Ping Pong for Beginners: What You Need to Start Paddling Away

By: Miodrag Trajkovic

Ping Pong is a simple game that everyone can play. Because of the fact that it doesn't demand as much as other sports do, ping pong is very popular. You can play it in any weather, indoors, and you can also play it with minimal space.

Playing ping pong doesn't require you to be very fast on your feet or strong, you just need to have a good stamina, good reflexes and the ability to think fast.

To start playing ping pong, the first things that you need to have are the equipment. You need to have a ping pong table with a net, a ping pong ball, and two paddles. To keep score, simple pen and paper will do the trick. Or, you can try hanging a white board with a marker on the wall near the ping pong table.

Aside from the basics, you will see that ping pong is an inexpensive game. You don't need to spend a lot of money on accessories as you will just need clothes and pants that can let you move freely and shoes that are comfortable to wear. You can simply pick out anything that is inside your closet that is comfortable to wear and can let you move freely.

When it comes to your physical fitness, you don't have to be a star athlete in order to play ping pong. If you can climb a flight of stairs without wheezing when you reach the top, then you will have no problems playing ping pong.

To play ping pong effectively, you will need to have quick reflexes, good balance and agile wrists.

You need to have fast reflexes because ping pong will require you to hit the ball with your paddle back and forth between you and your opponent at a very fast rate until one of you misses the ball or makes a mistake. The wrists are also a factor as it will be the one that you will move to adjust the angle of the paddle. This is what controls where the ball will go.

Also, balance is important as ping pong is a fast paced game. Although you don't need to run fast to catch the ball, you need to know how to shift your body's weight and balance quickly in order to adjust to your next shot.

Lastly, ping pong is like playing chess but at a very fast rate. You need to know what strategy you should do on your next shot in order for you to win. Placing shots where you want them to be will trap your opponent and let you prepare for the big finish.

These are the basics things that you need to know about ping pong as a beginner. By remembering these things, you will have everything that you need to start paddling away.

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