Why do you play table tennis?

Oh man...where do I begin! Table tennis is the ultimate "don't judge a book by it's cover" type sport. You can never tell how tough your opponent will be just by looking at him or her. Combine that with the speed, spin, and mental chess, and it's game over! Such a fun sport.

Der_Echte said:

I was wrong, Dan chases SEVERAL Goon Squads around and keeps them busy.

Of course I would just love such an encounter as Dan proposes, but we gotta get through this period first before even thinking about it... but however it happens, there is sure to be cameras, rubber tests, LULZ, and flying Donkeys for sure. TT forums, like this one, make it SO EASY to organize, meet up and do things that just were not possible or at least practical only a couple decades ago without Carl's spyphone and a KGB contact list.

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Dan said:

Haha yes Carl's Spy Phone could get him across the milkyway galaxy!

That is very true, just hope things can return to normal so everyone can get back to playing sport, work, seeing family and having fun. Really is crazy times!

For sure if/when we play Der, there will be a couple of donkey shots, we live for those

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And what would a goon squad adventure be without a chicken and beer hustle in the mix.

Carl... Who is there left remaining in England who has not already been hustled by Dan, or chased Dan?

JOOOOOOOOOOO Se Kevin. Hier live in TTD, was für en LULZ !!!

OK Welkom Joo Se Kev

Kuba Hajto said:

I think one of the reason is that access to proper tuition has been broadened only recently. At least in Poland there was a very few people who knows the correct technique. One I started out I was mostly on my own. Only training center was 40km and due to my school schedule it was out of the question to train there. None of PE teachers were teaching table tennis. Only when I reached upper technical school I had access to TT tuition. Now that coaching videos are readily available situation might become different in coming years. More people know how to play decently more people will be interested. The bigger the exposure and better tuition the more known sport becomes :| (at least I think so)

Also the problem with spreading the TT in my country in particular is really hard accessibility. For folks like me, most I can find is amateur tournaments and maybe a playing session where veterans mostly come (ex-players, 60+ y/o, all of them will kick your very butt). Access to training clubs is mostly limited to well sorted players or kids around 9-14 y/o. If one is like me, guy in mid 20s trying to learn as much as possible, one will have a really hard time finding training environment. It's not impossible, we've managed to find two clubs which welcome older players and train them, helping to start in our country's lower league. Gotta praise them.

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It’s similar in Sweden. It’s quite hard to get proper training as an adult “beginner”. For me it’s worked out quite nicely in my current club where the coach allows my to train with the 10-14 year olds. Some of the younger ones are among the best in their age group in Sweden but I keep up quite well. The worst you can get is a “no” if you ask if you can train with the kids.

The reason why I play is because my girlfriend got a serious heart decease two years ago that prevented us from training and competing in (veteran) middle & long distance track running. I had to find a new hobby as I need to have some kind of exercise in my life. I played briefly when I was 12 but hadn’t touched a racket since (until I was 40) and I thought “why not table tennis?”. Had I known how hard it was to find training opportunities I probably would’ve given up from the start. Thankfully I found RidTheKid on this forum who only lives a few minutes away from me and he has been a trusted training partner pretty much from the beginning.

Martin, One of our founding Korea Foreign members did something similar - trained in a Girl's high school team for 4-6 months and improved 4-6 levels. He was a upper tier Div 4 national level player when he started there, then later won many Div 1 national open tourneys.

Der_Echte said:

trained in a Girl's high school team for 4-6 months and improved 4-6 levels.

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I think if he trained with high school girl team he might have had an ulterior motives

mart1nandersson said:

Thankfully I found RidTheKid on this forum who only lives a few minutes away from me and he has been a trusted training partner pretty much from the beginning.

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You're lucky m8, it's real hard to find a training a competent training partner that is willing to work with less skilled not professionally trained players, mostly because the latter play mostly in their respective clubs. I know that in Gdansk, owners of channel table tennis experts have open classes, but that is "exception confirming the rule". There are some plans for similar program in Cracow but they have been delayed because of the corona (they will be mostly aimed at the total beginners).

You can't escape me, Der_Echte. Where you go, I will follow!

Dan said:

Can't wait to hang out and play TT with you one day!

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Oh please let it happen! A big TT daily meetup, or even tournament?

Dan if you have any Plans going to Switzerland or nearby, let me know!

Many reasons; The wonderful feeling of the ball touching my racket and brushing of... seeing the ball curve, having a lot of fun experimenting and seeing results in improving.
But also due to the benefits, like these:
https://www.ttnsw.com.au/home/images/16642-Health-Benefits-of-Table-Tennis-Infographic-3600.jpg
To add, I did cross country skiing when I was younger, work outs hurt, it was cold, no pain no gain type, and while it was fun to win occasionally, it was not fun to get there. (for me personally) After some injuries I quit outright with all sporting activities until I later took up Taekwondo and eventually table tennis. And it clicked, it's warm, it's fun, it does not hurt in the way that endurance sports hurts; yes long work outs can be tiring, but they're still so enjoyable in a way that I constantly want more until my brain drops and says "dude, you need some rest". (that or my butt starting to itch from too much side-stepping)
But anyway, it's just the most awesome sport ever.
Where even loosing matches are mostly enjoyable experiences.
Yeah sometimes you get frustrated, and points can get annoying, but even that I consider a pro, as a stepping stone to psychological growth.

It's not my fault. My parents took me to the training when I was a kid and rest is history

This is such a great thread in the midst of whats happening.

I love playing TT because:

1. + TT = ( I got the TTD shirt because it is so true)
2. Great exercise for the body and the mind
3. Love the feeling of looping balls, the way they bend in the air, arching down onto the other side of the table
4. Love the variety of spins
5. Love the challenge
6. Love that it doesn't discriminate against people of various height (to a certain extent)
7. Love the friendships built through TT

I grew up playing Table Tennis. I played competitively at an early age. I made some money and done some coaching for the younger players too. And I think that I gained a lot from it because of the competitiveness and the camaraderie from the team. It helped me a lot mentally.

I still play right now, and my goal is to still get better at it even if I'm older. I would love to have the opportunity to promote the sport. Whether that happens or not, it makes me happy to keep playing, so I hope to play for a very long time.

They are renovating my club now and will do so for some weeks on. I caught myself glancing at the dinner table the other day. It's like an addiction (in a good way). I've only played for four years now as grown up, but everytime the training session ends, I'm just waiting for the next session

As a kid, I started practicing too late. I was about 13-14 years, and I didn't have the patience needed, and got my ass kicked by kids that had played since they were 5-6 years old...so I quit afte a couple of years. Now, 35 years later, it's the best thing I know playing table tennis.

I think that the exclusiveness in table tennis, is that noone plays the same as another player. Someone that you lose big against can have major difficulties with a player that you beat easily. And there is always areas that you can improve. I can put it like this. There are no areas that you can't improve, so it's like a sweet never ending journey that only gets better and better

Why I play TT? Great question while most of us are at reduced or no play.
1. Health
2. Comradeship
3. New friends from all over the world
4. The challenge

1. Health - August 2019, restarted playing TT since 1976, weight 202 lbs. Approaching being diabetic with A1C at 6.2
March 2020, play stopped with Covid, weight 186, that's 16 lbs of weight loss, or all body fat. A1C reduced to 5.8. At annual check up, told my Doctor about my TT play. He was happy with the weight loss and A1C reduction but added, "you need to add cardio to your workout". He has not seen the perspiration drenching my t-shirt, shorts and underwear after playing 2 hours.

2. Since March when local play in Florida stopped, I have kept in touch with by TT buddies about every 3-5 days checking on everyone. We're all feeling the withdrawal of non play. Being able to "hit that little white ball" releases stress. In my TT local group, we all pull for each other to get better. The better players offer help to myself and others new or returning to the game offering coaching and encouragement. Something I have not experienced in other sports.

3. New friends from all over the world - With TT being truly a global sport, I have met and played with folks from Cambodia, Korea, Vietnam, Egypt, Romania, Hungary, Portugal, India, here in the US, and others from other countries I failed to recognize. It's a unique common bonding experience where people from different countries who don't speak the same language, and have different heritages, race, socio-economic backgrounds, can come together for a common cause.

4. The challenge - starting back playing and feeling really good about myself and feeling a little cocky about my play, I experienced a very humbling experience losing one afternoon to a 80+ year and the next day playing and losing to a 9 year old. A reality check. At this point in my life being 67, I of course play to win, but the greater challenge is to challenge myself to get better. Yeah, I love to win and try my best to win. But I get equal or greater satisfaction when I learn an new aspect of the game and apply a new shot, stroke, push, serve, spin or volley and win a point. And now realizing the mammoth amount of technique and tactics of the game I can appreciate those truly gifted players.

And watching YouTube TT videos during the Covid19 factor has provided hours of entertainment. And I cannot wait to return to play. Great topic post.

Kuba Hajto said:

You're lucky m8, it's real hard to find a training a competent training partner that is willing to work with less skilled not professionally trained players, mostly because the latter play mostly in their respective clubs. I know that in Gdansk, owners of channel table tennis experts have open classes, but that is "exception confirming the rule". There are some plans for similar program in Cracow but they have been delayed because of the corona (they will be mostly aimed at the total beginners).

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I think that I get away with it as I have pips (mainly chopping but I can also block a little). Most coaches see a value add of having their kids getting exposure against pips. I managed to talk myself into a club in Warsaw without any major issue (I go there very often to visit friends and for business). My Polish consists of about 50 words but it still worked out nicely and (I think) that I'm always welcome back as I've been there 4-5 times.

I have the same experience from Italy. As long as you can play at a fairly ok level and being able to count to 21 in the local language goes a long way