Desk tennis is without doubt one of the few sports activities that’s identify is derived from one other sport. Table tennis was invented in the late 1800’s as a parlor sport, emulating garden tennis matches performed on dinner tables.
Let’s imagine that they share the identical DNA. Nonetheless, each have developed enormously since their creation at across the identical time, greater than 130 years in the past.
Should you had been to check a tennis match and a desk tennis match immediately, you’d assume that they’re utterly completely different sports activities. In actuality, they share the identical essence. It’s this ambiguity that makes the comparability between garden tennis and desk tennis so fascinating.
These similarities are very helpful to research since each sports activities can study from one another. The primary theories about tips on how to play desk tennis got here from tennis, and I imagine that each sports activities can proceed to remove helpful ideas from one another.
| Function | Desk Tennis | Tennis |
|---|---|---|
| Are volleys allowed? | No. | Sure. |
| Ball diameter | 40mm. | Between 65.4 and 68.6 mm. |
| Ball weight | 2.7 grams. | Between 56 and 59.4 grams. |
| Courtroom/desk size | 2.74 meters. | 23.77 meters. |
| Courtroom/desk width | 1.52 meters. | 8.23 meters for singles, and 10.97 meters for doubles. |
| Sport performed to | 11 factors with at the very least 2 factors benefit. In any other case, the sport goes on till a participant will get 2 factors over the opposite. | 4 factors with at the very least some extent benefit over the opponent. In any other case, the sport goes on till a participant will get 2 factors over the opposite. |
| Video games performed | Normally 3, 5, or 7. | Between 12 and 39 for a 3-set match, between 18 and 65 for a 5-set match. |
| Let serve | Participant serves once more | Participant serves once more. |
| Foul serve | Participant loses level. | Participant serves once more (as soon as). |
| No. of serves per level | 1, in case you don’t serve accurately, your opponent will get some extent. | 2. Should you miss your first serve, you get one other. |
| Potential completely different courts | 1, the desk is all the time the identical. | 3, clay, grass, or arduous court docket. |
| Server change | Each 2 factors. | Each sport. |
| Units performed | Normally 3, 5, or 7. The right terminology is “video games”. | Normally 3 or 5. |
| Typical racket headsize | 36.5 sq. inches. | 100 sq. inches |
| Typical racket weight | 170 – 195 grams. | 285 – 320 grams |
| Typical racket materials | Wooden + Carbon fibers (elective) | Graphite + titanium, kevlar or fiberglass (elective) |
To raised perceive the similarities between the 2 sports activities, I’d desire that we start analyzing the variations.
Variations between desk tennis and tennis
The principle distinction between desk tennis and tennis is that, because of the huge variations in distances and sizes, each sports activities have developed in radically other ways.
Abilities and bodily traits
Desk tennis gamers don’t rely a lot on their power however slightly on their potential to hit pictures performing brief, snappy strokes and recovering shortly, assuming an offensive playstyle.
Tennis gamers must hit a a lot bigger ball on a bigger court docket with a lot higher pressure.
Due to this, elite tennis gamers are often tall and robust. In table tennis, height and strength don’t matter a lot because the distances are very brief, the ball is nearly weightless at lower than 3 grams and the gear may be very quick.
Japan’s Mima Ito stands at 1.52cm (5 ft) and she will hit the ball at such excessive speeds that it’s generally tough to trace the ball.
The principle skills desk tennis gamers want are reflexes, coordination, and the short considering wanted to play pictures with such little time to react.
Desk tennis gamers, in a way, play a sport that revolves nearly purely round timing and reflexes.
Tennis gamers are often stronger and taller gamers. Additionally they require reflexes, however what they want most are endurance and bodily power. Tennis gamers should be extra well-rounded as they should hit with extra pressure and transfer for hours on finish.
Desk tennis matches, conversely, final solely round 20 minutes, and gamers don’t want to maneuver as a lot. I might say endurance in desk tennis is vital however anybody with regular health ranges can play at a very excessive stage.
Tennis gamers are runners earlier than anything, so it’s a lot simpler for a tennis participant’s stage to be restricted by their physicality.
In desk tennis if don’t transfer very nicely, however you’re in any other case a extremely expert participant, you’ll nonetheless be a high-level participant.
In tennis, it’d be practically not possible for somebody with little mobility to beat somebody who strikes exceptionally nicely.
That is, in my view, an ideal benefit of desk tennis over garden tennis. Not having as a lot distance to cowl signifies that gamers with lowered mobility can compete with others with distinctive mobility since these with lesser pace can achieve the higher hand in different facets.
In desk tennis, there’s gear akin to anti and long pips that evens out the sector if the participant utilizing it has plenty of tactical data, spin lecture, and plenty of hand feeling.
Desk tennis is without doubt one of the most inclusive sports activities. Being a younger, match participant, I’ve been overwhelmed by gamers with lowered mobility, 80-year-old grandpas, you identify it!. There’s nothing however respect on my finish when these gamers handle to beat me.
Right here’s the story of 88-year-old legend Pam Butcher, who may beat numerous gamers half a century youthful than her!
Should you desire to run lengthy distances, nonetheless, you’ll discover garden tennis extra pleasing.
Sizes and lengths
In tennis, the ball weighs between 56 and 59.4 grams. The table tennis ball weighs 20 instances much less.
In tennis, the court docket measures 23.77 meters. In desk tennis, the table is 8 to 9 times smaller.
Additionally, in tennis, a traditional shot carried out by an intermediate-level participant travels at 70 km/h. If we shorten the space between 8 and 9 instances in desk tennis, that is the end result when hitting the ball at 70 km/h. Blink and also you’ll miss it!
As we will see, response instances and reflexes in desk tennis are far more vital.
An enormous distinction between desk tennis and tennis is using instincts and prediction.
In desk tennis, we’re continually predicting the place the opponent goes to hit the ball.
Having performed so many factors, and by studying the opponent’s physique language, we will already get an thought of the place their shot goes to go and react accordingly earlier than they even hit the ball.
Tennis gamers don’t have to do that, for probably the most half. They do must do it generally on serve receives, however typically to not the identical extent as when enjoying rallies.
One other large distinction between tennis and desk tennis is that because of the shorter distances, all actions have to be shortened.
It’s simply that the sport pace is way increased. The factors final a lot much less however are extra explosive.
Reputation
The third largest distinction I discover between garden tennis and desk tennis is their recognition.
One would assume that garden tennis is far more fashionable than desk tennis, however this isn’t essentially the case.
In actuality, desk tennis has greater than 3 instances as many gamers as tennis. In response to a report revealed in 2019 by the ITF, there are 87 million tennis gamers, whereas there are an estimated 300 million desk tennis gamers on the earth.
Nonetheless, in case you are studying this, likelihood is that garden tennis is far more fashionable than desk tennis in your nation.
This has numerous repercussions. For a lot of desk tennis gamers, entry to golf equipment is tough, particularly if they don’t reside in large cities.
Desk tennis may be very fashionable in Asian nations akin to China, South Korea, and Japan. It’s also fashionable in some European nations akin to Germany and Sweden, however in most different nations, desk tennis just isn’t a significant sport.
Tennis, alternatively, is a well-liked sport in most nations of the world. It’s a lot simpler to search out tennis courts than desk tennis golf equipment in most components of the world.
I might say that desk tennis just isn’t that widespread, however many play ping pong.
In most nations exterior of Asia, ping pong is taken into account a leisure sport and there’s not as a lot diffusion at a sporting {and professional} stage for desk tennis as there’s for different sports activities, like tennis.
As a substitute of spending extra time discussing the variations, I would favor to deal with the similarities between tennis and desk tennis. These similarities are those that allow one sport to study from the opposite.
Similarities between desk tennis and garden tennis
Since one sport is an adaptation of the opposite, there are numerous similarities between desk tennis and garden tennis. I’ll spotlight the three most vital similarities.
Balancing shot high quality with errors
An enormous dilemma current in each sports activities is tips on how to maximize the variety of factors gained.
Some gamers desire to play it protected and never make errors, whereas others desire to hit the ball with plenty of high quality to attempt to generate factors for themselves, risking unforced errors.
The previous type generates fewer factors by itself however with fewer unforced errors. The latter generates extra factors by itself at a better danger of committing unforced errors. There isn’t a perfect strategy to win every table tennis match.
Discovering the fitting steadiness, in fact! We outline high quality as:
- Depth: In each sports activities, a ball that bounces deeper does extra harm because it’s more durable to counter than a ball that bounces in the midst of the court docket/desk. Additionally, in each sports activities, you’ll be able to play drop pictures, which require an ideal potential to control the depth of the shot.
- Placement: In each tennis and desk tennis your placement performs a significant position in constructing factors and maintaining your opponent on the again foot.
- Velocity: The pace at which the ball reaches your opponent is a vital consider sustaining the initiative and forcing errors out of your opponent. Additionally, altering the tempo of your pictures periodically will make them much more complicated to take care of.
- Spin: In each sports activities, the ball kicks when hit with topspin, and it bounces much less when a venomous slice or superb chop is carried out!
All of those elements needs to be maximized whereas minimizing errors.
Take for instance the “Greatest Of All Time” in Table Tennis, Ma Lengthy, in comparison with the equal in tennis, Roger Federer.
Each gamers, of their prime, possessed a mixture of the entire above plus the truth that they hardly made unforced errors. They’re highly effective gamers with an unbelievable really feel for the ball.
These gamers are clearly on one other stage than their competitors. However even they might get extra appropriate returns in the event that they didn’t take many dangerous pictures. Nonetheless, they wouldn’t be the gamers they’re with out hitting high-risk, high-reward pictures constantly.
That’s the reason we are saying that in each sports activities the important thing to victory is figuring out tips on how to maximize the standard of the pictures whereas minimizing unforced errors.
Participant types
In each sports activities, the foundations are fairly easy. Fail to return the ball accurately and your opponent wins some extent.
Some gamers interpret that to imply they are going to win in the event that they all the time return the ball accurately, and others who interpret that they are going to win if they will pressure their opponent to not return the ball accurately.
In each sports activities, most gamers are offensive in nature.
Nonetheless, there are numerous methods to get your opponent to not return the ball accurately. A spin-heavy slice or chop will be simply as lethal as a smash or energy loop.
Every participant brings their very own private type to their sport. Nadal runs tirelessly and hits with plenty of topspin. Djokovic is a flexible and intensely well-rounded participant. Medvedev locations the ball sublimely and all the time hits it another way, complicated his opponents.
In desk tennis, it’s the identical story. Ma Lengthy hits the ball extremely arduous so his opponent can’t hit him again. Lin Yun-ju will relentlessly assault, many times, sporting his opponents down. Ruwen Filus will return the ball tirelessly each time.
Psychological battle
Each sports activities are mentally robust. Desk tennis and tennis are a psychological battle in opposition to two folks. Firstly, in opposition to oneself. Secondly, in opposition to the opponent.
The psychological facet is at the very least as vital because the bodily and technical qualities a participant could have.
In each sports activities, celebrating factors and never fading mentally is extra vital than anything. Being on the fitting mindset is what is going to let you play your finest sport.
The second a participant loses their focus or confidence, the whole lot goes downhill from there.
If we analyze the two best gamers of all time, Ma Lengthy and Federer, aside from their unbelievable potential, the opposite key attribute that involves thoughts is their psychological toughness.
They’re each extraordinarily motivated gamers who would do something to win. They each play each match, each sport, even each level as if it had been their final. That is what allowed them to grow to be the perfect within the historical past of their sports activities.
There could have been gamers simply as gifted as them, however what separates good gamers from the perfect of all is that their minds can consider nothing however victory.
In racket sports activities that face one participant in opposition to the opposite, the participant with the perfect psychological sport will often win.
Alvaro’s been enjoying Desk Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked inside the prime 100 in his native Argentina. He likes to compete in provincial tournaments and is all the time on the lookout for methods to enhance. Alvaro made his favorite reminiscences with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight workforce to share his ardour with different gamers!
Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 05 | Backhand: Butterfly Rozena
Playstyle: The Controller
