Is table tennis the hardest sport in the world?

[Dan]

feather shuttle cocks can go 200 mph and table tennis is second fastest sport
http://racquet.about.com/b/2008/08/07/the-fastest-racquet-sport-at-the-beijing-olympics.htm

hehe i didnt know that,,, but that was Beijing Ma Long is in town now ha

 

[Ja72]

I think it is in the top 5 hardest sports. You need top physical and mental strentgh along with the right coaching and support to make it to the highest level. As for the sport there are different styles to deal with different TT blades and rubbers to play against which seem to change every 5 minutes according to the rules so you have to be able to adjust to the changes quickly and of course you have such a large number of people all over the world that take the sport seriously (China being the top of course) I think there are more people worldwide playing TT than most if not all other sports? Could be wrong though. Table tennis looks fairly slow on tv and therefore alot of people underestimate the speed and skill at the highest level when you see the top players live you can appreciate how hard the sport really is.

 

[Dan]

I think it is in the top 5 hardest sports. You need top physical and mental strentgh along with the right coaching and support to make it to the highest level. As for the sport there are different styles to deal with different TT blades and rubbers to play against which seem to change every 5 minutes according to the rules so you have to be able to adjust to the changes quickly and of course you have such a large number of people all over the world that take the sport seriously (China being the top of course) I think there are more people worldwide playing TT than most if not all other sports? Could be wrong though. Table tennis looks fairly slow on tv and therefore alot of people underestimate the speed and skill at the highest level when you see the top players live you can appreciate how hard the sport really is.

Very nice points there, i agree myself.. yeah, due to asia, table tennis is one of the most participated sports in the world!

Everything in table tennis needs to be spot on, there is very little margin for error to

Dan

 

[UsakoKirei]

the hardest thing in table tennis is the speed in this short distance. that means, youre reflexe must be very very good! (if youre playing high speed table tennis )
its defenitly one of the hardest sport!

 

[peter]

considering the competitions worldwide, I don't think table tennis can even make top 20 of the "hard" sport. I mean, take player's athletic ability, skills, trainings into account with player income, media, national level attention,.. with less players in one particular competition, larger increment to one's percentage placement in that group. See, not every country value table tennis as equal as other sports, like basketball, hockey, football / soccer, baseball, skating, swimming.. etc. USA's mainstream media won't even broadcast table tennis tournaments during Olympics, people don't go to sports bar to cheer for "table tennis" ? they want football, basketball and hockey thats where excitement lands. I'd have to subscribe to premium sports channel to get a glimpse of some table tennis match highlights, and even when I do most audience cheers to see Chinese lose. There are issues in table tennis thats not what the topic is about, but u see where my point is. Hard, which sport isn't hard ? Learning curve, training, high level competition, which sport aren't the same ?

back to the question, definitely no. Table tennis is not the hardest sport
IMO Track and field being #1 hard, Tennis comes second, then Swim

 

[Trance]

Really hard

 

[gauravvraj]

"hardest game " what do you think about "hardest" ... yes table tennis is one of the most hardest sport in this universe if you're playing with much more superior than you and it wil be one of the easiest sport if you're playing with a novice..
but i would say it is one of that game for which you can dedicate your whole life /... i am not a professional player but i love this sport as much as anyone could think..
i am table tennis ...
do you?

 

[Allan2103]

Absolutely, because despite table tennis being a hard physical sport (all the running and sweating), it also has a VERY HARD mental part (spins, serves,etc.).

 

[Tamez_94]

Absolutely! i agree.. to be the best in this you need to give all your life...

 

[saif]

Table tennis is a sport that looks easy to play but hard to master. It's hard to play at a competitive level. Is it the hardest? I am not quite sure but I'm sure it is somewhere near the top.

 

[Michellius]

feather shuttle cocks can go 200 mph and table tennis is second fastest sport
http://racquet.about.com/b/2008/08/07/the-fastest-racquet-sport-at-the-beijing-olympics.htm

The distance the feather shuttle cock travels is much bigger. That gives you more time. (v=s/t)

 

[MildSeven]

From an objective point of view it is widely noted that the hardest task in sports is hitting a baseball, where reaching base off a hit 30% is considered excellent.

As an overall sport I am not really sure where TT stands and I am not really interested in trying to define that. I am into other sports as well, and to be honest in terms of pure fitness required TT is one of the least demanding. The reason I like it is that as a game it is dynamic and strategic and a good feel for the ball along with good strategy can carry anyone below the pro ranks very far up. Even at the pro level the ranking is not too heavily weighted on fitness and physical prowess. Wang Hao and Ma Lin aren't really as impressive as two bodies as they are two players, and some Chinese National Team documentary footage reveals some young stars like Xu Xin to be pretty lazy in their conditioning. The relative resiliency of top European players is evidence of this too I think.

This view always catches flak from the TT community but I think it is dishonest to try and convince yourself that TT is somehow 'up there' in terms of physical demands. I don't think there is any shame in admitting so. All sports require different amounts of different things for success. I play 3 sports seriously and they are table tennis, mountain biking, and motorsport. Even with these three examples its easy for me to see and talk honestly about their differences even though they are all "hard". Take any criteria and I can place those three sports in order. Example - "Judgement: table tennis, driving, cycling", or "Overall fitness: cycling, driving, table tennis", or "dexterity: table tennis, cycling, driving". etc. This is why I find this discussion to kind of always meander around and end up messy many times. Sports are a lot like human races. Sure, we can pick out the differences and have a honest talk about them, but to try and say which one is better, or faster, or in this case, "harder" is just not going to end up with a clean and clear answer.

 

[ttCountenance]

I would say one of the hardest. Welcome Dan and members.
ttC

 

[Dan]

I would say one of the hardest. Welcome Dan and members.
ttC

Hey dude! thanks for the post!

Hope you enjoy the site... you are heavily featured in my media section

Have Fun Mark

Dan

 

[Ferdy]

I agree with Peter, although a great table tennis player must have high attributes of mental toughness, stamina, and years of training a sport like Ultra Marathons or Iron Man gets my vote.

 

[rookies]

I believe this sport is the hardest because there is too many techniques to learn. It also require physical and mental training.

 

[violetstives]

http://www.videobash.com/video_show/chopsticks-feeding-squirrel-like-kitten-3881

 

[jyechen]

One comment: I can compare it to Tennis, and if Table Tennis matches were to last as long as Tennis matches, then hell ya. But the truth is that Tennis matches last significantly longer, so Table Tennis requires a more intensive short burst, while other sports require a lot more endurance. It's hard to compare.

 

[saitohed]

possibly inside of top 5 hardest.

 

[tabletennismadness]

i would say definately the hardest!

its got to be the fastest sport in the world

has to be the sport with the most spin

least reaction time

you have to have a strong head

you have to be quick and physically fit

no other sport do you need all of these at this high level, theres so much to do and also with a huge focus on techniques its so hard to get to a top level and its also a hard sport as with no money in the sport youve got to be crazy to try and make it as your carreer so many people stop playing or dont take it up full time which makes it even harder to be a table tennis proffesional especially in the UK