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Tom Degun: I am now a table tennis convert
Thursday, 05 November 2009
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I’ll be perfectly honest – when I went on Sunday to the 65th English Open Table Tennis Championships at the impressive English Institute of Sport (EIS) in Sheffield – I didn’t know all that much about the sport.
But before you criticise me too much, I did know some of the basics.
I knew that for each game, the first player to reach 11 points wins that particular game and that a game must be won by at least a two point margin. I also knew that a point is won every time the ball is in play and not – as many think - just by the server. I even knew that the edges of the table are part of the legal table surface, but not the sides.
But after that – my knowledge of the sport becomes rather insignificant unless you count the trivial tips I picked watching the film Forrest Gump when Tom Hank's loveable character competes at the Olympic Games in the sport. I had played the sport before at an undoubtedly "recreational level" but as a spectacle – I will admit that my preconceived idea was that table tennis would be – well - a tiny bit dull.
I had caught glimpses of the sport on television during the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games - where it appeared a very fast paced sport seemingly dominated by the Asian nations – particularly China - but I was not under the illusion that table tennis had a large fan base in England.
I was therefore slightly taken aback when I walked into a magnificent and packed arena with an atmosphere that rivalled anything I had experienced at the electric 41st Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at the O2 Arena just over two weeks ago.
The boisterous crowd were seated around a single, gleaming table tennis table that took to the spotlight effortlessly. As I took my own seat – my naivety for the sport becoming more readily apparent by the second – I almost fell straight out of it again as suddenly, deafening rock music bellowed out of the surround sound speakers.
One-by-one, the players walked out to the music that was almost drowned out by the rapturous applause of the Sheffield natives. For a moment, I was convinced that I had entered a world heavyweight boxing contest and was half expecting to see Mike Tyson emerge from the player’s tunnel so caught up was I in the moment. When the entrance music faded and I coolly re-gathered myself, I settled down in anticipation for a "run-of-the-mill" table tennis match.
It became readily apparent though that my perception of a “run-of-the-mill” table tennis match was woefully inaccurate. The first point I saw, in the women’s final, almost bought me to my feet. As the serve went over the net - with so much spin it made a Shane Warne leg-break bowl look straight as an arrow - the two players engage in what can only be described as full out warfare on either side of the rectangular surface.
As a big tennis fan, I though table tennis would prove a miniature version of my beloved hobby just with a little less skill, less speed, less emphasis on technique and less athleticism. Watching the sport in the first person proved to me almost the exact opposite. The speed in which the players were hitting the ball was frightening.
While my eyes were struggling to keep up with the pace of the ball, the player’s were anticipating the angle of their opponents next shot with lightening reflexes that would rival those of the fastest cat while the hand-eye coordination I saw from the table tennis players was superior to that I had ever seen before from any athlete in any sport. And all the spins on show in tennis were there, just more of them.
There was top-spin, back-spin, side-spin, and a spin I can only describe as defensive reverse chop spin that stops as it hit the surface then speeds up again and loops up before flattening out - though I do not believe that is the technical name of the spin for anyone wishing to quote me on it.
It was so tactical, so quick, so delicate and yet so athletic that I shall now renounce anyone that can watch the sport at this level and call it "boring". The object is to out-think and out-manoeuvre your opponent out of position, with the use of accurate spin, flat shots and blistering speed, before delivering the killer blow like a boxer delivering the knockout punch to his weaken foe. It is like a graceful game of chess played at a breakneck pace.
And for those who think it does not require and athletic ability, you are very wrong. These guys are fit, muscular specimens and if any of the guys took their tops off, I assure you that you would not want your girlfriend in close proximity.
For anyone looking to lose a little weight – and I could certainly do with shedding a few pounds right now – don't bother with running. Find a good table tennis sparring partner and an intense half-hour game a day should have you sweating more than Rafa Benitez is right now.
During the Championships, I ran into the delightful Joanna Parker, the British women’s number one player, who was kind enough to show me her specially built defensive racket - which retailed at around £120 - and explained the complexities of spin and flattening out shots in a terminology I could almost understand.
Joanna also said to me: "We just need more clubs around England as they play it everywhere in Asia. But I have never spoken to anyone in England who says they don't like playing table tennis. Anyone who has played it or has seen it live has never said it is boring."
After my experience on Sunday, I am inclined to agree with the British number one. I left the 65th English Open Table Tennis Championships feeling a huge admiration for a sport as worthy of praise as any other. I think I am now hooked on the sport and have already made room in the garage for what I hope will be a rectangular shaped Christmas present and I hope to soon play non-stop with anyone who fancies a game.
I think with a bit of practice – I could get into some decent shape (don’t laugh) and actually be quite good.
Degun for table tennis gold at London 2012? On the other hand, after seeing the superhuman Chinese Ma Long win in Sheffield, save yourself a few quid and don’t bet on it...
Tom Degun is a reporter with insidethegames.biz
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