Table Tennis or Ping Pong

The Evolution of the Table Tennis bat

2010-06-21T23:32:00.002-04:00

The Evolution of Table Tennis Bats

Around the year 1890 Strung rackets for a table version
of lawn tennis were first tried. Sheepskin battledores,
borrowed from the shuttlecock game, were used in the
Gossima game of 1891, and became very popular when
the celluloid ball was introduced to the game around
1900. The next type of bats were the wood bats, with
amazing veriety of surfaces, reflecting over 100 years of
racket technology. Some of the surfaces were plain
wood, grooved wood blades, leather, sandpaper, painted
blades, cork, aluminum, felt, early textured rubber ...
and some unusual shapes. Of special note are intri-
cately carved fretwork bats, as well as a diverse array
of bats with unusual features, including pyrographic
art, handles with intricate inlays, sterling silver,
tortoise shell, carved bone... and several examples of the
earliest thick foam rubber bats introduced in the 1950s.
In the evolution of bats the wood bats were used as a
medium for art. Of special importance is a magnificent
pair of early wood bats with original portraits in oils of
a man and woman Table Tennis player, both holding a
Table Tennis bat. Also very rare , a fantastic set of 4
painted bats with portraits of a 1903 Table Tennis team,
and an extensive group of pyrographic (woodburned)
art bats with a range of motifs. An original pen & ink
portrait of the famous Gibson Girl is another out-
standing bat. The first wood bats were plain wood bats
with no surface covering. Such wood bats were quite
popular during the early years; Hungarian stars O.
Jacobi used a plain wood bat with elongated handle to
win the 1st World Championships in 1926. Some
blades have grooved or textured patterns in the wood to
enhance spin. The wide variety of grip styles is esp-
ecially interesting. The collection includes some very
fine and elegant examples. The next bats were wood
bats with cork surfaces. Cork faced bats were intro-
duced as early as 1902, persevering into the 1950s as
they were ideally suited for the defensive specialist
with its spin absorbing qualities. Cork surfaces are also
found on one side of early combination bats. Grips
were sometimes covered with a veneer or inlay of cork
to absorb perpiration. Another type of bat was a wood
bat with sandpaper or emory coverings. The sandpaper
bat was very popular, with its abrasive surface offering
both defensive and offensive capabilities. However, the
ITTF banned the sandpaper bat in 1959 as part of the
Racket Standardization rules, because of their excessive
wear on the ball. The next wood bats were pebbled or
pipped rubber surfaces. Legend has it the pimpled
rubber bat began with a mat used of coins at the cash
register of an apothecary. The earliest commercial
models had short nubby or pyramid shaped pips. By
the 1920s the hard rubber bat was the preferred
weapon of most serious players, though bats with cork
and sandpaper surfaces were also used. Despite the
popularity of the sponge bats, hardbat devotees have
persevered, organizing hard bat events in Europe &
the USA. 3-ply bats are generally preferred by de-
fensive choppers, while 5-ply bats are favored by
attackers. Other bats have wood with leather surfaces
or combination bats with different surfaces on both
sides. Unusual varieties are also included, such as the
Spalding VILLA bats with honeycomb covering -
rubber was a scarce commodity during WW II.
The next wood bat coverings were the thick sponge
surfaces from the 1950s. Of the early experiments with
sponge surfaces, perhaps most notable was Waldemar
Fritsch of Austria, but it was not until the Japanese
Satoh won the 1952 World Chanpionships in Bombay
that the sponge became a major technical development
that would change the sport forever. The sponge bat
threw the ITTF into a crisis that lasted 7 years, until
a compromise was reached between the technologists
and the traditionalists. After the thick sponge bat was
introduced in the early 1950s (see previous), much
controversy occurred, some nations even banning the
sponge bat. But ITTF Founder President Ivor Montagu
staunchly defended such technology, and in 1959 the
ITTF formulated a set of racket standardization
requirements, banning the thick sponge but allowing
a sandwich bat with a layer of sponge and top layer
of rubber, pips in or pips out. Since that time tech-
nology has dominated the modern era, and thousands
of varieties of the sponge bat and specialized rubber
surfaces have been developed, with differences in speed,
spin and control. It is not possible to collect and show
all varities, so the presentation must be selective. In my
opinion all the sponge rubber bats with the varying
degree of spins has made Table Tennis a more difficult
sport than it was meant to be and I think that there
should be a standard bat with a certain degree of spin
factor and texture. I use a sponge rubber bat that I am
comfortable with, but when I play other players that
have greater spin I am at a loss because I don't know
how to counter the severe spins that these bats use.
I believe that the ITTF should again look at the bats
being used and try to find some standard bat that can
be used by all.

Table Tennis Safety for Beginners

2010-03-30T19:11:00.001-04:00

Table Tennis Safety for Beginners

Always remember to do some stretching exercises
before beginning play. You should be warmed up
before the start of the match.

The most common injuries in table tennis are what
is called tennis elbow or an injury to elbow joint.
This comes from the constant force you put on
your elbow each time you swing at the ball. There
can be a lot of inflamation and you could use an
ice pack to reduce the swelling and numb the
pain. I've had it and to hurts really bad.

Another type of injury that occurs in table tennis
is a bad shoulder. In table tennis you'll see a
majority of the players hit with a looped forehand
or backhand. Most players have built up a strong
shoulder so the risk of injury is slight, but if you
are a beginner don't try to over due your shoulder
turn by watching the way skilled players can do it.

One type of injury that rarely occurs is if you are
playing with many ping pong balls and there are
some on the floor near you. It is easy to step on
a ball and not only crush the ball but slip on the
ball and fall.

Another thing to watch out for are players playing
beside or close to you. If your ball happens to
be hit near their table, do not try to retrieve the ball
until their point is over, when they can return your
ball.

Also, please try to control your temper and do not
throw your paddle. This can be very dangerous
and can endanger other spectators or players.

Above all if you have pain in any of your joints it
would be wise to see a chiropractor or your primary
physician. These injuries often occur but they can
be treated very well by your doctor.

In conclusion table tennis is considered by most
as an easy game without the chance of injury.
The broken bones, the injuried elbows and
sore shoulders prove that table tennis is not an
easy sport. It should be prepared for just like any
other sport and you should know the risks involved.

World Rankings

2010-03-29T12:53:00.002-04:00

Men's Top 20 World Rankings

1 12830.25 MA Long (CHN)
2 12719.00 WANG Hao (CHN)
3 12668.75 MA Lin (CHN)
4 12639.25 BOLL Timo (GER)
5 12526.75 WANG Liqin (CHN)
6 12419.75 SAMSONOV Vladimir (BLR)
7 12326.75 HAO Shuai (CHN)
8 12273.50 MAZE Michael (DEN)
9 12264.25 CHEN Qi (CHN)
10 12233.00 MIZUTANI Jun (JPN)
11 12224.50 JOO Se Hyuk (KOR)
12 12213.25 ZHANG Jike (CHN)
13 12164.25 OVTCHAROV Dimitrij (GER)
14 12163.00 OH Sang Eun (KOR)
15 12106.00 XU Xin (CHN)
16 12100.00 SCHLAGER Werner (AUT)
17 12089.25 CHEUNG Yuk (HKG)
18 12049.75 KREANGA Kalinikos (GRE)
19 12008.50 RYU Seung Min (KOR)
20 12002.75 CHUANG Chih-Yuan (TPE

Women's Top 20 World Rankings

Rank Ranking
1 12725.50 LIU Shiwen (CHN)
2 12723.50 ZHANG Yining (CHN)
*3 12675.25 GUO Yue (CHN)
4 12532.25 GUO Yan (CHN)
5 12531.75 LI Xiaoxia (CHN)
6 12434.75 FENG Tianwei (SIN)
7 12433.75 DING Ning (CHN)
8 12400.50 WANG Nan (CHN)
** 9 12325.50 KIM Kyung Ah (KOR)
10 12316.50 FAN Ying (CHN)
11 12302.25 JIANG Huajun (HKG)
12 12275.50 PARK Mi Young (KOR)
13 12230.00 WANG Yue Gu (SIN)
14 12202.00 TIE Yana (HKG)
15 12180.50 WU Jiaduo (GER)
16 12155.25 CAO Zhen (CHN)
17 12144.75 DANG Ye Seo (KOR)
18 12132.25 LIU Jia (AUT)
19 12127.75 SUN Bei Bei (SIN)
20 12118.25 LI Jiao (NED)

Trying out different Table Tennis Clubs

2010-01-17T20:45:00.003-05:00

Recently I got a e-mail from the director of the Phoenixville Table Tennis Club! They are located in the basement of the Faith Baptist Church, 1015 Livingston Rd. PhoenixVille. PA 10460. They meet Tuesday nights from 7 pm. to 10 pm. Your first night is free, after that it will be $2 per night to play. They also offer yearly and family memberships. They have 5 tables, balls, and some loner paddles. You have to follow the club rules which would be good to know before you start playing. Then you could start right away. As of January 2010 they have 51 players and average about 22 players per night.
The director may have seen this blog and he invited me to come and see the club. Unfortunately I have not been yet able the go to Pennsylvania. This may change soon because I am interested in going to different clubs and meeting different players. Being between beginner and intermediate player I am still a bit unsure of myself but I am willing to give it a try. I think it is a good idea for all players to try different places and players so they can play on any table and with anyone.

Table Tennis Videos and DVDs

2010-01-09T11:02:00.002-05:00

I was looking up various Table Tennis sites and I found
that there are a lot of sites that have interesting movies for real cheap. At Amazon.com there are a few strange
movies. I believe they are comical and they cost about
3 dollars. They also have some serious ones that cost
about 20 dollars. One is Killerspin success in Table
Tennis DVD. Amazon also has other DVDs and interactive game programs that are pretty cheap.
I also found a site called Total Table Tennis where
they have some really great DVD's. There are teaching
DVD's for beginners, intermediates, and advanced. There are also some great DVD's about professional
strokes up close and how they attack and defend in the
game. There are also really good DVD's about the
greatest in action. Even some of you who are advanced
will be amazed at the athleticism of these players.
Another site I found was Sport Videos that give DVDs
and VHS Videos. The Table Tennis Videos are really at a
low cost and worth it if you still have VCR player. If you
are looking for Olympic Table Tennis memorablilia the site you might like is Discount Pin Store. They have decorative pins on the Olympics, World Series, etc.
I have been looking to get the Videos from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I can't seem to find it on the internet.
I will try to find out where this video can be bought.

An Interesting Site - The ITTF Museum

2010-01-02T20:27:00.002-05:00

I was recently browsing the ITTF site and I saw a link to the Table Tennis Museum. This is a very interesting site where you can find things such as a view of the Photo Gallery of all World Champions, enter a Photo Gallery of all ITTF Hall of Fame members, find all Olympic medal winners on one page, read the latest Museum Newsletter, read a history of Table Tennis, take a tour of the Museum site, and even play a simulated game of ping pong. There is also much, much more. If you have an interest of the history of table tennis and its folk lore I recommend visiting this link on the ITTF site.

ITTF Top 20 World Rankings December 2009

2010-01-02T19:52:00.002-05:00

ITTF World ranking - Men top 20

1 (<<) 12812.50 WANG Hao CHN
2 (<<) 12807.25 MA Long CHN
3 (<<) 12707.25 MA Lin CHN
4 (<<) 12604.25 BOLL Timo GER
5 (<<) 12590.75 WANG Liqin CHN
6 (<<) 12448.75 SAMSONOV Vladimir BLR
7 (<<) 12325.25 HAO Shuai CHN
8 (9) 12287.50 CHEN Qi CHN
9 (8) 12267.75 MAZE Michael DEN
10 (<<) 12239.75 JOO Se Hyuk KOR
11 (16) 12198.25 ZHANG Jike CHN
12 (11) 12181.25 MIZUTANI Jun JPN
13 (12) 12164.50 OH Sang Eun KOR
14 (13) 12131.50 OVTCHAROV Dimitrij GER
15 (<<) 12105.50 CHEUNG Yuk HKG
16 (14) 12101.50 SCHLAGER Werner AUT
17 (<<) 12073.75 KREANGA Kalinikos GRE
18 (24) 12056.00 XU Xin CHN
19 (18) 12054.25 CHUANG Chih-Yuan TPE
20 (19) 12028.50 RYU Seung Min KOR

ITTF World ranking - Women top 20

1 (<<) 12771.50 ZHANG Yining CHN
2 (<<) 12753.25 GUO Yue CHN
3 (<<) 12684.00 LIU Shiwen CHN
4 (<<) 12587.75 LI Xiaoxia CHN
5 (6) 12506.75 GUO Yan CHN
6 (5) 12469.25 FENG Tianwei SIN
7 (9) 12434.75 DING Ning CHN **
8 (7) 12404.50 WANG Nan CHN
9 (8) 12344.50 KIM Kyung Ah KOR
10 (19) 12316.50 FAN Ying CHN
11 (10) 12295.75 JIANG Huajun HKG
12 (<<) 12275.50 PARK Mi Young KOR
13 (11) 12255.00 WANG Yue Gu SIN
14 (15) 12199.50 TIE Yana HKG *
15 (14) 12164.25 LI Jia Wei SIN
16 (13) 12156.25 LIU Jia AUT
17 (22) 12153.25 SUN Bei Bei SIN
18 (17) 12149.25 CAO Zhen CHN
19 (20) 12144.75 DANG Ye Seo KOR
20 (18) 12136.75 WU Jiaduo GER

Top Ranked Men and Women in the World

2009-12-09T23:51:00.003-05:00

Top 20 Ranked Men in the World

1 12812.50 WANG Hao (CHN)
2 12807.25 MA Long (CHN)
3 12707.25 MA Lin (CHN)
4 12604.25 BOLL Timo (GER)
5 12590.75 WANG Liqin (CHN)
6 12448.75 SAMSONOV Vladimir (BLR)
7 12325.25 HAO Shuai (CHN)
8 12287.50 CHEN Qi (CHN)
9 12267.75 MAZE Michael (DEN)
10 12239.75 JOO Se Hyuk (KOR)
11 12198.25 ZHANG Jike (CHN)
12 12181.25 MIZUTANI Jun (JPN)
13 12164.50 OH Sang Eun (KOR)
14 12131.50 OVTCHAROV Dimitrij (GER)
15 12105.50 CHEUNG Yuk (HKG)
16 12101.50 SCHLAGER Werner (AUT)
17 12073.75 KREANGA Kalinikos (GRE)
18 12056.00 XU Xin (CHN)
19 12054.25 CHUANG Chih-Yuan (TPE)
20 12028.50 RYU Seung Min (KOR)

Top 20 Ranked Women in the World

1 12771.50 ZHANG Yining (CHN) *
2 12753.25 GUO Yue (CHN)
3 12684.00 LIU Shiwen (CHN)
4 12587.75 LI Xiaoxia (CHN)
5 12506.75 GUO Yan (CHN)
6 12469.25 FENG Tianwei (SIN)
7 12434.75 DING Ning (CHN)
8 12404.50 WANG Nan (CHN) **
9 12344.50 KIM Kyung Ah (KOR)
10 12316.50 FAN Ying (CHN)
11 12295.75 JIANG Huajun (HKG)
12 12275.50 PARK Mi Young (KOR)
13 12255.00 WANG Yue Gu (SIN)
14 12199.50 TIE Yana (HKG)
15 12164.25 LI Jia Wei (SIN) *
16 12156.25 LIU Jia (AUT)
17 12153.25 SUN Bei Bei (SIN)
18 12149.25 CAO Zhen (CHN)
19 12144.75 DANG Ye Seo (KOR)
20 12136.75 WU Jiaduo (GER)

NJTTC Tournaments

2009-10-01T23:20:00.001-04:00

NJTTC holds USATT sanctioned open tournaments each month from September to May of each year. NJTTC also holds the annual NJ State Championships (which is open only to NJ residents) each April.
All tournament participants must be NJTTC club members. For those participants who are not current NJTTC club members, the Registration Fee includes a temporary NJTTC club membership for the dates of the tournament.
Since all of our tournaments are USATT sanctioned, you must either be a USATT member, a member of an ITTF affiliated association or purchase a One-Time Tournament Pass for $10 (which is available only to adult players who have never been USATT members). Adult players who have never been USATT members may either purchase the One-Time Tournament Pass or join USATT at the tournament; all other players MUST join USATT at the tournament.
For further information and rules please download the entry form that corresponds to the tournament in which you would like to participate.

Passaic Table Tennis Club

2009-09-29T22:20:00.001-04:00

Does anyone know where the Passaic Table Tennis
Club is? I have directions to it, but I can't find its
location. I have its location at 1-3 Monroe Street,
Passaic N.J. It is I've read at the Polish Cultural Center.
If anyone has good information as how to get there
could you let me know. Thanks.

World Rankings as of September

2009-09-21T23:09:00.002-04:00

Men's Top 20 in World

1 12886.00 WANG Hao (CHN)
2 12745.25 MA Long (CHN)
3 12701.75 BOLL Timo (GER)
4 12677.25 MA Lin (CHN)
5 12595.25 WANG Liqin (CHN)
6 12365.75 SAMSONOV Vladimir (BLR)
7 12331.25 HAO Shuai (CHN)
8 12265.75 JOO Se Hyuk (KOR)
9 12254.75 CHEN Qi (CHN)
10 12170.50 OH Sang Eun (KOR)
11 12150.75 MIZUTANI Jun (JPN)
12 12139.50 MAZE Michael (DEN)
13 12132.00 OVTCHAROV Dimitrij (GER)
14 12113.00 KREANGA Kalinikos (GRE) *
15 12084.00 SCHLAGER Werner (AUT)
16 12076.00 CHUANG Chih-Yuan (TPE)
17 12071.50 CHEUNG Yuk (HKG)
18 12067.50 RYU Seung Min (KOR)
19 12051.25 LI Ching (HKG)
20 12025.75 ZHANG Jike (CHN)

Women's Top 20 in World

1 12795.50 ZHANG Yining (CHN)
2 12745.75 GUO Yue (CHN)
3 12606.25 LI Xiaoxia (CHN)
4 12531.00 LIU Shiwen (CHN)
5 12434.25 GUO Yan (CHN)
6 12429.00 FENG Tianwei (SIN)
7 12420.50 WANG Nan (CHN) **
8 12288.00 KIM Kyung Ah (KOR)
9 12245.75 JIANG Huajun (HKG)
10 12230.50 WANG Yue Gu (SIN)
11 12217.25 DING Ning (CHN)
12 12196.25 LI Jia Wei (SIN) *
13 12189.00 TIE Yana (HKG)
14 12188.50 PARK Mi Young (KOR)
15 12174.00 LIU Jia (AUT)
16 12149.25 CAO Zhen (CHN)
17 12145.50 DANG Ye Seo (KOR)
18 12136.00 FAN Ying (CHN)
19 12123.25 LI Jiao (NED)
20 12086.25 SUN Bei Bei (SIN)

Men and Women World Rankings as of 8/6/2009

2009-08-30T22:59:00.002-04:00

Rank Name Assoc.
1 (<<) 12874.50 WANG Hao CHN
2 (<<) 12763.25 MA Long CHN
3 (<<) 12723.75 MA Lin CHN
4 (<<) 12707.50 BOLL Timo GER
5 (<<) 12594.50 WANG Liqin CHN
6 (<<) 12372.25 SAMSONOV Vladimir BLR
7 (<<) 12271.25 CHEN Qi CHN
7 (8) 12271.25 JOO Se Hyuk KOR
9 (<<) 12251.00 HAO Shuai CHN
10 (<<) 12187.00 OH Sang Eun KOR
11 (<<) 12118.00 KREANGA Kalinikos GRE
12 (<<) 12113.75 MAZE Michael DEN
13 (14) 12086.75 SCHLAGER Werner AUT
14 (13) 12086.25 OVTCHAROV Dimitrij GER
15 (<<) 12078.25 CHUANG Chih-Yuan TPE
16 (<<) 12055.75 LI Ching HKG
17 (<<) 12048.50 MIZUTANI Jun JPN
18 (<<) 12046.25 CHEUNG Yuk HKG
19 (<<) 12039.25 RYU Seung Min KOR
20 (<<) 12027.00 PERSSON Jorgen SWE

Rank Name Assoc.
1 (<<) 12810.50 ZHANG Yining CHN
2 (<<) 12787.00 GUO Yue CHN
3 (<<) 12642.25 LI Xiaoxia CHN
4 (<<) 12492.00 LIU Shiwen CHN
5 (<<) 12458.25 GUO Yan CHN *
6 (<<) 12433.00 WANG Nan CHN
7 (<<) 12354.00 FENG Tianwei SIN
8 (<<) 12278.00 KIM Kyung Ah KOR
9 (<<) 12245.75 DING Ning CHN
10 (<<) 12226.25 JIANG Huajun HKG
11 (<<) 12221.50 WANG Yue Gu SIN *
12 (<<) 12207.25 LI Jia Wei SIN
13 (<<) 12181.50 TIE Yana HKG
14 (<<) 12148.50 LIU Jia AUT
15 (<<) 12147.00 PARK Mi Young KOR
16 (<<) 12134.25 DANG Ye Seo KOR
17 (<<) 12128.25 LI Jiao NED *
18 (<<) 12125.25 CAO Zhen CHN *
19 (<<) 12110.50 FAN Ying CHN
20 (<<) 12071.00 TOTH Krisztina HUN

World and USA Rankings

2009-08-22T23:04:00.003-04:00

Here is a list of the top 20 men and women
Table Tennis players in the world.

Men

1 12874.50 WANG Hao (CHN)
2 12763.25 MA Long (CHN)
3 12723.75 MA Lin (CHN)
4 12707.50 BOLL Timo (GER)
5 12594.50 WANG Liqin (CHN)
6 12372.25 SAMSONOV Vladimir (BLR)
7 12271.25 CHEN Qi (CHN)
7 12271.25 JOO Se Hyuk (KOR)
9 12251.00 HAO Shuai (CHN)
10 12187.00 OH Sang Eun (KOR)
11 12118.00 KREANGA Kalinikos (GRE)
12 12113.75 MAZE Michael (DEN)
13 12086.75 SCHLAGER Werner (AUT)
14 12086.25 OVTCHAROV Dimitrij (GER)
15 12078.25 CHUANG Chih-Yuan (TPE)
16 12055.75 LI Ching (HKG)
17 12048.50 MIZUTANI Jun (JPN)
18 12046.25 CHEUNG Yuk (HKG)
19 12039.25 RYU Seung Min (KOR)
20 12027.00 PERSSON Jorgen (SWE

Woman

1 12810.50 ZHANG Yining (CHN)
2 12787.00 GUO Yue (CHN)
3 12642.25 LI Xiaoxia (CHN)
4 12492.00 LIU Shiwen (CHN)
5 12458.25 GUO Yan (CHN)
6 12433.00 WANG Nan (CHN)
7 12354.00 FENG Tianwei (SIN)
8 12278.00 KIM Kyung Ah (KOR)
9 12245.75 DING Ning (CHN)
10 12226.25 JIANG Huajun (HKG)
11 12221.50 WANG Yue Gu (SIN)
12 12207.25 LI Jia Wei (SIN)
13 12181.50 TIE Yana (HKG)
14 12148.50 LIU Jia (AUT)
15 12147.00 PARK Mi Young (KOR)
16 12134.25 DANG Ye Seo (KOR)
17 12128.25 LI Jiao (NED)
18 12125.25 CAO Zhen (CHN)
19 12110.50 FAN Ying (CHN)
20 12071.00 TOTH Krisztina (HUN)

The top 20 USA men with their world ranking is:

---------------wr
1 11157.00 225 CHENG Yinghua (USA)
2 11126.75 240 ZHUANG David (USA)
3 10862.00 364 HAZINSKI Mark (USA)
4 10830.50 385 XIAO Han (USA)
5 10716.00 462 PACE Brian (USA)
6 10688.50 478 LONERGAN Sean (USA)
7 10644.00 508 SHAO Yu (USA)
8 10373.75 828 HUANG Jeff (USA)
9 10336.00 866 SHODHAN Shashin (USA)
10 10331.00 873 DUBINA Samson (USA)
11 10312.25 902 LEACH John (USA)
12 10305.25 912 ALTO Don James (USA)
13 10301.50 914 RUNYAN Trevor (USA)
14 10208.75 1028 YAO Justen (USA)
15 10179.50 1064 LI Peter (USA)
16 10124.50 1128 KIM Bong Geun (USA)
17 10118.00 1138 CHAN Steven (USA)
18 10083.50 1182 JACKSON Marcus (USA)
19 9891.00 1374 SHEN HaiLong (USA)
20 9778.00 1477 DU Cheng Yi (USA)

The top 20 USA women with their world ranking is:

---------------wr
1 12016.25 27 GAO Jun (USA)
2 11978.50 31 WANG Chen (USA)
3 11431.75 129 ZHENG Jiaqi ^ (USA)
4 11265.50 169 REED Jasna (USA)
5 11148.00 207 HUANG Crystal Xi (USA)
6 11040.00 258 LEE Jacqueline (USA)
7 10986.25 291 LI Nan (USA)
8 10795.50 398 HUGH Judy (USA)
9 10771.25 411 WANG XinYue (USA)
10 10761.00 416 HSING Ariel (USA)
11 10579.75 576 ZHONG Yin (USA)
12 10568.00 590 LI Tao (USA)
13 10519.75 637 ZHANG Lily (USA)
14 10503.00 657 SOWERS Olena (USA)
15 10446.75 707 SUN Natalie (USA)
16 10435.50 715 GUO Sylvan (USA)
17 10398.00 754 MAI Ge Jie (USA)
18 10390.00 768 DENG Anne (USA)
19 10389.75 769 VLASIC Brana (USA)
20 10360.50 794 SHIH Stephanie (USA)

These rankings are done by computer now and are published
once a month with the rankings posted near the beginning of
the month. I will try to find out how the rankings are
determined. I know that the actual scores of the games does
matter when ranking the players. A player scoring 9 points
out of 11 will receive more ranking points than a player
scoring 1 point. I will update the rankings on this site every
month.

Table Tennis Table Top Thickness

2009-08-15T13:19:00.000-04:00

Table Tennis Table Thickness

Size does matter when speaking of Table Tennis Table
Thickness. Here is a general list of the thicknesses of
Tables and what each means:

1/2" Table Tennis Table Top

Only used for some conversion tops. Bounce is not
consistent. Prone to warping.

5/8" Light Duty Table Tennis Table Top

Bounce not as consistent as thicker Tables. More
resistent to warping than 1/2" top.

3/4" Table Tennis Table Top

Heavy Duty top. Generally good resistance to warping
and very good bounce.

3/4" High Resin Table Tennis Table Top

Heavy Duty top. Generally excellent resistance to
warping and very good bounce.

7/8" Super Heavy Duty Table Tennis Table Top

Tables for International Tournament Quality. Very
resistant to warping. Consistent ball bounce.

1" Super Heavy Duty Table Tennis Table Top.

Tables for International Tournament Quality. Very
resistant to warping. Consistent ball bounce.

__________________________________________

These Tables have a very large price range, going
from about a $100 dollars to over $1,000 dollars.
Probably the best buys are in the middle range,
where you can buy very good tables from about
$350 to $550 dollars.

Table Tennis Table Stiga Ultratec

2009-08-12T18:53:00.000-04:00

Stiga Ultratec

Specifications

3/4 in. black top
includes regulation net and post - complete setup
heavy duty Chassis sturdy and strong Corner
pads - added protection, helps prevent snags.
2 in. Steel supports apron.
1 in. x 1 3/4 in. Oval self opening legs - simply glide open
1 in. x 4 5/8 in. Caster beam uprights - provides extra
stability.
4 in. Ball bearing mag wheel casters - attractive detail
and easy mobility.
Locking mechanism for additional stability and safety.
Convenient ball and paddle storage.
1 year warranty.
The cost w/o shipping for the Stiga Ultratc is ~ $575 - $580.

The Stiga Ultratec is a very good table for advanced players
who want a mid range level cost. The 3/4 in. Table top is
heavy duty generally good resistance to warpage and
very good bounce. This may not be of International tournament caliber, but is an excellent table for Intermediate
and advanced players, who can play a lot on it.

Table Tennis Tables and their differences

2009-08-10T18:26:00.000-04:00

Table Tennis Tables

There are so many different types of Table Tennis tables that
it is hard to choose the right one for a lot us. There are
tournament level tables, ITTF approved tables, good home
tables, outdoor tables, and cheap tables. Some of the brand
names are Stiga, Butterfly, Prince, Joola, Kettler, Killersprin
and Robbins to name a few.
Today I will write about Stiga Table Tennis tables.

Stiga Competition tables are used in low rated tournaments and also for
very good economical tables.

1. Stiga Competition table

The picture above is a Stiga competition table.

Here are some of the dimensions of the Stiga Competition

Top Thickness: 5/8 in. Top: color green Playback position: Yes

Apron Thickness: 3/4 in. Apron material: steel

Undercarriage material: steel Undercarriage color: black

Includes Net and Post: Yes Leg Thickness: 1 in. Round Steel
U-legs
Corner protection pads: Yes Caster type: double wheel

Caster size: 2 in. Fold and Roll design: Yes

Table Set-up size: length: 9 ft. width: 5 ft. height: 30 in.

A Stiga competition table, in my opinion, would be great for
a steady player who plays a lot or a home player who will
take good advantage of the table by using it frequently.
The price of a Stiga competition table is $379. This is a
middle range price that I think is quite affordable. The
ball bounce is not quite as good as a thicker table and not
as resistant to warpage.

New Website - Sportsvite

2009-08-04T23:37:00.000-04:00

New Website for athletes to find partners they can play and
clubs they can join.

I found a new Website, called Sportsvite, through my e-mail.
This is a very interesting site because they help you find
partners to play in whatever sport you want. You can name
the region where you are available to play in and you set up
a profile of what sports you would like to play. Through your
profile Sportsvite will match you with players of your own
strength and also in your vicinity. A problem with the site
that I noticed so far is for those of us in New Jersey they tend
to give you players and clubs from New York. I set up a
profile giving table tennis, tennis, bowling, and badminton as
the sports I like. Sportsvite gives me players who fit these categories and also who are my age and ability.
Sportsvite has given me mostly players and clubs from New
York. There are many tennis clubs, bowling clubs, and
basketball teams you can join. I found a fellow table tennis
player from the next town from where I live. I sent him an
e-mail but I have had no response. Sometimes it takes a
little digging and a little time before you find something or
someone who are compatible with your own schedule.
Today I sent an e-mail to a 62 year old man from Hackensack
who listed himself as an average table tennis player. I am
hoping that we can get together either at Fair Lawn or some
other club. I would also like to hear from anyone reading my
blog who would like to play in a club or in the North Arlington
vicinity.
The URL for Sportsvite is http://newyork.sportsvite.com

Visiting the Fair Lawn Table Tennis club

2009-08-03T20:14:00.000-04:00

The Fair Lawn Table Tennis Club

Yesterday I visited the Fair Lawn Table Tennis Club.

Fair Lawn Table Tennis Club, Kipp and 20th St. Fair Lawn, N.J.
Contact: James Graff - Superintendent of Recreation 201-796-6746
Email: recreation@fairlawn.org
Day:Sundays
Hours of operation: 5:00Pm to 10:00Pm
Number of Tables:9 Double Fish 99-45G Tables
Costs: $40/yr membership or $5/per night charge

The club is in the Community Center right next to the Football Field.
The Community Center is a beautiful new building, built for other
sports as well as table tennis. The table tennis area is in a well lit
gym with 9 Double Fish 99-45G tables. The only problem is that the
room may be too well lit and it sometimes hard to see the ball if it is
in the light of one of the windows. There is a definite difference
when changing sides. The play and the players are quite good and
if your looking for a good match your sure to find someone to play.
I found two players to play my first time. The first was a lady
around my age who knew the rules for tournament tennis and kind
of taught me along the way. I was so used to serving 5 times and
then receiving 5 times that at first I was all mixed up. Gradually I
got the hang of 2 serves receiving and then 2 serving. Everyone
plays the new rules of 11 point game and 3 or 4 game match. The
lady and I each won 3 games and it was very enjoyable because we
were close in ability and the games themselves were close, a few
going to 10 points each. After a short rest I was able to play a
very good player who was maybe Indian or Egyption. He beat me
easily the first 2 games. Then I started to get lucky and I won the
third game. I got 2 net cord winners and a ball that hit the edge.
He made a few errors and with my beginners luck I won a game.
He then beat me in the next 2 games to win the match. I really
enjoyed playing these matches, and I think that the Fair Lawn club
is ideal for beginners and intermediate players. I would say the
percentage of intermediate players is very high. I didn't see too
many well advanced players. I am comparing this to the NJTTC
where the play is very strong and there are many advanced players.
I am not saying that these are weak players, the play is taken very
seriously, and there are many above average players. If you're a
beginner or a little better you will find it tough to win a match.
So, if you are just getting started, have been playing for a while
or are a good intermediate player I would recommend the Fair
Lawn Table Tennis club.

Visiting Table Tennis Clubs

2009-07-26T23:23:00.000-04:00

Visiting Table Tennis Clubs

There are quite a few Table Tennis clubs in New Jersey and
in the New York vicinity. I will be going to some of these clubs
in the near future and I will report on how these clubs are
doing, whether they are for beginners, intermediate, or
advanced and what type of equipment they have, along with
tournaments you can join or follow.
One of the clubs I have been to is the Westfield Table Tennis
club, better known as the New Jersey Table Tennis Club.

The New Jersey Table Tennis Club is located at 226 North Ave.
West in Westfield, New Jersey. The club is on the second floor
and is open every evening, 7 days a week 365 days a year.
The club is available for beginners to National Champions.
I'm glad I had the chance to see David Zhuang, the New Jersey
Table Tennis champion play a match. Have you ever seen a
service ace in table tennis. Well he did it against a very strong
player. David's serving style is a little unusual in that he
tosses the ball very high, well over his head and then strikes
it when it comes down. I guess the theory there is that the
ball will be traveling faster when it comes down from a greater
height so he can get more speed on his serve. This particular
club offers coaching for beginners and advanced players a
like. They also have tournaments for every level of player.
Even if you do not have a partner come on down anyway,
there will probably be players of your strength to play. I
played in two tournaments at the NJTTC and did not fair very
well, but it was a good experience and one that I will
remember. Most of the beginner and intermediate
tournaments are round robin. This means that you get to play
at least three games and are not eliminated if you lose one
game. I was very thankful for this. I will write some more
about this club and other clubs around the New York -
New Jersey area in the future.

Robot Delivery Machines

2009-07-18T21:40:00.000-04:00

Ball Delivery and Return Machines

First I would like to ask you, if you could, to click on some of
the advertisements to the right of my blog because this is the
way I make money for writing this blog. I am not really doing
this for the money, but I would appreciate your help because
I could use the extra cash.

Now I would like to talk about some of the ball delivery and
return machines available. You can improve your game
greatly by using these machines.

The number one manufacturer of these machines is
undoubtably Newgy Industries in Gallatin, TN. They make
machines for all types of players. From beginners to highly
skilled players.

There are many good reasons to buy a robot or delivery and
return machine. One is that you will always have a partner even if you can't find anyone to play. Also you can use the
machine as long as you want. Hit thousands of balls where you would only hit hundreds with a human partner. Play any
time you get the urge. I know I get the urge to play more and
more when I use my Robo-pong machine that I bought from
Newgy. Another reason to get a machine is that you can work
yourself into terrific shape by playing against it. You can set
the machine to hit slow looping shots or fast shots that you
may have to play defensively on. I know I like to play the
looping shots to practice my slams. I do this over and over
and I really get a good workout. Set the machine to work on
your weaknesses. I set the machine to hit to my backhand with slow high shots that I have difficulty slamming. Some
machines have oscillations which I find extremely difficult
because they are probably for advanced players. You can
set the machine for top spin, underspin or side spin. It will
depend on how advanced you are if you can handle these
different spins. The machines are also excellent for beginners. They can deliver the ball very slow for the
beginning player. Table Tennis or Ping Pong is a great
sport for all players from 5 to 95. Unlike other sports there
are very few injuries resulting from ping pong. Ping Pong
is also a tremendous sport for hand to eye coordination. The
speed of a hard slam in ping pong is about 70 mph. The speed will decrease very fast so that defensive players have
a chance against the hard hitters in the sport.

The robots that Newgy Industries offer are the Robo-Pong 540, 1040 and 2040. Also if you have an older Robo-Pong
that uses the old 38mm balls you can get an upgrade to the
new 40mm balls for the price of $225.00. The Robo-Pong 540
is ideal for the beginner or intermediate player. The speed
and frequency of the ball is not as fast as the other models.
Also there is no oscillation. The Robo-Pong 540 comes with
many accessories included, including some of the parts that
the more expensive robots have. The cost of the 540 is $229.
If you are a more experienced player or have outgrown the
540 the Robo-Pong 1040 may be ideal for you. This robot
would be a good choice for the tournament player also. The
Robo-Pong 1040 comes with higher speeds and frequencies
of delivering the ball. It also has oscillation. Being more
difficult to play the Robo-Pong costs $359. This robot can also be used by beginners but is designed for players who
have competed and know how to hit various types of shots.
There are many accessories to the Robo-Pong 1040 such as
a bucket catching extension to keep play going a longer time,
and with all the robots you will also receive 48 orange 40mm
ping pong balls. Now If you think you have progressed enough and are now a serious player the Robo-Pong 2040 may be right for you. The 2040 can do everything that the
1040 can do and more. The 2040 comes with a retreival net
that catches your hits and recycles them back to the ball
thrower so you can have continuous action. There is a neat
optional Pong-Master for a fun target game which will sharpen
your skills at aiming at different targets on the table.
The complete package is the following:
Ball Thrower (w/Oscillation)
Recycling Net System
Side Net Extenders
Rubber Tips Packet
Full Size Control Box
Transformer
Connector Cable
Owner's Manual
Set-up Video Tape
48 Orange 40mm balls (USA only)
Training Book (USA only)

The entire Robo-Pong 2040 costs in the vicinity of $695.00.

Newgy Industries also sells Table Tennis equipment and
accessories for their Robo-Pong machines.
These machines may break down after repeated use but
if they are well taken care of mainly by cleaning and keeping
in good shape they will last a very long time. Newgy will also
give warranties for various times and they will personally fix
your product if it is broken due to a reasonable happening.
They may not fix a machine that was treated badly, like dropping or doing deliberate damage to the machine.
I have had my machine fixed twice and I was only charged
$10.00 each time. More information can be found at
http://www.newgy.com

Table Tennis History

2009-07-15T20:09:00.000-04:00

A brief history of Table Tennis

Earliest origins of Table Tennis

The game of table tennis probably descended from the the game of "Royal Tennis" (also known as Real Tennis or Court Tennis), which was played in the medieval era.

Some sources claim that the sport was once known as indoor tennis, and was played in the early 1880's by British army officers stationed in India and South Africa. These officers are supposed to have used cigar box lids as paddles rounded wine bottle corks as balls and books for an improvised net.

In the late 1800's the game became fashionable among upper classes in
England.

According to the ITTF website, the first use of the name "Table Tennis" appeared on a board and dice game made by J.H.Singer of New York.

The earliest existing evidence of a table tennis game is a set made by David Foster, patented in England, which included table versions of Lawn Tennis, Cricket and Football.

By this time, several patents with basic rules had been registered. Parker Brothers begin making an indoor tennis kit which included a portable net, a small ball covered in netting, and paddles.

1900
Englishman James Gibb is credited with bringing hollow celluloid balls back to England from the USA, although some other sources claim they were plastic balls. Previously most balls were solid rubber or cork, often covered in material. Some sources also credit Gibb with inventing the name "ping pong", which was supposed to have been derived from the sound of the ball bouncing off the drum battledores (paddles), each of which had a different sound.

1901
John Jacques registers "Ping Pong" as a trade name in England. The American rights to the name are sold to Parker Brothers.

On the 12th December 1901, "The Table Tennis Association" is formed in England. Four days later, "The Ping Pong Association" is also formed in England.

Table tennis is first brought to China via western settlements.

1902
Englishman E.C.Goode is credited with putting pebbled rubber on his wooden blade, allowing him to put more spin on the ball. This is the forerunner of the ordinary pimpled rubber racket, which will dominate table tennis until 1952.

1903
On the 1st May 1903, "The Table Tennis Association" and "The Ping Pong Association" amalgamate, forming "The United Table Tennis and Ping Pong Association". This association will later revert its name to "The Table Tennis Association", before becoming defunct in 1904.

1920's
In the early 1920's the game began to revive in England and Europe.

1922
"The Table Tennis Association" is reconstituted, with the name "English Table Tennis Association" being adopted in 1927.

1926
The International Table Tennis Federation is formed.

1926-1931
Maria Mednyanszky of Hungary wins the Women's Singles event at the World Championships five times in a row.

1930-1935
Victor Barna of Hungary wins five of the six Men's Singles events at the World Championships (and was runner up in 1931).

1935
The American Ping Pong Association, US Amateur Table Tennis Association, and National Table Tennis Association merge to form the US Table Tennis Association (which was renamed USA Table Tennis in 1994).

1936
Repainted tables (which made the playing surface very slow) and a high net (6¾ inches high) combine to make attacking play very difficult at the World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia. This results in the longest rally ever in a World Championships taking place, lasting over two hours.

1938
The ITTF lowers the net from 6(3/4) to 6 in. and bans the fingerspin
serves which had been used with devastating effects by American players.

1940-1946
No World Championships held due to World War II.

1950-1955
Angelica Rozeanu-Adelstein of Romania wins six Women's Singles titles in a row at the World Championships. Since her last title win in 1955, every World Champion in Women's Singles has been an Asian player.

1952
Hiroji Satoh of Japan becomes notorious for his use of a wooden racket covered in thick foam sponge rubber, which produces much more speed and spin than conventional pimpled rubber rackets. He wins the 1952 World Championships over Jozsef Koczian of Hungary, and begins a period of Asian male domination in the sport which will last until Sweden rises to supremacy from 1989 into the early 1990's.

1957
The World Championships changes to a biennial event (once every two years), due to the logistics of hosting an event of such size, and difficulty in finding suitable venues.

1958
The first European Championships is conducted in Budapest, Hungary, and sees the USSR's debut in international table tennis.

1959-1960
The ITTF standardizes the thickness of ordinary pimpled rubber and sponge rubber.

1960's
In the early 1960's, the loop drive was invented and become popular around the world.

1965-1971
From around 1965 to 1971, China under the rule of Mao Tse-Tung disappears from world table tennis events.

1961-1965
Zhuang Zedong of China wins 3 Men's Singles titles in a row at the World Championships, each time over compatriot Li Furong.

1960's
In the early 1960's, Xhang Xi Lin of China uses a "Yin-Yan" bat with normal rubber on one side, and long pimples on the other - the first recorded instance of successful combination bat play.

1971
China returns to International Competition at the 1971 World Championships.

1971
The US Table Tennis Team takes a "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" trip to China, in a world first effort to use sport to establish and improve diplomatic relations.

1971
Jean-Paul Weber of France uses the first anti-spin rubber in the World Championships in Nagoya, Japan, and enjoys some success with its use.

1971
The first Commonwealth Championships are held in Singapore.

1970's
Table tennis players discover that using bicycle tire repair glue to put rubber on a blade dramatically increases the speed and spin that can be produced. This discovery is often credited to Dragutin Surbek of Yugoslavia, and Tibor Klampar of Hungary. This discovery is called speed
glue.

1970's - 1989
China is the dominant force in both men's and women's events on the world scene, winning multiple events at all world championships.

1980
John Hilton of England wins the European Championships using a combination bat of normal rubber and antispin, twiddling the racket and playing aggressively. The first World Cup event is held in Hong Kong.

1982
The initial World Veteran's Championships is conducted in Gothenburg, Sweden.

1980's
In 1985, the two color rule is adopted to reduce the effectiveness of combination rackets.

1988
Table Tennis becomes an Olympic sport, in Seoul, South Korea.

1989-1993
Sweden breaks the Chinese stranglehold in Men's World Championships, winning the 1989, 1991, and 1993 Teams Events, and producing the 1989 and 1991 World Men's Champions (Jan-Ove Waldner and Jorgen Persson respectively). China continues its dominance in female ranks.

1995-present
China reasserts its control over the Mens Team and Mens Singles events at the World Championships.

1997
Jan-Ove Waldner wins the Mens Singles title at the World Championships for the second time, this time without the loss of a single game!

2000
A brief blip in the Chinese men's dominance occurs when the aging Swedish trio of Jan-Ove Waldner, Jorgen Persson and Peter Karlsson combine to steal the Mens Team title in a thrilling final.

2000
The ITTF increases the ball diameter to 40mm.

2001
The ITTF changes the scoring system, moving to 11 point games, and using a best of 5 games or best of 7 games match.

2002
Table Tennis becomes a Commonwealth Games Sport, at Manchester, England.

2003
Werner Schlager of Austria breaks the Chinese stranglehold on the Men's Singles World Championship title, saving several match points along the way against opponents in Wang Liqin and Kong Linghui. He meets Joo Se Hyuk of South Korea in the final - Joo is the first defensive player to make the Mens Singles final since the Eberhard Scholer of Germany in 1969 (Scholer also lost in his final, to Japan's Shigeo Itoh).

2000's
In the early 2000's, frictionless long pimples become popular among many players, in an attempt to negate the the power and spin produced by modern technology and speed glue.

2006
The intended banning of frictionless long pips and speed glues with toxic organic solvents is announced by the ITTF.

2007
The ITTF withdraws its approval of all table tennis glues, following a health incident involving a speed glue user in Japan.

2008
The use of speed glues with illegal VOCs is banned for all ITTF junior competitions as of January 1. Machines that test for illegal VOCs are introduced to check for rules infractions.

Table Tennis rules continued

2009-07-10T15:57:00.000-04:00

Table Tennis rules continued:

Choice of serving, receiving and ends

1. The right to choose the initial order of serving, receiving
and ends shall be decided by lot and the winner may
choose to serve or to receive first or to start at a
particular end.

2. When one player or pair has chosen to serve or to
receive first or to start at a particular end, the other
player or pair shall have the other choice.

3. After each 2 points have been scored the receiving
player or pair shall become the serving player or pair
and so on until the end of the game, unless both players
or pairs score 10 points or the expedite system ( which
will be explained later on) is in operation, when the
sequences of serving and receiving shall be the same
but each player shall serve for only 1 point in turn.

4. In each game of a doubles match, the pair having the
right to serve fist shall choose which of them will do so
and in the first game of a match the receiving pair shall
decide which of them will receive first; in subsequent
games of the match, the first server having been chosen,
the first receiver shall be the player who served to him in
the preceding game.

5. In doubles, at each change of service the previous
receiver shall become the server and the partner of the
previous server shall become the receiver.

6. The player or pair serving first in a game shall receive
first in the next game of the match and in the last possible
game of a doubles match the pair due to receive next
shall change their order of receiving when first one pair
scores 5 points.

7. The player or pair starting at one end in a game shall start
at the other end in the next game of the match and in the
last possible game of a match the players or pairs shall
change ends when first one player or pair scores 5
points.

Out of order of serving, receiving and ends

1. If a player serves or receives out of turn, play shall be
interrupted by the umpire as soon as the error is
discovered and shall resume with those players serving
and receiving who should be server and receiver
respectively at the score that has been reached,
according to the sequence established at the beginning
of the match and, in doubles, to the order of serving
chosen by the pair having the right to serve first in the
game during which the error is discovered.

2. If the players have not changed ends when they should
have done so, play shall be interrupted by the umpire as
soon as the error is discovered and shall resume with
the players at the ends at which they should be at the
score that has been reached, according to the sequence
established at the beginning of the match.

3. In any circumstances, all points scored before the
discovery of an error shall be reckoned.

Expedite system

1. Except where both players or pairs have scored at least
9 points, the expedite system shall come into operation
if a game is unfinished after 10 minutes' play or at any
earlier time at the request of both players or pairs.

2. If the ball is in play when the time limit is reached, play
shall be interrupted by the umpire and shall resume with
service by the player who served in the rally that was
interrupted.

3. If the ball is not in play when the time limit is reached,
play shall resume with service by the player who received
in the immediately preceding rally.

4. Thereafter, each player shall serve for 1 point in turn until
the end of the game and if the receiving player or pair
makes 13 good returns the receiver shall score a point.

5. If the expedite system is introduced, or if a game lasts
longer than 10 minutes, all subsequent games of the
match shall be played under the expedite system.

Table Tennis Rules continued

2009-07-06T22:22:00.000-04:00

Table Tennis Rules continued:

Order of Play

1. In singles, the server shall first make a good service, the
receiver shall then make a good return and thereafter
server and receiver alternately shall each make a good
return.
2. In doubles, the server shall first make a good service, the
receiver shall then make a good return, the partner of the
server shall then make a good return, the partner of the
receiver shall then make a good return and thereafter each
player in turn in that sequence shall make a good return.

Let

1. The rally shall be a let
a. If in service the ball, in passing over the net
assembly, touches it, provided the service is
otherwise good or the ball is obstructed by the
receiver or his partner;
b. If the service is delivered when the receiving player
or pair is not ready, provided that neither the
receiver nor his partner attempts to strike the ball;
c. If failure to make a good service or a good return or
otherwise to comply with the Laws is due to a
disturbance outside the control of the player;
d. If play is interrupted by the umpire or assistant
umpire.
2. Play may be interrupted
a. To correct an error in the order of serving, receiving
or ends;
b. To introduce the expedite system;
c. To warn or penalize a player;
d. Because the conditions of play are disturbed in a
way which could affect the outcome of the rally.

Point

1. Unless the rally is a let, a player shall score a point
a. If his opponent fails to make a good service;
b. If his opponent fails to make a good return;
c. If, after he has made a good service or a good
return, the ball touches anything other than the net
assembly before being struck by his opponent;
d. If the ball passes over the end line without
touching his court, after being struck by his
opponent;
e. If his opponent obstructs the ball;
f. If his opponent strikes the ball twice successively;
g. If his opponent strikes the ball with a side of the
racket blade whose suface does not comply with
the requirements as in the rules for the racket;
h. If his opponent, or anything his opponent wears or
carries, moves the playing surface;
i. If his opponent, or anything his opponent wears of
carries, touches the net assembly;
j. If his opponents free hand touches the playing
surface;
k. If a doubles opponent strikes the ball out of the
sequence established by the first server and first
receiver;
l. As provided under the expedite system.

Game

1. A game shall be won by the player or pair first scoring 11
points unless both players or pairs score 10 points, when
the game shall be won by the first player or pair
subsequently gaining a lead of 2 points.

Match

1. A match shall consist of the best of any odd number of
games.

Table Tennis rules continued

2009-07-04T16:13:00.000-04:00

Table Tennis rules continued:
Definitions
1. A rally is the period during which the ball is in play.
2. The ball is in play from the last moment at which it is
stationary on the palm of the free hand before being
intentionally projected in service until the rally is decided
as a let or a point.
3. A let is a rally of which the result is not scored.
4. A point is a rally of which the result is scored.
5. The racket hand is the hand carrying the racket.
6. The free hand is the hand not carrying the racket.
7. A player strikes the ball if he touches it in play with his
racket, held in the hand, or with his racket hand below
the wrist.
8. A player obstructs the ball if he, or anything he wears or
carries, touches it in play when it is above or travelling
towards the playing surface and has not passed beyond
the end line, not having touched his court since last being
struck by his opponent.
9. The server is the player due to strike the ball first in a
rally.
10. The receiver is the player due to strike the ball second in
a rally.
11. The umpire is the person appointed to control a match.
12. The assistant umpire is the person appointed to assist
the umpire with certain decisions.
13. Anything that a player wears or carries includes anything
that he was wearing or carrying, other than the ball, at the
start of the rally.
14. The ball shall be regarded as passing over or around the
net assembly if it passes anywhere other than between
the net and the net post or between the net and the
playing surface.
15. The end line shall be regarded as extending indefinitely in
both directions.
Good serve
1. At the start of service the ball shall be stationary, resting
freely on the flat, open palm of the server's free hand,
behind the end line and above the level of the playing
surface.
2. The server shall then project the ball near vertically
upwards, without imparting spin, so that it rises at least
16 cm. or a little over 6 in. after leaving the palm of the
free hand and then falls without touching anything
before being struck.
3. As the ball is falling the server shall strike it so that it
touches first his court and then, after passing over or
around the net assembly, touches directly the receiver's
court; in doubles, the ball shall touch successively the
right half court of server and receiver.
4. The ball and the racket shall be above the level of the
playing surface from the last moment at which the ball is
stationary before being projected until it is struck.
5. When the ball is struck it shall be behind the server's end
line but not farther back than the part of the server's body,
other than his arm, head or leg, which is farthest for the
end line.
6. It is the responsibility of the player to serve so that the
umpire or the assistant umpire is sure that he complies
with the requirements for a good service.
7. if the umpire is doubtful of the legality of a service but
neither he nor the assistant umpire can see that it is
illegal he may, on the first occasion in a match, warn
the server without awarding a point.
8. If subsequently in the match a service by that player or
his doubles partner is of dubious legality, for the same or
any other reason, the receiver shall score a point.
9. Whenever there is a clear failure to comply with the
requirements for a good service no warning shall be
given and the receiver shall score a point, on the first
as on any other occasion.
10. Exceptionally, the umpire may relax the requirements
for a good service where he is notified, before play begins,
that compliance is prevented by physical disability.
Good return
1. The ball, having been served or returned, shall be struck
so that it passes over or around the net assembly and
touches the opponent's court, either directly or after
touching the net assembly.

Table Tennis Rules continued

2009-06-29T20:38:00.000-04:00

Now continuing with the rules of Table Tennis.
The Racquet:
can be any size, shape or weight but the blade shall be flat
and rigid. At least 85% of the blade by thickness shall be
wood. A side of the blade used for striking the ball shall be
covered either by regular rubber with pimples outward
having a total thickness, including adhesive, paste or glue
of not more than 2mm. The blade can also be covered with
"sandwich rubber" with pimples inward or outward having
a total thickness of not more than 4mm.
The pimples on the regular rubber can be evenly
distributed with not more than 50 per sq. cm. and not less
than 10 per sq. cm. The sandwich rubber can be a layer
of cellular rubber with a single layer of ordinary pimpled
rubber, not being more than 2mm in thickness.
The covering material can not extend beyond the outer
edge of the blade. The part nearest the handle, held be the
fingers can be left bare or covered with any material.
The blade and any layer of the blade shall be of even
thickness and continuous over the blade.
The surface of one side of the blade must be bright red,
and the surface on the other side must be black. Due to
wear and tear on the surface of the blade this rule may be
slightly bent because the color may not be completely
uniform.
A player must always show his racquet to the umpire and
his opponent before a match and if he changes his racquet
during a match.

Ping Pong Paddle Buying and Fixing

2009-06-27T23:51:00.000-04:00

Before I continue with the rules of Table Tennis I would like
to tell you of a business I am starting with the help of Google
Adsense.
I would like to take your old or hard rubber paddles or
racquets and fix them by replacing the hard rubber with
soft rubber layers that are used in table tennis today. I will
not only be fixing racquets for the individual who sends me
his racquet but I will also buy hard rubber racquets from
those of you who no longer need them. To put the soft
rubber layers on the wooden frames they have to be pasted
snuggly so that they do not overlap. For those of you who
would like your racquet fixed and returned I will charge only
a fraction of the price of a new or refurbished racquet.
These racquets can be valued at $100.00 or more depending
on the model and the soft rubber used. In fact you can name
your own price and we can compromise on the cost. If you
use your racquet a lot or not very much we can come to an
agreement on the price. I think it would be very nice to use
a modern racquet or paddle and maybe get more enjoyment
out of the game than before. Please call me at 201-998-9250
or send me your racquet with instructions of what you want
me to do. Send to:
Steven Cist
pingpongman
97 Melrose Avenue
North Arlington, NJ 07031

The Rules of Table Tennis

2009-06-26T22:28:00.000-04:00

The first thing I'd like to talk about is the basic rules of the game.
The table
is rectangular with
a length of 2.74 meters or 9 feet, a width of 1.525 meters or 5 feet, and 76 cm or 2.5 feet above
the floor. The sides of the table are not in play although the ball may land on a corner which
is on the legal playing surface. Here is something that is very important; the playing surface
may be made of any material but a standard ball must bounce at least 23 cm or 9 in from a 30 cm or 12 in height when it is dropped vertically. The playing surface may be uniformly dark
colored. Usually the surface is green or blue. The surface is divided into two equal parts
by a vertical net which is parallel to the end lines and must cover the entire width of the table.
The table also has a 2 cm wide white line that covers the outside of the 2.74 m edge and a
2 cm wide white line that covers the 1.525 m edge. For doubles the table has a 3 mm wide
center line which is parallel to the side lines. The center line shall be regarded as part of the
right half court.
The net
shall consist of its supporting posts, its extension and the clamps that hold it to the
table. These parts of the table may come into play but very rarely. The net shall be supported
by a cord running parallel to the end lines and shall be 15.25 cm high. The outer supports will
be 15.25 cm outside the side line. The top of the net over its whole length will be 15.25 cm or
6 in above the table. The lower part of the net shall be as close to the table as possible.
The ball
shall be spherical, with a diameter of 40 mm. There may be some of you who used the
36 mm ball, but they are no longer used in tournaments and also ball return machines have
started to use the 40 mm balls. The ball shall weigh 2.7 g or approximately .1 oz. The ball shall be made of celluloid or similar plastics and shall be either orange or white.

Table Tennis Blog

2009-06-23T21:02:00.000-04:00

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Hello, welcome to my blog. I will be writing on this site everything you can think of about
Table Tennis or as it is called Ping Pong. I started this blog from the MegaTyping program I enrolled in. I hope you find it useful and entertaining.
I'd like to tell you a brief history of myself and my favorite sport. When I was six years old my father put two pieces of ply wood together on top of two "horses" . To my delight, I walked down the basement and saw my father standing their with an old ping pong paddle in his hand. Right then and there I knew I was going to love ping pong. We had these paddles that were so old and completely unlike the paddles of today. But boy did we have fun just hitting the ball back and forth. My father was kind to me at first, because I could barely see over the end of the table. Gradually as I got taller and became a better player we would really go after each other. I couldn't beat my father who was quite a ping pong player himself. But then when I was about 15 or so I finally beat him and I think he was more proud then I was.