Introduction to Table Tennis

Question 1

What is the Brief History of Table Tennis?

Answer 1

• 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

Question 2

FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT

Answer 2

• table
• net
• ball
• racket

Question 3

Characteristics of the Table

Answer 3

• 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

Question 4

Characteristics of the Net

Answer 4

• placed at the center
• divides table into 2 equal parts/halves
• placed above 6 in or 15.26cm above playing surface

Question 5

Characteristics of the Ball

Answer 5

• 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

Question 6

Characteristics of the Racket

Answer 6

• wooden blade covered w/ rubber on 1 or 2 slides depending on the player’s grip
• aka paddle or bat, depending on the country

Question 7

Other terms of the Racket

Answer 7

• USA - paddle
• Europe - bat
• Official ITTF - racket

Question 8

A sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball with rackets (aka racquets and sometimes rubbered by paddles)

Answer 8

Table tennis

Question 9

Other names of table tennis

Answer 9

• Ping Pang Qui - Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan
• Takkyu - Japan
• Tak-gu - Korea
• Ping Pong - USA

Question 10

control the angle of the racket (
paddle/bat)

Answer 10

e table tennis grip

Question 11

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

Answer 11

tip of the racket

Question 12

• 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.

Answer 12

Pen hold

Question 13

• 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.

Answer 13

“shake hand” grip

Question 14

• 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

Answer 14

the forehand

Question 15

Executing a forehand drive or push can be broken down into four components

Answer 15

• stance
• backswing
• strike
• finish

Question 16

Forehand stance

Answer 16

▪ 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

Question 17

Forehand Backswing

Answer 17

▪ 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.

Question 18

Forehand Strike

Answer 18

▪ 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.

Question 19

Forehand Finish

Answer 19

▪ 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

Question 20

• 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

Answer 20

The Backhand

Question 21

Backhand Stance

Answer 21

▪ 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.

Question 22

Backhand Strike

Answer 22

▪ 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.

Question 23

Backhand Finish

Answer 23

▪ 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

Question 24

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

Answer 24

Seemiller Grip

Question 25

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.

Answer 25

The V- grip