Basics About Utah Table Tennis

By Sonya Riley


In Utah table tennis is also referred to as ping pong like it is referred to in many other places around the world. The game involves 4 or 2 participants who hit a sphere back and forth rackets. The ball is normally small and lightweight specifically meant for the game. The sport can be played indoors or in an outdoor environment on a hard-top playing platform.

The origin of the game is England in the 1880s. Then, it was played only by members of upper class after a dinner. There are suggestions that the game was originally developed by officers of British army in either India or South Africa. After the officers invented it, they carried it back to their country. During that time, the net was made using books.

This game has experienced a lot of improvements and changes since first invention. As it kept becoming popular, companies began producing equipment for it. The original rackets were parchments stretched over frames. The sound given off by the rackets led to the very first nick-names given to the game, wiff waff and ping pong. Broad recognition of the sport resulted into the establishment of associations in Britain to oversee practices and standards in the sport.

The equipment used in playing include a ball, playing platform, and racket. The specifications of the ball are outlined by international rules. It should be a lightweight ball of exactly 2.7 grams with a diameter of 40mm. According to the international rules, the sphere must bounce to a height of between 24 to 26 cm when released from a height of 30.5cm on a standardized steel block. This implies that it should have a coefficient of restitution standing between 0.89 to 0.92.

The balls produced from high bouncing celluloids that are filled with air or plastics with similar qualities. The color might be either white or orange relying on factors like surroundings and playing platform color. The balls are decorated with star marks to show their quality. Three stars indicate highest quality and the ball may be utilized for official competitions.

The playing platform measures 30 inches high, 9 feet long, and 5 feet wide. The gaming surface is evenly colored and partitioned into two halves by use of a net of six inches high. Players bear a racket, which may be wooden on a single or both sides. Mostly utilized kinds of timber for the racket include cypress, hinoki, balsa, and limba. The blade must have average dimension of 6.5 inches.

First serve in the game is usually decided by lot, often a coin toss. Besides the first serve, in the rest of the serves, the ball must be allowed to spring back only once on table. If the ball springs back more than once or goes off the table, serving player gets a point.

Utah table tennis is played on a professional level. There are also many training facilities in which learners can get trained by people who have the training and experience in the game. Charges for registering in a training facility are friendly and affordable.




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