Introduction to Table Tennis Flashcards
What is the Brief History of Table Tennis?
- From “Royal Tennis”
- aka Real Tennis or Court Tennis
- played during medieval era (12 Century AD)
- played as after-the-dinner amusement for British officers (India and South Africa during 1800s)
- first called as “ping pong” (1901)
- formation of US Table Tennis Association was on 1935
- USTTA was changed to U.S.A. Table Tennis on 1994
- first Table Tennis World Championship Tournament in London on 1927
- Olympic Table Tennis first match (1988) both men and women, singles & doubles
- origin is unknown
- became popular in early 20th century
FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT
- table
- net
- ball
- racket
Characteristics of the Table
- rectangular surface (9 ft/274 cm long and 5 ft/152.5 cm wide)
- playing surface (2 ft. 6 in/76 cm above ground)
- table surface (dark color, 3/4 inch or 2cm white line along edges)
- should offer uniform bounce
Characteristics of the Net
- placed at the center
- divides table into 2 equal parts/halves
- placed above 6 in or 15.26cm above playing surface
Characteristics of the Ball
- international rules specify that the game is played w/ a light 2.7 grams 40 mm (formerly 38 mm) diameter ball
- required to have a coefficient or restitution of 0.94
- 40 mm ball was introduced at the 2003 World Table Tennis Championship
Characteristics of the Racket
- wooden blade covered w/ rubber on 1 or 2 slides depending on the player’s grip
- aka paddle or bat, depending on the country
Other terms of the Racket
- USA - paddle
- Europe - bat
- Official ITTF - racket
A sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball with rackets (aka racquets and sometimes rubbered by paddles)
Table tennis
Other names of table tennis
- Ping Pang Qui - Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan
- Takkyu - Japan
- Tak-gu - Korea
- Ping Pong - USA
control the angle of the racket (
paddle/bat)
e table tennis grip
controls the height of the ball, the depth of the ball, the speed of the ball, the direction of the ball, the type of spin and the amount of spin
tip of the racket
- is the Asian style grip of holding the racket
- head of the racket is facing down
- held the way a person holds a pen or pencil
- Often pen hold players don’t use a rubber sheet on the backhand side and only play with the forehand side of the paddle
- though with the modern style many players are now using the back side as well
- have a shorter handle than Shake hand
blades.
Pen hold
- typical European type grip where the head of the
racket faces up and your hand looks like it’s ready to shake a person’s hand - Players using the shake hand grip use both the front and back sides of the paddle, whereas pen hold players often use only one side of the paddle
- though modern pen hold players are now often using the backside as well.
“shake hand” grip
- essentially hitting the ball with your hand’s most natural position
- For instance, a right-hander would hit the ball from the right side of his body, while a left-hander would hit from the left side
the forehand
Executing a forehand drive or push can be broken down into four components
- stance
- backswing
- strike
- finish
Forehand stance
▪ 1. Position your body so that the ball comes to your natural side.
▪ 2. Your feet should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
▪ 3. For right-handers, let your right foot be slightly behind your left (to generate
power)
▪ 4. Knees bent, body crouched (leaning forwards), both arms out in front of you
Forehand Backswing
▪ 1. As the ball approaches, rotate your body slightly to the right from your hips.
▪ 2. Shift some weight to your back foot.
▪ 3. Keep your racket at about a 45 degree angle.
Forehand Strike
▪ 1. Once you’re ready to hit the ball, rotate your body back forwards.
▪ 2. Transfer your body weight back from the back foot to the front front.
▪ 3. Try to hit the ball at the peak of the bounce.
▪ 4. For a forehand drive (more power), try accelerating your forearm slightly as you make contact.
Forehand Finish
▪ 1. Your follow-through should leave the racket in front of your body, pointing in the direction
where you’ve hit the ball.
▪ 2. Move back to your ready stance for your return
- involves turning your arm slightly across your body to hit the ball.
- can also be broken down into four components your stance, the backswing, the strike and the finish
The Backhand
Backhand Stance
▪ 1. Position your body square to the line of play – this means both feet should point
diagonally towards your opponent.
▪ 2. Knees bent, body crouched (leaning forwards), both arms out in front of you with
a slight bend at the elbow.
▪ 3. As the ball approaches, bring your racket towards your body
▪ 4. Keep your body aligned and balanced.
Backhand Strike
▪ 1. Once you’re ready to hit the ball, move your arm towards the ball.
▪ 2. Tap the ball to push the ball forwards, and use your wrist for more power and
direction.
Backhand Finish
▪ 1. Your follow-through should follow the ball to the direction you’ve aimed
▪ 2. Recover to your ready position and anticipate the next shot
This is a grip invented by Danny Seemiller (USA) where the thumb and index finger are placed on the back side of the racket and only the forehand side of the racket is used
Seemiller Grip
the blade is held between the index and middle finger, spread apart at first to form a letter V. When the blade is in place, the index and middle fingers curl down the blade, gripping it, and the ring and pinky fingers are wrapped
around the handle of the paddle.
The V- grip
