Table Tennis Facts for Kids – 5 Terrific Facts about Table Tennis

Have you ever tried to practice Table Tennis before? Today we are going to tell you five terrific table tennis facts for kids.

Table Tennis Facts for Kids Fact Number 1: Table Tennis Is also Called Ping Pong

Table tennis is one of the fastest-moving indoor sports in the world.  Table tennis is famous all over the world and it is known as Ping-Pong in China. Table tennis is the third largest sport in terms of participation, the first being soccer and second being cricket. It is said that Ping-Pong got its name from the sound the ball makes when it is hit with the racket. Table tennis is so big in China it is even recognised as their national sport and Chinese table tennis players are regarded as the best in the world.

Table Tennis Facts for Kids Fact number 2: Table Tennis Became an Olympic Sport in 1988

Over 100 years after table tennis was first invented, the fast sport finally was recognized as an Olympic sport in 1988 as the Seoul Olympics. There are many different categories that table tennis players can play in at the Olympics. The table tennis competition includes men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles and finally the mixed doubles event. Professional table tennis players can hit the ball at a speed over 100 kilometres/hour. That is very fast!

Table Tennis Facts for Kids Fact number 3: Table Tennis Rackets Have Two Different Colour Sides

A table tennis player can choose two different types of rubber for the red side and black side of their racket. One side is used for attacking and the other for defending. Each player can inspect the other player’s racket before a game. This is so they can see what rubber is being used to take a shot during the game. Each rubber has its own unique characteristics that suit different styles of play. The choice of the rubber impacts the speed and the spin of the ball. If you want to win a game of table tennis you must be the first player to gain 11 points.

Table Tennis Facts for Kids Fact number 4: Table Tennis Was Invented in England

In 1890, Englishman David Foster introduced the first game of tennis on a table. He created a game set called Parlour Table Games which had table version games of cricket, football and lawn tennis. It is said that the game was created when the weather was bad and lawn tennis players could not play outside. Table tennis was devised to allow the game to be played indoors on a smaller scale. The first game was played using a champagne cork as a ball. Can you imagine trying to play with a cork today?

Table Tennis Facts for Kids Fact number 5: The ITTF Must Approve The Ball for Any Elite Level Tournament

The world’s recognized body for table tennis is known as the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). This organisation was created in 1926 and now has 226 member countries. Before every big competition the ITTF must inspect and approve the ball used to make sure it meets their requirements. Since 2015, the table tennis ball has been made from plastic instead of celluloid. Table tennis balls can be either orange or white. All volleyball balls also have a matte finish, meaning they aren’t shiny.

We hope you enjoyed learning more things about table tennis as much as we loved teaching you about them. Now that you know how majestic this sport is, you can move on to learn about other sports and activities like: Swimming, Diving, Resistance Training, Hiking, Alternative Movement and Exercise Videos.

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