Basics About Utah Table Tennis

By Sonya Riley


In Utah table tennis is also known as wiff waff or ping pong like in numerous other regions around the globe. This game involves 2 or 4 players who strike the playing ball forth and back utilizing table tennis rackets. Balls are usually lightweight and small in size specifically designed for this game. The sport may be played out-door or indoors on a hard-topped table.

The origin of this game is England during 1880s. At that time it was only played by members of the upper class after dinner. Suggestions have it that the game was originally developed by officers of the British military in either South Africa or India. After the officers developed it, they took it back to their home country. During that time, books were placed at the middle of the playing platform to serve as a net.

This game has seen a lot of development and enhancements since its first discovery. As it gained more popularity, companies started manufacturing equipment for playing the sport. Initial rackets were pieces of parchment placed on a frame. The sound produced by the rackets earned this game the first nick-names, that is, ping pong and wiff waff. The wide popularity of the game led to the founding of an association in Britain that oversaw the standards and practices of this sport.

The equipment used in playing consist of a racket, ball, and playing platform. Specifications of the balls are specified by global laws. They must be light-weight balls of precisely 2.7g with the diameters measuring 40mm. According to global rules, balls should spring back to an altitude of 24 to 26 cm when left to fall freely from an elevation of 30.5cm on standardized steel blocks. This means that they must have the coefficient of restitution standing at 0.89 to 0.92.

The ball is produced from a high bouncing celluloid that is packed with air or plastic materials of same kind. The color may be either white or orange depending on factors like playing platform color and environment. The ball is decorated with stars to show its quality. Three stars indicates best quality and the item may be used for official competitions.

The playing platform measures 5 feet wide, 30 inches high, and 9 feet long. The gaming surface is uniformly colored and divided into two halves using a net of 6 inches high. The players bear a racket that may be wooden on one or both sides. Commonly used kind of wood for the racket include hinoki, cypress, limba, and balsa. The blade should have an average size of 6.5 inches.

The first serves in the game are usually decided by lot, usually a coin toss. Besides initial serves, in all other serves, the balls must be let to spring back once only on the playing platform. If the ball goes off the playing platform or bounces on the playing platform more than once, serving players get 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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