History of Table Tennis

The game originated as a sport in Britain during the 1880s, where it was played among the
upper-class as an aIter-dinner parlour game, then commonly known as "wiff-waff" A row oI
books were to be stood up along the center oI the table as a net, two more books served as
rackets and were used to continuously hit a golI-ball Irom one end oI the table to the other Later,
table tennis was played with paddles made oI cigar box lids and balls made oI champagne corks
The popularity oI the game led game manuIacturers to sell the equipment commercially Early
rackets were oIten pieces oI parchment stretched upon a Irame, and the sound generated in play
gave the game its Iirst nicknames oI "wiff-waff" and "ping-pong" A number oI sources indicate
that the game was Iirst brought to the attention oI Hamley's oI Regent Street under the name
"Gossima" The name "ping-pong" was in wide use beIore British manuIacturer J Jaques & Son
Ltd trademarked it in 1901 The name "ping-pong" then came to be used Ior the game played by
the rather expensive Jaquesses equipment, with other manuIacturers calling it table tennis A
similar situation arose in the United States, where Jaques sold the rights to the "ping-pong" name
to Parker Brothers
The next major innovation was by James Gibb, a British enthusiast oI table tennis, who
discovered novelty celluloid balls on a trip to the US in 1901 and Iound them to be ideal Ior the
game This was Iollowed by E Goode who, in 1901, invented the modern version oI the racket
by Iixing a sheet oI pimpled, or stippled, rubber to the wooden blade Table tennis was growing
in popularity by 1901 to the extent that table tennis tournaments were being organized, books on
table tennis were being written, and an unoIIicial world championship was held in 1902 During
the early 1900s, the game was banned in Russia because the rulers at the time believed that
playing the game had an adverse eIIect on players' eyesight
In 1921, the Table Tennis Association was Iounded in Britain, and the International Table Tennis
Federation Iollowed in 1926 London hosted the Iirst oIIicial World hampionships in 1926 In
1933, the United States Table Tennis Association, now called USA Table Tennis, was Iormed
In the 1950s, rackets that used a rubber sheet combined with an underlying sponge layer changed
the game dramatically, introducing greater spin and speed These were introduced to Britain by
sports goods manuIacturer SW Hancock Ltd The use oI speed glueincreased the spin and speed
even Iurther, resulting in changes to the equipment to "slow the game down" Table tennis was
introduced as an Olympic sport at the Olympics in 1988
11|

AIter the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the International Table Tennis Federation instituted
several rules changes aimed at making table tennis more viable as a televised spectator
sport First, the older 38 mm balls were oIIicially replaced by 40 mm balls in 2000 This
increased the ball's air resistance and eIIectively slowed down the game By that time, players
had begun increasing the thickness oI the Iast sponge layer on their rackets, which made the
game excessively Iast and diIIicult to watch on television Second, the ITTF changed Irom a 21-
point to an 11-point scoring system in 2001 This was intended to make games more Iast-paced
and exciting The ITTF also changed the rules on service to prevent a player Irom hiding the ball
during service, in order to increase the average length oI rallies and to reduce the server's
advantage
Variants oI the sport have recently emerged "Large-ball" table tennis uses a 44 mm ball, which
slows down the game signiIicantly This has seen some acceptance by players who have a hard
time with the extreme spins and speeds oI the 40 mm game
There is a move towards reviving the table tennis game that existed prior to the introduction oI
sponge rubber "Hardbat" table tennis players reject the speed and spin oI reversed sponge
rubber, preIerring the 194060s play style with no sponge and short-pimpled rubber DeIense is
less diIIicult by decreasing the speed and eliminating any meaningIul magnus eIIect oI spin
Because hardbat killer shots are almost impossible to hit against a skilled player, hardbat
matches Iocus on the strategic side oI table tennis, requiring skillIul maneuvering oI the
opponent beIore an attack can become successIul

#&$ AND #&ATION$
Scoring Rules
O A point is scored when your opponent Iails to properly return the ball to your side oI the table In
a standard game oI table tennis, the Iirst player to reach 11 points is considered the winner Rules
also state, however, that a player must be leading his opponent by a margin oI at least two points
beIore a win can be declared Matches are typically played as a series oI Iive games, with the
Iirst player to win three games declared the winner
Table
O According to the ITTF, the tabletop should be precisely 76 centimeters above the Iloor and on an
even, horizontal plane The playing surIace is rectangular in shape with a measurement oI 274
meters long and 1525 meters wide The surIace oI the table may be made oI a variety oI
materials, as long as a standard ball can achieve a consistent bounce oI 23 centimeters when
dropped Irom 30 centimeters above the table
Net
O The ITTF states that all table tennis nets shall be attached on both sides to upright poles that
stand 1525 centimeters high, with the posts set 1525 centimeters beyond the side line The top
oI an ITTF-sanctioned net will be exactly 1525 centimeters above the surIace oI the table with
the bottom oI the net resting as close to the tabletop as possible
Racket
O There are no regulations pertaining to the exact size, shape or even weight oI a table tennis
racket; hence there are many variations OIIicial ITTF standards do state that the racket's blade
must consist oI at least 85 natural wood, however The sides oI a racket's blade should also be
covered with rubber Players must allow both their opponent and the umpire an opportunity to
inspect the racket beIore it is used in play
Ball
O In order to adhere to the oIIicial ITTF guidelines, a table tennis ball must measure exactly 40
millimeters in diameter and weight exactly 27 grams Table tennis balls must be constructed out
oI celluloid or another similar plastic and must be white or orange in color
6:ipment
Ball
The international rules speciIy that the game is played with a light 27 gram, 40 mm diameter
ball

The rules say that the ball shall bounce up 2426 cm when dropped Irom a height oI
305 cm on to a standard steel block thereby having a coeIIicient oI restitution oI 089 to 092
The 40 mm ball was introduced aIter the 2000 Olympic Games However, this created some
controversy as the hinese National Team argued that this was merely to give non-hinese
players a better chance oI winning since the new type oI balls has a slower speed, while at that
time most hinese players were playing with Iast attack and smashes A 40 mm table tennis ball
is slower and spins less than the original 38 mm (15 inch) one The ball is made oI a high-
bouncing air-Iilled celluloid or similar plastics material, colored white or orange, with
a matte Iinish The choice oI ball color is made according to the table color and its surroundings
For example, a white ball is easier to see on a green or blue table than it is on a gray table Stars
on the ball indicate the quality oI the ball Three stars indicate that it is oI the highest quality, and
is used in oIIicial competition
Table
The table is 274 m (9 It) long, 1525 m (5 It) wide, and 76 cm (30 inch) high with a Masonite (a
type oI hardboard) or similarly manuIactured timber, layered with a smooth, low-
Iriction coating The table or playing surIace is divided into two halves by a 1525 cm (6 inch)
high net An ITTF approved table surIace must be in a green or blue color
#acket
ain article. Table tennis racket
Players are equipped with a laminated wooden racket covered with rubber on one or two sides
depending on the grip oI the player The oIIicial ITTF term is "racket", though "bat" is common
in Britain, and "paddle" in the US
The wooden portion oI the racket, oIten reIerred to as the "blade", commonly Ieatures anywhere
between one and seven plies oI wood, though cork, glass Iiber, carbon Iiber, aluminum Iiber, and
Kevlar are sometimes used There are no restrictions on a blade's composition except that it be at
least 85 natural wood ommon wood types include Balsa, Limba, and ypress or "Hinoki,"
which is popular in Japan The average size oI the blade is about 65 inches (165 cm) long and
6 inches (15 cm) wide Although there are no oIIicial restrictions on the shape or size oI the
blade itselI, these dimensions are optimal Ior most play styles
Table tennis regulations allow diIIerent surIaces on each side oI the racket Various types oI
surIaces provide various levels oI spin or speed, and in some cases they nulliIy spin For
example, a player may have a rubber that provides much spin on one side oI his racket, and one
that provides no spin on the other By Ilipping the racket in play, diIIerent types oI returns are
possible To help a player distinguish between the rubber used by his opposing player,
international rules speciIy that one side must be red while the other side must be black The
player has the right to inspect his opponent's racket beIore a match to see the type oI rubber used
and what color it is Despite high speed play and rapid exchanges, a player can see clearly what
side oI the racket was used to hit the ball urrent rules state that, unless damaged in play, the
racket cannot be exchanged Ior another racket at any time during a match