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Hidden someplace in that mess of a basement of yours--under
the collection of toy train magazines and next to the decade old once-new and
once-used treadmill--lies a ping-pong table.
 See the ping pong table there? No, me neither...via Simply Natural Mom
Or more accurately, a table tennis court.
Table tennis is quite the legitimate
athletic endeavor in places like China, which has won dozens upon dozens of
table tennis awards, and Europe, which has the table tennis European Champions League.
 ...via Table Tennis Daily
For the rest of the world however, table tennis is taken as
gag-recreation. That's why it's earned the silly nickname ping-pong, and also
spawned the alcohol-included cousin of table tennis called beirut; as well as
the unrelated kin known as beer
pong.
Do you know who's crazy-good at ping pong? Forrest Gump.
 ...via Smarter Babies and Kids
In
actuality, table tennis is an exceptionally
difficult game that deserves some respect. So I'm here to shed some light onto
the game, and maybe you'll take notice. Not that you'll notice the ball, since
it has been clock at over 70 mph, and the average return volley lasts just .1
seconds. The International Table Tennis Federation increased the regulation
diameter of balls to slow the game
down so audiences could actually watch the ball.
Rackets, Balls, and Tables
Table tennis rackets, (aka paddles, aka bats) are wood in
construction, with a soft sponge-like material and rubber pad covering the
striking side of the racket. Professionals glue their rackets together
themselves, and the type of glue used is absorbed by the sponge before hardening, and
expands and applies torsion to the rubber after hardeneing. The ball then has longer contact with the
rubber, providing spin and speed. This type of glue, called speed glue, has
been recently banned due to VOC issues. It's expected to be back in competition
as soon as the glue can be formulated without the toxic ingredients.
 ...via Wikimedia
Balls are 40mm in diameter and must weight 2.7 grams; they
can only officially be orange or white. Balls are tested by dropping the ball
from 305 mm onto a steel plate, and must have COR of .89 to .92. They're rolled
down a 100 mm incline at 14° to determine the amount of veer.
Official balls must also have three stars, indicating high quality.
 ...via Table Tennis DB
Finally, the official table is 2.74 m long, 1.52
m wide, and 76 cm off the floor. A 15.25 cm high net splits the table
width-wise, and an equator line runs the length.
Sphere Science
Interestingly, the sound of table tennis may help players
track the ball better than any visual stimuli. Audible cues reach the brain .03
seconds faster than visual ones, and the less sound a ping pong ball makes upon
contact, the higher the rate of spin. This is especially important because the
ball spins at a rate of 3,000 rpm, and top spin can make a table tennis ball
break more than two feet.
While balls accelerate off the racket at over 70 mph at
elite levels of play, the low density of the ball and air drag reduces the
speed to about 50 mph.
 ...via China Daily
The spin of the ball is exceptionally important to landing
points in table tennis (the rules are essentially the same as regular tennis).
Four different types of spin are available to players, each pertaining to some
degree to the Magnus
effect.
- Backspin is employed defensively to keep the
ball low to the table, and it is hard to produce a good offensive chance from a
good backspin serve.
 ...via Wikimedia
- ·
Topspin provides a late, downward curve after
the ball has crossed the net. Once it contacts the table, the ball accelerates,
much as it does when it hits the racket. This forces the players to adjust
their racket angles to accurately hit the ball back to the opponent. When
players play at extreme distances from their side of the table (sometimes 20
feet!), it is most commonly to provide additional reaction time for topspun
balls. Each additional foot increases the player's reaction time up to 13%,
though it will still be under half a second.
 ...via Wikimedia
- ·
Sidespin is often used when far from the table
to 'hook' around the net. It does not affect the bounce of the ball on the
table, yet some adverse bounce can be experienced off the paddle.
 ...via All About Table Tennis
- ·
Corkspin is probably the one spin a CR4 reader
couldn't assume, and it is the only serve or lob accomplished with a rotational
axis that is parallel to the trajectory. When the ball bounces on the table, it
will rebound in the
direction of the spin.
So, what do you think of ping-pong now? Not such a kid's
game, eh? And you can't be out of shape to play either. Studies have found the VO2 of elite table tennis
players to be similar to that off soccer players. Think about that before you
try to move that cluttered table tennis, uh…table.
But, it never hurts to pick up a hobby. Do a quick Bing! or Google search for local clubs in your area. Then, start practicing your corkspin.
Resources
Wikipedia - Table Tennis
Sport Science - Table Tennis
Popular Science - The Truth About Table Tennis
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Re: CR4 Olympic Coverage: Table Tennis
