Female involvement in TT

[Matt Hetherington]

So here's a question to get some activity in the forums which will help the sport, how do we get more of this in table tennis:

Image from Table Tennis Dayton

Yes Biba is ridiculously attractive but I'm not specifically talking about her, I'm talking about female table tennis players. What do we need to do with table tennis to get more women in non-asian countries involved with the sport? It is becoming a male dominated sport, take for example this forum, where are the female members?! Why does every tournament have one post with seedings for men and women and yet only one poll for the mens and only people caring about the mens, it's no wonder we have no women on here and if we don't have them here that contributes to us not having them out on the tables.

How can we get them out there? What are your thoughts, I will be giving this feedback to ITTF Womens Table Tennis Representative Ashleigh Stevenson so get posting and help table tennis thrive!

 

[WiWa]

Womens table tennis often doesn't look as interesting as mens. No idea how to change that, should mean you should teach them a different technique or something.

 

[dici]

Get some more good looking non-asian male and make them into top 10 in the world, then it will attract more female to play it ^^

But really, I have not yet come across with any female plays TT in US, although there are numbre of them for sure. However, in some other sport like volley ball and bball, there's always female player, even in the pick up game over my university's gym.

 

[zookato]

Womens table tennis often doesn't look as interesting as mens. No idea how to change that, should mean you should teach them a different technique or something.

Yeah, that exactly wat i wanna to say.

 

[Bastoun]

It's clearly not the same way of playing for the Women..
Their game is based on block, counter top etc... All of it really near to table contrary to the men.. But since few times i start seeing some women who play "like men" with strong top spin BH and FH at Mi distance and far away from table too..
Like Wiwa said i think the training should change but that so hard to change this..

(sorry for my bad english)

 

[Matt Hetherington]

Sure granted it's a different style of play. What do we think can help get more females involved in the sport?

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

It is a faster game, close to the table. I think it is interesting. They have such good reflexes. But it is true, most women do not have enough power to shoot heavy topspin from mid-distance. If two men tried to stay that close and blast at each other the points would be even shorter. But with the women, while they are trying to blast it at each other the rallies are often fairly long still. I think it is just getting interested in the players. Rather than the kind of play and the level of play. If we got to really know and have a routing interest for a couple of the women players, it would make it more interesting. Without a routing interest none of it is as interesting. Although, it is true, since I am trying to third ball attack and set up to loop from mid-distance, that is the most interesting thing for me to watch when I do not know the players. But if you really watch and think about it, seeing how fast the reflexes of those women are as they are flat hitting and wacking the ball at each other as hard as they can is actually pretty amazing.

 

[snotvod]

Maybe they should play with bigger balls ? Muhahahaha, ok that sounded completely wrong, but if they would slow down their game (by using bigger b....) they should start using topspin. But then they would not be able to play in the men's competitions as they often do. So this post is quite useless. Nevertheless, fun typing though...

 

[azlan]

I think it has to do a lot with the glamour of the sport, and I meant that in the nicest possible way. Look at ladies golf 20 years ago and now. Its a totally different scenario.
Let's face it, we are living in a sexist world, though it may be the 21st century, us men are still cavemen. Who spend hours and hours in front of the idiot box watching sports channels? Us cavemen! Those who don't play tennis still watches Ivanovic sweating with Sharapova in the US Open on the centre court. It has nothing to do with their ferocious top spins, or lightning BH. We even give them equal prize money to men. In golf and tennis, the ladies actually put on the make ups before their game, also accessories!
It's all about sex appeal my dear fellows.

 

[dici]

But i still wish more girl will play. So that I can focus on looking at girl while playing TT (or whatever sport)

 

[Matt Hetherington]

Haha exactly, the ladies need to present themselves and put themselves on show. Yes Tennis players are professional athletes, BUT they are also media junkies and like to glam it up for the cameras and they get sponsored because the corporations know who the spectators will be watching, and not for their tennis either

 

[Matt Hetherington]

You know though women can compete with men. Just this week Miao Miao of Australia went all the way to 9-11 in the 7th with Simon Gerada in the Pingskills Classic Final, she didn't win but she put up a hell of a fight against a man whos been top 200 in the world. Perhaps the kind of publicity stunt the ITTF need is a teams match of the world ♂ vs world ♀ to show that women can play! that is unless they get absolutely torn to shreds lol

 

[WiWa]

Li Jiao (again) plays in the Dutch Eredivisie. She wins most of her matches, but she loses also sometimes to players that are ranked 300+ on the WR while Jiao is top-20 women.

 

[azlan]

Matt is right, and I agree.. Miao Miao has got the determination and the will, in addition to the eye candy effect.., so that helps. We must agree, gutsy women really impress us..let it be in carrier or sports. That's what I mean by sex appeal. It comes in a package. I'm not taking away their ability, coz no doubt these pros are good, really good. But, it does make you sit up and take notice when Maria Sharapova's groaning gets louder every time she makes her shots.(again, sex appeal!!..see what I mean) Compare that with Andy Murray's groans....I bet you'll be in the kitchen making tea in no time. hahaha

 

[YosuaYosan]

Make a challenge event :
China's women vs World's men

And that will be interesting lol

 

[Matt Hetherington]

Yea I like that idea, but World Men would be China anyway lol

 

[JustAlt]

That would be really interesting indeed!

 

[Matt Hetherington]

Well I will pass that suggestion on to Ashleigh and hopefully it will find the right ears More ideas please!

 

[ryhangill]

TT is thew sports which is played by both the men and the women. In todays time women make every thing possible with their hard work and ability. Now we see more Female involvement in TT and female make the world feel proud on them as they make their separate identification in TT. Females are really the best players then men.