Table tennis – Game on

Want to play or try table tennis but not sure where to start? This guide will help you to get playing, even if you’ve not tried before. 

Table tennis is suitable for every age and fitness level, and there are plenty of places to play – with tables everywhere from parks to leisure centres, work places, bars and shopping centres. You can even play at home – all you need to get started is a cheap set of bats, a ball and a table.

Playing ability

Absolute beginners – if you’ve never played before there are several ways to get started:

• Many local authorities provide fun, introductory, organised social activities, often with all the necessary equipment provided. Check out what’s available in your local area through Active Partnerships 
• Self-starters can purchase a basic starter set with all you need to play at home from a few pounds upwards. With loads of free online tutorials and videos for all levels of play – try YouTube

Rookie players – for those who’ve played occasionally or whilst on holiday, managing to keep the ball on the table for a few short rallies – in addition to the above:

• Seek out more opportunities to play friendly games at your nearest  Ping in the community public table, Ping Pong Parlour tables in a local shopping centre or enquire about a Loop  table at work 
• Alternatively, contact a local leisure / sports centres and hire a table – bats and balls are usually available too 

Local league players – who know how to hold the bat, play a few key strokes and enjoy some friendly competition:

• contact  Table Tennis England to find out about your local club to play and get some coaching
• check your local press, or enquire at your nearest library, to find out about any fun and friendly community sessions nearby

Places to play

Did you know across England and the UK there are thousands of places to play, often with bats and ball provided:

• 300+ Table Tennis England clubs, and district leagues for competitive play and coaching
• 376 Ping! public tables, in parks and public spaces for fun games
• 40+ Ping Pong Parlours, pop-ups in local shopping centres across the UK 
• 1,500+ local leisure / sports centres, find your nearest gym or leisure centre with ukactive
• 43 regional Active Partnerships providing organised sport and physical activities 
• Numerous Loop at Work places for table tennis around the office

And for just a few pounds you can buy a basic starter set, with a clip-on net, bats and ball – suitable to convert just about any table in your home to a play TT and start to have FUN.

Resources

There’s lots more of available support and other resources to help get you started, including:

• Ping Pong Parkinsons: PD oriented session plan from this USA group
• Ping England: rules, suggested games, tournament ideas
• BAT Foundation instructional video, downloadable warm up exercises & game ideas plus coaching tips for older people, active ageing
• Basic starter kits, including bats, ball and net, for use at home from under £10 on eBay and other online retailers 
• Online videos from Table Tennis England, Official ITTF Channel and much more YouTube: Teach yourself to play and improve your game with loads of good quality content online 

Or if you’re still stuck and not sure what to do next contact ParkinsonsTTuk on Twitter @PDTT_UK or Facebook www.fb.me/pdtt.uk