Striking games (table tennis)

The origin of table tennis is not very certain but it is believed to have originated in the Far East. It has been called many names such as indoor tennis, whiff-whaff, and Ping pong by the Chinese. The name table tennis was given by the Parker brothers.

The English table tennis association was formed in 1923, the International Table Tennis Federation was formed in 1926 and Nigeria Table Tennis Federation was formed in 1951.

Basic Skills and Techniques of Tennis

The skills and techniques of tennis are the following:

1. The grip (Tennis grip, penholder grip)
2. The serve/service (freehand, backhand, chop, side spin)
3. The footwork/stance
4. The stroke/drive (forehand and back hand)
5. The drop short
6. The smash
7. The half volley

Equipment Used in Tennis

1. The table
2. The net
3. The racket (bat)
4. The ball
5. The dress

Dimensions of the Equipment Used in Tennis

Table

Length = 2.74m

Width = 1.52m

Height = 0.76m

Net – 15.25cm high at the centre

Racket – may be of any size, shape or weight .

Ball – locally called “egg”, white, orange, yellow in colours and it must be celluloid.

However, table tennis can be played as singles or doubles or mixed doubles.

Rules and Regulations of the Game

The rules and regulations of table tennis include the following:

1. The ball must be shown as service is delivered
2. Opponents must be ready before service is delivered.
3. The ball must bounce once before it is returned.
4. No part of the body is allowed to touch the table during play.
5. A served ball that touches the net before dropping on the receivers end of the table is “let” and shall be re-served. But if it bounces back to the servers side, then it is a point to the receiver.
6. A player must not distract the attention of the opponents.
7. A match consists of winning best odd numbers of games
8. The hand must not be on the table when making a return.

Officials of Tennis and their Functions

1. Referee
2. Umpire
3. Table manager
4. Recorder
5. Scorer

The Referee

1. He takes the final decision in disputed matters
2. He supervises other officials

The Umpire

1. He tosses for choice of ends and service
2. He announces points made by players
3. He declares the winner or looser at the end of the game
4. He awards penalties to erring players

The Table Manager

He ensures that the table is ready for the game.

The Recorder

He records scores of players or side in a score sheet after each game or set.

The Scorer

He records scores of players and on the scoreboard.

Note: The game of table tennis consist of 11 points. At 10 – 10 (deuce) a player must lead with 2 points in order to win a game. Matches are played to the best of 3 or 5 games

EVALUATION

1. Mention another name for table tennis.
2. Describe movement of the ball from the server to the receiver.
3. State the officials in table tennis.