Ping-Pong
2
History:
Like most other sports, table tennis had humble beginnings as a “parlor game,” open to anyone
with access to a table, paddle, and ball. The game began in the 1880s, when lawn tennis players
adapted their game to play indoors during the winter.
Ping-Pong is a trademark name for table tennis and associated equipment. The name
“Ping-Pong” was invented by the English firm J. Jaques and Son at the end of the 1800s and later
trademarked in the United States by Parker Brothers, the board game company.
The game quickly caught on, and as early as 1901, tournaments were being conducted with over
300 participants. The Ping-Pong Association was formed but was renamed The Table Tennis
Association in 1922.
The 1950s saw the game turned upside down by the invention of the sponge or sandwich rubber,
this new material for bats, which, up until now, had been a relatively simple affair with a
universal thin covering of pimpled rubber.
Until this time, spin had played only a minor part in a game that had been dominated by the
defensive style of play. But these new bats or paddles, introduced by the Japanese, had the
capacity to move the ball around in an almost magical way. The ITTF, the game’s governing
body, was quick to legislate in a bid to control this new development, seen in some quarters as
equipping players with an unfair advantage. The thickness of the sponge and rubber sandwich
was controlled and remains so to this day. But the nature of the game had been changed,
establishing the fast attacking speed and spin style of the modern game.
Today, the sport both in England and abroad is very well established and is growing each year.
The culmination of this has been its recognition as an Olympic Games sport, being featured for
the first time in the 1988 games in Seoul. Television coverage of the men’s singles final attracted
an incredible worldwide audience of 2 billion. In China, the game is played by literally millions
at work, in school, and in community parks. Chinese top players are regarded as national heroes
with pop star statuses.
Rules
● Games are played to 11 points
● Players serve two serves each, alternating. A player does not have to win specifically off
their own serve in order to win a point.
● If a game ties at 10 - 10, a player must win by 2 points.
● If a served ball hit the net, it is a let, the point is replayed.
● Serve must cross the table diagonally to be legal.
