Traits Of A Good Table Tennis Player

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