Table Tennis Equipment

Four pieces of equipment are needed to play tabletennis: the table, the net, the ball, and the racket.The racket is really two pieces of equipment­the racket itself and its covering. In addition, play­ers must choose proper playing attire plus anyof the many table tennis accessories available­table tennis glue, head and wrist bands, net mea­surer, racket holder and playing bag, andweighted rackets.

THE TABLE

The table is 9 feet by 5 feet, with the surface 30inches from the floor. It is usually a dark,nonreflecting green, with a 3/4-inch white linerunning along the edge. There is also a 1/4-inchline running down the middle that is only used indoubles. (It doesn't invalidate the table for singlesplay.)

The way the ball bounces when it hits the tablemust meet certain standards. It should have auniform bounce whether the ball is hitting near theedge or in the middle. Itshould bounce roughly thesame on all legal tables. (When dropped from aheightof12 inches, the ball should bounce between8-3/4 and 9-3/4 inches.) You won't be able todevelop proper timing ona table thatgivesvariablebounces. If at all possible, use tables that are eitherUSTIA or ITrF approved.

Tables range from beat-up ones with gapingholes in the middle and bounces that defy gravityto thousand dollar ones that are scientifically de­signed. Try to use ones that are somewhere inbetween. .

You'll need room to play. A legal playing courtis at least 20 by 40 feet, but you may have tocompromise on this depending on the size of yourfacility. Beginners don't need nearly as much roomas more advanced players. If at all possible, theceiling should be at least 12 feet or higher, butthis isn't necessary for beginners. (You can't lobwith a low ceiling, but lobbing is a rather ad­vanced shot.)

The background should be dark enough so thatthe ball (usually white) can be seen clearly. Makesure there are no glares. Table tennis is a vision­oriented sport, and a white background or a glarefrom a window can ruin the game.

The floor should not be slippery, for obviousreasons. Most top players consider a wood floor (orsomething similar) best, because extensive play ona hard surface can hurt your feet and legs.

4

THE NET

The net is 6 inches high and stretches across themiddle of the table. It should extend 6 inches oneach side of the table-this is to keep players fromhitting the ball around the net, something some topplayers can do.

If the net isn't the correct height you won't get afeel for proper ball trajectory. Ifyou play with a netthat is too low, you'll get in the habit of hitting theball too low, and when you go to a regulation net,you'll hit into the net. Ifyou play on a net that is toohigh, you'll hit the ball too high when you go to aregulation net.

Nothing is more irritating than a net that keepsfalling over or that sags in the middle. Make surethe net being used is securely fastened and rela­tively taut.

THE BALL

Balls are usually white, but some are orange. Theyvary in price from cheap 10-cent balls that breakon contact with a racket to three-star quality ballsthat cost nearly a dollar each. A poorly made balltends to be lopsided, with soft spots, so that it notonly breaks easily, it doesn't bounce the sameway each time. You should probably go for theexpensive three-stars. They bounce better, and inthe long run they're cheaper because they lastmuch longer. Balls are usually marked either one,two, or three-star. Get the three-stars. If there areno stars, avoid them.

THE RACKET

Choosing a racket consists of two parts. First youmust choose the blade itself (a racket without thecovering). Then you must choose the covering forthe hitting surface. You'll want to pick the correctracket and covering for your particular style ofplay.

A blade is made of wood, although a smallamountofcarbonfiber orsimilar fibrous material ispermitted.Most toumamentplayersuseplainwoodbut some use expensive (over $100) carbon fiberblades that give a more even bounce on differentparts of the racket-a larger "sweet spot." Manyplayers complain that carbon rackets have less"touch," which is why they are still less popularthan plain wood.

When selecting a racket, you mustconsideryourgrip, playing style, price, and what feels comfort-

Table Tennis Equipment 5

able. Ifyou use the penhold grip (see Step 1, "Gripand Racket Control") then make sure to get apenhold racket.

Some beginners think it's "macho" or cool touse a fast blade. This is a mistake. A medium­speed blade will enable you to control the balland develop your shots far more effectively. Asyou advance, you may want a faster blade if youdevelop an attacking style. If you develop a moredefensive style, you may want a slower blade.The speed of most table tennis blades is usuallymarked on the package, ranging from "slow" to"very fast."

Ultimately, the deciding factor when selecting ablade (other than price) is the "feel." If it feels right,it's probably the best blade for you.

• Pips-out sponge: Here the pips point out­ward. This type of surface is ideal for smash­ing but is not as good for spinning or all­around play. You can't spin the ball as wellwith this surface, but you have more controlagainst spin.

• Hard rubber: Hardrubber isa sheetofpimpledrubber, pips outward, without any spongeunder it. Before sponge rackets were inventedin the 1950s, this was themost popularsurface.A playerwitha sponge racketcan keep theballin play at a faster pace than with a hard rubberracket and can attack fa: more effectively. Aplayer using hard rubber is at a severe disad­vantage against an opponent with sponge, soI strongly recommend that you use a spongeof some sort.

THE RACKET COVERINGThe racket covering is even more important thanthe racket itself. There are five basic types: inverted,pips-out, hard rubber, long pips, and antispin.(Sandpaper and plain wood are also sometimesused, but they are illegal surfaces and should notbeused. They were made illegal because they damagethe ball.)

Allracketcoveringsincludeasheetof"pimpled"rubber, a sheet of rubber covered with conical"pips." These pips help grab the ball and put morespin on it.

Make sure to use some sort of sponge rubbercovering (see Figure 1, a-c). A sponge racket iscoveredwitha thin layerofsponge,witha pimpledrubber surface. There are basically three types ofsurfaces, two of which have sponge.

• Inverted sponge: The sheet of pimpled rubberis inverted. The pips face inward, toward theracket. This leaves a smooth surface. On sometypes of inverted sponge, the surface is sticky,which helps whenspinning theballbutcausesa loss of control. Sticky inverted is the bestsurface for putting spin on the ball, while lesssticky inverted is best for all-around play. Irecommend that beginners get a less stickyinverted surface.

Two other types of racket surfaces are occasion­ally used: "antispin rubber" and "longpips." Thesesurfaces are different in their playing characteris­tics than other surfaces and are for special styles ofplay, mostly defensive. They will be covered indetail in Step 13, "Playing Styles and RallyingTactics." I don't recommend these surfaces forbeginners. As you learn more about the game, youmay wish to try them out.

SPEED GLUES

Many top players now use some sort of speedglue, which makes the racket surface faster and"spinnier." The glue must be put on before eachplaying session because the effect wears off after afew hours. The glue adds a slingshot effect whenhitting the ball, shooting the ball out. The effectonly lasts until the glue hardens, which takes from3 to 10 hours, depending on the type and theamount used.

Speed glue is especially useful for players whoattack with topspin. The speed glue could morecorrectly be called "spin glue" because it reallyadds more spin than speed. Players who try speedglue usually have trouble controlling it at first, butthey quickly adjust. Although speed glue does addmore power to your game, it reduces your control.

Hard rubber

c::::~c

Pips-out spongeInverted sponge

Sponge

t~:::J~:~~~~~ 1 r~:""~"~~""'~"'--;;--~m~~u0~""ba

Wood --7

Figure 1 (a) Inverted sponge: a sheet of pimpled rubber is inverted. The pips face downward, toward the racket.(b) Pips-out sponge: the pips point outward. (c) Hard rubber: a sheet of pimpled rubber, pips outward, without anysponge underneath the rubber.

6 Table Tennis: Steps to Success

Itisnot recommended until players reachat leastanintermediate level.

CARE OF YOUR EQUIPMENTTable tennis equipment needs very little mainte­nance. However, ifyou use inverted sponge, you'llneed to clean the racket surface. There are specialrubber cleaners on the market that clean extremelywell, but constant use of them will wear down therubber. It's better to wash an inverted sponge withplain water and a towel. Use rubber cleaner mostlyin tournaments.

All table tennis sponge wears out. The tinybubbles in the sponge pop and eventually thesponge goes dead and should be replaced. Thehigher the level of play, the more often the spongeshould be changed.

Inverted sponge surfaces also wear out, usuallybefore the sponge does. If you like to spin the ball,you shouldn't use an old surface that is no longergrippy.

Sponge surfaces come in squares that have to beglued to the racket and cut. There are special tabletennis glues for this, but you can also use rubbercement. The only disadvantage of rubber cement isthat it is slightly thicker than table tennis glue andwill create lumps under the surface if not put onproperly.

You will need to know how to put on a freshsheet of sponge. Here's how:

1. Apply a thin layer of glue to both the racketand sponge, and let it dry. (Bubbles mayform under the sponge ifyou don't let it drybefore continuing.)

2. Carefully put the sponge on the racket, start­ing at one end and rolling it over the surface.

3. Check the surface for bubbles. If there areany, squeeze them flat with either a roller ofsome sort or your fingers.

4. Put a piece of paper on the surface and thenstack some books on top. Let it sit for 5minutes or so.

5. Remove the books and cut away the excesssponge with scissors or razor blade.

6. Play!

SHOES AND CLOTHINGYou should wear rubber-soled athletic shoes withathletic socks. Don't use running shoes; they'renot designed for the sudden side to side move­ments needed in table tennis and can lead tosprained ankles. There are specially made tabletennis shoes, but they aren't really necessary untilyou reach the higher levels. Volleyball shoes areideal for table tennis.

Solid-colored, nonwhite shorts and shirts fin­ish out your table tennis outfits, with warm-upsoptional. (White outfits are illegal because an op­ponent can lose the ball against the white back­ground. Likewise, orange clothing is illegal if anorange ball is used, in which case white clothesare legal.)

OTHER ACCESSORIESThere are a number of other items that you maychoose to use. Here's a short list:

• Head and wrist bands• Net measurer• Racket holder• Spare racket• Playing bag• Weighted racket, for shadow practice (or

simply leave the cover on your regularracket) •