| Table Tennis is a simple and fun sport that | | | | the paddle settled comfortably in your hand, |
| appeals to a lot of people. A large part of | | | | your palm and fingers should remain fixed in |
| it's attraction stems from it's relatively | | | | that position, and a majority of the changes |
| low demands on the players in a lot of areas. | | | | to the paddle's angle is made by your wrist. |
| For one thing, the actual playing area | | | | The best exercises to create great wrist |
| doesn't take up much space; therefore, it can | | | | flexibility come from a martial art called |
| be played indoors, and can even be made part | | | | aikido. No, I'm not recommending studying it |
| of a house's rec room with little difficulty. | | | | (though if you do it would help you a lot in |
| For another thing, table tennis is a low | | | | other areas too!). Rather, you can buy a book |
| impact sport that can be played by almost any | | | | or video on aikido basics, and these will |
| one, so you don't have to be at extremes of | | | | often list the simple wrist rotation and |
| fitness to take it, unlike high impact sports | | | | flexibility exercises you'll need. The next |
| like football. These factors alone are | | | | element that makes a good table tennis player |
| usually sufficient to get people interested | | | | is general balance and good footwork. If you |
| in table tennis; what gets them HOOKED on it | | | | can dance without falling over yourself, you |
| is that fact that it's just, plain FUN. | | | | should be fine. While table tennis doesn't |
| Despite it's lower physical requirements | | | | involve nearly as much running around as |
| however, table tennis does place certain | | | | other sports do, this is actually part |
| demands on it's players that you'll want to | | | | blessing and curse. The reason is because to |
| brush up on if you decide to take it as a | | | | move from one side of the table to the other, |
| hobby. The first thing you'll need to train | | | | you need to rely on smaller steps and subtle |
| in for table tennis are your reflexes. Table | | | | shifts in balance and weight. Because these |
| tennis balls are small, and can travel at | | | | movements are much smaller than the wider |
| relatively high velocities if thwacked hard. | | | | general gross movements made in other sports |
| Therefore, you'll want to train your reflexes | | | | like running or basket ball, they can |
| enough to be able to intercept a small, high | | | | actually throw off the timing of people used |
| speed ball and not just hit it, but hit it | | | | to high athletic activity. Lastly, there is a |
| properly so that it gets sent back at the | | | | certain mental element involved in table |
| other player instead of just deflected at an | | | | tennis if you want to win. You have to be |
| angle (at which point it might fly in your | | | | able to outthink your opponent, planning two |
| face). Here's a simple training exercise to | | | | or three steps ahead in the game and |
| improve your hand eye coordination. Have | | | | adjusting your shots accordingly. The best |
| someone take a stick, about a foot long and | | | | comparisons would be to fencing and chess, |
| half an inch wide. Have them hold it | | | | where the ability to feint and trap your |
| horizontally at one end in front of them, | | | | opponent into a certain weak position spells |
| palm facing down. Open your hand palm down | | | | the key to victory. In table tennis, if all |
| over the other end, hovering about an inch | | | | you do is react to your opponent's shots, |
| above the stick. Then, let your partner | | | | you'll lose. The simplest example would be to |
| release the stick. Your job is to react to | | | | angle shots constantly to your opponent's |
| their dropping the stick and catching it. | | | | left side, forcing him to backhand |
| You'd be surprised at the number of people | | | | repeatedly, then suddenly angling a shot wide |
| who fumble this simple drill. Aside from | | | | and far to his vulnerable right. This kind of |
| reflexes, you'll need strong, flexible | | | | thinking is what wins you games. |
| wrists. A common mistake of new table tennis | | | | |
| players is using the fingers and palm to | | | | Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has |
| adjust their grip on the paddle, making | | | | written over 200 articles on various |
| changes to the angle awkward. Once you get | | | | subjects. |