Ping Pong is a type of a sport played on a special table that is divided by a net. Two to four players can play the game at a time. The objective of the game is to hit the ball with a racquet into the opponent’s side.
Ping Pong is a type of a sport played on a special table that is divided by a net. Two to four players can play the game at a time. The objective of the game is to hit the ball with a racquet into the opponent’s side. The ball should bounce only once on either side of the table and should be successfully returned to the opponent. Ping-pong is very similar to lawn tennis - the only notable difference is that this game is played on a table, instead of on the court.
If the player hit the ball too hard that it fails to land on his opponent’s side of the table, then it is a dead ball. A point will be given to the opponent. Ping-pong is a very fast game. Therefore, quick reactions are required. Skilled players even try to spin the ball as they hit it with the paddle so that it becomes hard for their opponent to predict which spot it would land.
The game Ping-pong originated from England in the year 1880’s. It is commonly referred to as indoor tennis. During that time, players use common objects found inside their homes as equipments. The game is played on a regular dining table and they use books for a bat and a ball of yarn as the ball. It was only in 1901 that the game was marketed commercially. J. Jaques and Son Ltd. manufactured the most expensive game set. They sold it with the “Ping-pong” trademark.
A Ping-pong game is usually started with a toss coin. The outcome decides which player will serve the ball first. To serve the ball, the player needs to hit it with the bat approximately six inches above the table. The ball has to bounce on the serving player’s side of the table and into his opponent’s. As much as possible, the ball should not hit the net.
A point is awarded to you if your opponent fails to return the ball after it had bounced on their side. The ball has to go over the net and should not bounce on either side twice. Once the ball had landed on your table, you have to effectively return it to your opponent. Failure to do so will credit him a point. It is illegal for players to hit the ball before it has touched the table.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Who Said Golfing Was Relaxing
I used to throw my golf clubs into the trunk of my car, drive to the course, hit a few practice putts on the green and then tee off. Five hours later I would be cursing and swearing to myself about how terrible my game was, how my clubs were to blame or the weather was not suited to my game that day. Then, I would repeat the whole process again a week later, just counting down the hours until I was back out of the course.
This was my time for me, away from all the pressures and stresses of my everyday world. The one place where I could go and relax for a few hours with the guys. That was, until I started paying attention to all of the golfing magazines, the golf shows on television and the club displays that were in my pro shop. After all, what could it hurt to take a look at some of the new golf equipment that was out there and maybe shave a couple of strokes off my game.
The first item I thought I would change was my golf ball. Big mistake. Do you realize just how many different balls there are out there now? There must be hundreds, if not thousands. There is at least 20 golf balls designed for each aspect of your game. Ones for curves, slices, hooks, backspin, high flight, low flight and on and on. And who really cares just how many dimples there are on a golf ball. And what about compression ratio’s? What the heck is that all about?
Once you do finally decide on a new ball then you begin to think about new golf clubs. The world of clubs has now evolved into a very sophisticated and technical process. The selection is enormous and the price range is simply outrageous. You can purchase a simple department store driver for $40.00 or a top of the line driver from one of the Big Three for up to $800.00. It would take a complete novel to write about and explain all the new clubs that are available today. With the ever expanding availability of golf equipment to help make the game easier and more relaxing, it has in fact created the opposite effect, at least for this writer.
This was my time for me, away from all the pressures and stresses of my everyday world. The one place where I could go and relax for a few hours with the guys. That was, until I started paying attention to all of the golfing magazines, the golf shows on television and the club displays that were in my pro shop. After all, what could it hurt to take a look at some of the new golf equipment that was out there and maybe shave a couple of strokes off my game.
The first item I thought I would change was my golf ball. Big mistake. Do you realize just how many different balls there are out there now? There must be hundreds, if not thousands. There is at least 20 golf balls designed for each aspect of your game. Ones for curves, slices, hooks, backspin, high flight, low flight and on and on. And who really cares just how many dimples there are on a golf ball. And what about compression ratio’s? What the heck is that all about?
Once you do finally decide on a new ball then you begin to think about new golf clubs. The world of clubs has now evolved into a very sophisticated and technical process. The selection is enormous and the price range is simply outrageous. You can purchase a simple department store driver for $40.00 or a top of the line driver from one of the Big Three for up to $800.00. It would take a complete novel to write about and explain all the new clubs that are available today. With the ever expanding availability of golf equipment to help make the game easier and more relaxing, it has in fact created the opposite effect, at least for this writer.
Friday, December 7, 2007
What is Table Tennis?
Table tennis is an indoor game that originated from England. And just like other sports, table tennis was played merely as a social diversion in the early times. It is a game that was enjoyed by upper class Victorian families in the 19th century.
Table tennis is an indoor game that originated from England. And just like other sports, table tennis was played merely as a social diversion in the early times. It is a game that was enjoyed by upper class Victorian families in the 19th century. Table tennis comes with a number of names, including “flim flam”, “gossamer”, and “whif whaf”. During that time, players merely use a dining table, a makeshift net, and a set of cardboards to play the game. It was only in 1901 when an official set of table tennis equipment was sold in the market, under the trademark “Ping-Pong”. To play table tennis, a ball, a net, an official ping-pong table, and a paddle for each player are all required.
Right now, table tennis is an internationally recognized sport. The International Table Tennis Federation, or simply ITTF, governs all rules and tournaments worldwide. Table tennis can be played either in singles or doubles. It follows a rule very similar to lawn tennis. Players use small rackets called paddles, which both sides can be covered with rubber. A hollow lightweight ball made of celluloid is the one commonly used. The main objective of the game is to volley the ball from one side of the table to the other.
Game skills and strategies are required to play table tennis efficiently. The spin of the ball, its placement on the table, and the speed it travels are very essential. The different ways of holding the racket, such as the grip style, the pen-hold, and the shake-hand style may determine the player’s skill level. And to be good at ping-pong, players need to master both defensive and offensive strokes. The game starts with a serve. The player needs to bounce the ball on his side of the table into his opponent’s side without hitting the net.
The player gains a point if his opponent fumbles or was unable to return the ball back to him. It is important that the ball bounces once on the player’s and his opponent’s sides of the table. It is illegal to hit the ball before it touches the table. If the player hit the ball too hard that it goes out of bounds, then the other player gets the point. The area of the table serves as the boundaries.
Table tennis is very popular in Asia. In fact, Chinese and Koreans currently dominate the sport. They had successfully dethroned the reign of European players from France, Sweden, and Hungary. Table tennis became an official game in the Olympics in 1988.
Table tennis is an indoor game that originated from England. And just like other sports, table tennis was played merely as a social diversion in the early times. It is a game that was enjoyed by upper class Victorian families in the 19th century. Table tennis comes with a number of names, including “flim flam”, “gossamer”, and “whif whaf”. During that time, players merely use a dining table, a makeshift net, and a set of cardboards to play the game. It was only in 1901 when an official set of table tennis equipment was sold in the market, under the trademark “Ping-Pong”. To play table tennis, a ball, a net, an official ping-pong table, and a paddle for each player are all required.
Right now, table tennis is an internationally recognized sport. The International Table Tennis Federation, or simply ITTF, governs all rules and tournaments worldwide. Table tennis can be played either in singles or doubles. It follows a rule very similar to lawn tennis. Players use small rackets called paddles, which both sides can be covered with rubber. A hollow lightweight ball made of celluloid is the one commonly used. The main objective of the game is to volley the ball from one side of the table to the other.
Game skills and strategies are required to play table tennis efficiently. The spin of the ball, its placement on the table, and the speed it travels are very essential. The different ways of holding the racket, such as the grip style, the pen-hold, and the shake-hand style may determine the player’s skill level. And to be good at ping-pong, players need to master both defensive and offensive strokes. The game starts with a serve. The player needs to bounce the ball on his side of the table into his opponent’s side without hitting the net.
The player gains a point if his opponent fumbles or was unable to return the ball back to him. It is important that the ball bounces once on the player’s and his opponent’s sides of the table. It is illegal to hit the ball before it touches the table. If the player hit the ball too hard that it goes out of bounds, then the other player gets the point. The area of the table serves as the boundaries.
Table tennis is very popular in Asia. In fact, Chinese and Koreans currently dominate the sport. They had successfully dethroned the reign of European players from France, Sweden, and Hungary. Table tennis became an official game in the Olympics in 1988.
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