21st Century Sport Report: Table Tennis

I've become a big fan of table tennis over the past year. It has always been a something I enjoyed playing, but in my formative years, games consisted of my father besting me with a serious backhand smash.

A little over a year ago, some of us at work pooled some money to buy a ping pong table for our use during our lunch breaks. In the high-bay of our building (the place where deliveries come in) we have lots of room to set up and play each and every day.

At first a few of us were there daily, but now the number has grown to about 8 regulars. We play doubles games to 11, where the winning team stays on the table, until they have played all combinations of opponents. Some days we wish we had a second table, because its hard to wait your turn.

Over a couple thousand games (we play about 10-20 a day), our skills have definitely improved. Maybe we're somewhere between here:



and here:



Today, we were hoping to play after work at the Manzano Mesa Community Center,
where the competition is quite stiff. To our dismay, it was closed for spring cleaning this week. Oh well, maybe next time.

Table Tennis (or "ping pong" - which is the sound the ball makes as you play) is a great way to sharpen you hand-eye coordination, as well as work up a little sweat during your lunch break. Here is a video that describes some of the basics I have kept in mind during my training for the coveted "complete circuit" - where you hold the table through all possible combinations of opponents:



... that was probably one video too many, but I like posting vids!