the world overnight so those who dream of making it should practice and learn just as hard as these people did.

There is more to table tennis than just hitting the ball with the paddle. There is hand to eye coordination, speed and technique. The top ranked in the world need to stay in shape while a beginner needs to learn everything there is to know that can only be achieved with someone acting as a coach.

About the Author: Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on table tennis, also called ping pong, checkout his recommended websites.

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=123222&ca=Sports

Read more from the original source: Table Tennis Coaching

If you watch the sports channels on TV, such as ESPN, a lot, you’re likely to catch a game of table tennis every so often. Table tennis, often called ping pong, is played on a wooden table, with a plastic ball and paddles covered in rubber and a net dividing the playing surface. It is sometimes called the miniature version of tennis since the rules are so similar.

Table tennis is a fun and exciting sport and it is easy to learn. A big advantage to taking up table tennis is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on expensive equipment. The most expensive part is obviously the table. You can find inexpensive ping pong sets, consisting of the net, 2 paddles and a number of balls, in almost any department store in the toy or sporting goods section.

The game of table tennis was invented in England in the 1880′s by rich Victorians looking for an activity to be played indoors. When the game was first played, books served as a net, a knot of string or a champagne cork was used as a ball and cigarette box lids were employed as paddles. Apparently people enjoyed this newly invented game with its make-shift equipment, since it continued to grow in popularity.

Improvements were made to the equipment during the early 1900′s. The balls were being made from celluloid and the paddles consisted of a piece of rubber glued to a wooden handle. The word ping pong originated because of the distinctive sound the ball made when hit with the rubber paddle. And Parker Brothers opted to go with the ping pong name when they introduced the game to the United States.

With the commercial availability of the equipment, the game continued to grow in popularity and the first tournament was held in 1902. In 1921 the Table Tennis Association was founded in England and less than 10 years later, the first World Championships also took place there.

Over time the sport spread to other parts of the world. In the Far Eastern countries, such as China, it is called ping pong, while in other countries similar terms in the native language are used.

The 1950′s rolled around and other innovations were made. As an example, a sponge layer was added to the paddles over the rubber, making the paddles lighter and easier for the players to use. And finally, after being around for more than a century, table tennis was included as an Olympic Sport in 1988.

In the latter part of 2000, the international body governing the rules of table tennis introduced more changes. They decided to increase the size of the plastic ball used in tournaments from 38mm to 40mm. This was an attempt to slow the game down a little. They also made changes to the way the game was scored, now using a 11 point system as opposed to the traditional 21 points, which makes each set fast and exciting for the players and spectators.

Enjoy your experiences with table tennis, and remember to keep your eye on the ball.

About the Author: Evert DuToit is the webmaster and publisher of Table Tennis Facts, where you’ll find informative articles on table tennis, such as The Rules of Table Tennis.

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Read the rest here: A Brief History Of Table Tennis

The sport of table tennis or ping pong, is a fun indoor sport for 2 or 4 people. On a casual level, families might have a ping pong table in their family rec room or basement, much like a pool or foosball table; but few know how to play table tennis or ping pong to achieve the best results. Below, we’ve outlined the basic grips (ways to hold the table tennis paddle) of table tennis, to help you maximize your performance, both recreationally and professionally.

The way that you hold your tennis table paddle can dramatically alter your performance based on what type of game you are seeking to play (whether professional or recreational), what strokes you will be predominantly using, and the like. There are three basic ways to hold or grip your table tennis or ping pong paddle: the shakehands, penhold, and seemiller grips. The shakehands grip is the most commonly used, both in family rec rooms and professional matches, as it allows for strong mobility in both forehand and backhand strokes. The penhold grip is a more antiquated grip for table tennis players, used more often by professional players seeking to surprise their opponent with a different grip. This grip affords the table tennis player a much stronger forehand predominant stroke, and disables the ease of a backhand because of grip position. Lastly, the seemiller grip was developed by 5 time US Table Tennis champion, Dan Seemiller. This grip is hardly ever used as it is considered disruptive to form, as it employs only one side of the paddle for both forehand and backhand strokes. It is a slight variation from the shakehands grip, allowing for strong control of both forehand and backhand strokes.

How to use the Shakehands Grip:

· Grip the paddle’s handle with all fingers, palm facing you.

· Extend index finger straight out along the base of the rubber part of the paddle (the actual paddle part) on one side of the paddle.

· Close thumb around the other side of the paddle (from your index finger), also along the base. Your thumb should meet the three remaining fingers wrapped around the handle of the paddle.

· Make sure your extended arm and paddle edge form a straight line. It should look like you are shaking hands at a 45 degree angle.

How to use the Penhold Grip:

· Wrap your thumb and index finger around the base of the rubber paddle (where the handle meets the paddle part).
· Your middle, ring, and pinky fingers should be folded behind the paddle and out of the way.
· The tips of your index finger and thumb should be touching.
· The grip should look as if you were holding a pen.

How to use the Seemiller Grip:

· Grip the paddle’s handle with all fingers, palm facing you.

· Extend index finger straight out along the base of the rubber part of the paddle (the actual paddle part) on one side of the paddle.

· Slightly wrap or hook your index finger around the edge of the paddle.

· Close thumb around the other side of the paddle (from your index finger), also along the base. Your thumb should meet the three remaining fingers wrapped around the handle of the paddle.

· Make sure thumb points forward towards the game.

· Make sure your extended arm and paddle edge form a straight line. It should look like you are shaking hands at a 45 degree angle.

Things to keep in mind:

· Keep your grip loose.

· Each grip preference requires a different type of paddle. Play around with the different grips and see what feels most comfortable for you, before you opt for a particular paddle.

· Choose to play a game or opponent that matches the type of grip and stroke that you are best at. For example: use a shakehands grip for a general game that will require forehand and backhand. Use a Seemiller grip for a professional game that requires a lot of blocking.

· If your grip feels uncomfortable, make sure your form is correct.

· Best thing to do if you have any questions or problems, is to ask a certified table tennis coach or locate a supplier.

As a ping pong player, you need to consider the fact that your equipment is an investment that you need to take care of. Although the equipment isn’t that expensive compared to other sporting equipment; not taking care of your ping pong equipment will not only cause you to constantly purchase replacements but it will also affect the quality of your performance whenever you play ping pong.

One thing that you need to take care of is your paddle and the rubber glued on it.

In order to protect your ping pong paddle and the rubber, you will want to purchase a paddle case. With this, you will be able to effectively protect your ping pong paddle from accidental drops and bumps. You can either choose from a canvas case or there are also some available hard cases that will be able to offer heavy duty protection to your paddle.

If you own a customized paddle, you know how expensive it can be to get one specially made for you. Now, what if you left your paddle on a bench and someone sat on it? It can be quite frustrating and it will indeed cost you a lot of money to get another one made. But, if you are just a beginner, with a pre-made paddle you will want to settle for the canvas type paddle case.

Another thing that you need to protect is the rubber attached to your paddle. This is the one responsible for gripping the ball and making it spin. Without it, you will only achieve weak or little spins on the ball. The rubber will grip the ball and it will also provide you with control.

After a game, you will want to clean the rubber with a water based rubber cleaner that is specially formulated to clean ping pong paddle rubber. With this, it will get rid of the dust, oil and other contaminants that it accumulated during the game. You will be able to get this in your local sporting goods store. With it, you will keep your rubber as good as new.

After cleaning it, you will also want to further protect it from accumulating dust and other contaminants again. In addition to the paddle case, you will want to get a protection sheet. This is a plastic sheet with light adhesive that sticks to the rubber. Be sure to place these sheets on both sides of your paddle to ensure maximum protection of both rubbers.

These are the ways on how you can take care of the ping pong paddle and the glued rubber. By remembering these things, you can be sure that you will be able to keep your ping pong paddle and rubber as good as new.

Playing ping pong or table tennis isn’t just about hitting the ball back to your opponent’s side of the table. You have to remember that you will need to know about the different types of grips used to hold the paddle in order for you to know which one is the most effective and also which ones that you are comfortable with.

Basically, in ping pong or table tennis, there are two types of grips. The first is the shake hands grip and the other is the pen hold grip. Both grips have different variations and each variation have its advantages and disadvantages that you should know about.

If you are a beginner in the sport of ping pong, it is recommended that you use the pen hold or the shake hands grip. These two standard ping pong grips are easy to learn and you will get a lot of advice and tips on how to use the grip effectively with these paddle grips. The reason for this is that pen hold grip and shake hands grip are very popular among a lot of people. In fact, these grips are what most professional ping pong players use.

In the shake hands grip, you will handle the paddle as if you were shaking someone’s hand, hence, the name shake hands grip. On the other hand, the pen hold grip is handled like a pen. Just make an “OK” sign then insert the handle of the paddle between the index finger and the thumb facing downwards.

You will also see that the shake hands grip will have a lot of variations. However, the two variations that are commonly used are the shake hand shallow grip and the shake hand deep grip.

In the pen hold grip, you will also see that there are variations for it. The common variations are the traditional Chinese grip, Japanese or Korean grip, and the reverse pen hold backhand grip.

Whatever grip you choose, it is important that you are comfortable with it. You have to remember that different people will have different opinions about the different grips.

Usually, if you live in western countries, you will see that the shake hands grip will be the more dominant kind of grip. It feels natural and it will be able to provide good attacking power on both backhand and forehand strikes.

However, if you want to be unpredictable and have more spin on your ball, the pen hold grip is the grip for you. Although it will require a lot of footwork and may feel awkward especially for non-Asian players, you will see that when you get used to the pen hold grip, you will be able to manipulate the ping pong ball quite effectively by putting unpredictable spins.

These are the available paddle grips for ping pong. Whatever you choose, you will see that each grip will have its advantages and disadvantages. Always remember that you should choose the grip that suits your needs on your playing strategy and also one that you are comfortable using.

After learning the basics of ping pong, you now want to learn how to improve your game. You have to consider the fact that the game of ping pong will not only rely on your quick reflexes, excellent hand eye coordination, speed, and quick thinking, but it will also rely on the ping pong paddle.

If you want to improve your ping pong skills, your basic or ready made paddle that you can buy on the market isn’t enough. You have to purchase a new paddle which is better in quality so that you will be able to enhance the power when you hit the ball, increase control and accuracy, as well as put more spins on the ball.

The first step when buying a paddle is by buying a blade with no rubbers attached to the blade. There are quite a lot of blades available on the market today. For your first serious ping pong paddle, you may want to start with an all around blade that is available from ping pong blade manufacturers, such as Stiga, Butterfly, Double Happiness, and Donic.

Since you are still developing your skills as a ping pong player, you don’t need to try hard when choosing a ping pong blade regarding the weight, head size, balance, speed and other factors that professional ping pong players look for. An all around blade will do just fine.

When choosing a blade, you should go for one with a handle type that best suits your grip type. If you use a pen hold, then you may want to go for a blade with a handle designed for pen hold grips and the same goes for the shake hands grip. Try to go for the blade that has handles that feels good to you. There are quite a lot of handle types available but as a person who is buying his or her first paddle, just settle for one that is comfortable to handle.

The rubber is also an essential part. You will need to attach this to the blade. When choosing a rubber, it is highly recommended that you go for smooth rubbers that you will place on both sides of the paddle. Try to stay away from rubbers with pimples as these are specialized and will limit certain strokes and spins that you can do.

Lastly, you will want to buy a good cover to store your ping pong paddle in. With it, you will be able to keep it safe from getting damaged by dirt, liquid spills, and sunlight. These elements can weaken the rubber and can affect your games.

These are some of the things that you need to remember when buying your first ping pong paddle. By following these tips, you can be sure that you will be able to enhance your skills more and also improve your performance when playing ping pong.

As a ping pong player, you want your performance to be at the optimum level. You have to remember that table tennis isn’t just about having fast reflexes and knowing how to strategize. Having the right paddle will also help you optimize your performance when playing the game and can indeed contribute to your victory.

Having the right kind of ping pong paddle means that you will be able to control the ball and also provide more power and spin to your shots. This is why you need to know that choosing the right weight for your paddle is very important.

Many beginners in the ping pong world often ask how much weight they should have in their ping pong paddles. Honestly, a lot of ping pong instructors are getting tired of answering this simple question.

The weight of the paddle that you should have must be equal to your strength as well as your style in playing ping pong. You need to remember that different tactics will need different ping pong paddles.

And, one of the most important things that you should look for in a ping pong paddle is the weight. The weight should be perfect for you in order to accurately hit the ball and give it enough power.

Most ping pong paddles will weight between 70 to 100 grams with no rubber. Like choosing a tennis racket, baseball bat, and golf clubs, it is important that you keep the weight in mind in order to get the perfect ping pong paddle.

This means that the perfect weight for a paddle will depend on you and your playing style as well as your strength. If you want the fastest paddle acceleration, you will want to go for ping pong paddles that are below 77 grams. The lightness of the paddle will provide you with fast acceleration when you swing it and will also provide you good spins.

Paddles that are between 77 to 89 grams will be able to provide you with balance as well as extra power. For power players, this paddle is perfect as it will give you good ball acceleration and also good spins.

Heavy paddles that weight over 90 grams is perfect for people who wants stability and good acceleration. This will also give you higher speed to spin ratio when you give the ball topspin to attack your opponent.

These are the different ping pong paddle weights that you should know about. Choosing the perfect paddle will mean that you need to know what weight of the paddle is best suited for your strength and playing style.