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Table Tennis is also called Ping-Pong sometimes. It is a
game fashioned after Lawn Tennis; only, it is played indoors.
Its rules are very simple and the equipment cheap and easily
available, therefore it is a very popular sport. The introduction
of the hollow, featherweight, celluloid ball has completely
revolutionized the game, giving it new speed and split-second
precision. Studded rubber cash-mat on a Ping-Pong bat has
added to its effective control of the ball and has made the
game more interesting.
Nobody knows who exactly, invented this fascinating game.
Britain, U.S.A. as well as India and South Africa have each
been named as the birthplace of this game but most people
agree that it started in England. Even those claiming that
it began in India or South Africa, concede that British army
officers stationed there were responsible for its introduction
into those countries.
In 1921, Table Tennis got a new lease of life as the Ping-Pong
Association was formed for the first time in Britain. Its
name was subsequently changed to Table Tennis Association
in 1926 and it became a worldwide Governing body. In 1933,
the U.S. T.T. Association was formed.
The Table.
The upper part of the table, known as the playing surface, is
rectangular- 9 feet by 5feet. The playing surface is a horizontal
plane 2 feet 6 inches above the floor. The surface is made of
any material that yields a bounce of 23 cm when a standard ball
is dropped on it from a height of 30 cm. Its color is dark,
with a white sideline running along the length.
The playing surface is divided into two equal parts by a
vertical line. For doubles, each court is divided into two
equal half courts by a white center line 3 mm wide and running
parallel with the sidelines.
The Net and its Supporter.
It consists of a net, its suspension and the supporting posts.
A cord attached at each end to an upright post 15.25 m high
suspends the net.
The Ball.
The ball is spherical, with a diameter of 38 mm. It is made
of celluloid or a similar plastic, white, yellow and matt. It
weighs 2.5 grams.
The Bat.
The blade of the bat is flat and rigid. At least 85% of its
thickness must be of natural wood. An adhesive layer, within
the blade is reinforced with fibrous material such as carbon
fiber, glass fiber or compressed paper. The side used for striking
the ball is covered with either ordinary, pimpled rubber or
sandwich rubber, both with outward pimples.
The Game.
The first service begins with the ball resting on the palm of
the free hand, which is stationary, open and flat with the fingers
together and the thumb free. The server then throws the ball
into the air and strikes it so that it touches, first, his right
half court and then passing directly over or around the net,
touches the receiver's right half court. The receiver then hits
it and returns the ball to the server's court in a way so that
it bounces once on the opponent's side before it is hit by him.
It must not touch the court on his own side. In a doubles game,
when a server strikes the ball and the opponent's side returns
it, the next strike should be by his partner. Then, when the
ball comes into his court again, he will hit it. Thus, each
player hits the ball alternately. This rule applies to both
sides.
The ball is in play from the moment it is projected from
the hand in service. It is in play only as long it touches
only the net assembly, the bat or the hand holding the bat
(below the wrist).
The choice of ends before a game starts is decided by a
toss. The winner either chooses service or the side. In a
doubles match, the pair choosing to serve, decides which of
the two will make the first five services. In the first game
of the match, the opposing pair similarly decides who will
be the first receiver. In subsequent games of the match, the
first receiver is determined by the choice of server as provided.
The side that secures 21 points, unless both teams score
20 points, wins the game. In the latter case, the team that
scores the first 2 points is declared the winner. A match
consists of three or five games. Play is continuous throughout,
except when either side claims a break of two minutes-in between
two games.
| Written By |
| Dr. Vineeta Prasad |
| Lecturer,JD Women's College, |
| Patna, India. |
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