How Is Table Tennis Different From Other Racquet Sports?

This game is a sport played by millions of people around the world. It is fun, inexpensive, and possible for anyone to learn. 

This blog post will break down the basics of this sport to understand what the game is about and how is table tennis different from other racquet sports.

What Is Table Tennis?

It is a sport played using a racket and hitting a ball back and forth over a table. The game is very fast-paced and is handled by the players with ease. 

The sport comprises a wooden or synthetic table, a net that divides it in half, and a ball. This game can be played both indoors and outdoors, but mostly indoors.

So with the above explanation, is table tennis a racquet sport? Let’s read on to find out!

Is It A Racquet Sport?

Yes, it is! Racquet sport, or racquetball, is played with a small rubber ball and a racket in an indoor or outdoor court. It is named like that because the sport uses a standardized and unique racket. 

Besides ping pong, it includes tennis, badminton, and squash. These sports are also played fast with a good amount of body contact. 

So the next problem is whether all of them are the same and how is table tennis different from any other racquet sports?

Differences Of Ping-Pong From Any Other Racquet Sports

With so many different types of racquet sports, there are bound to be several things that distinguish them from one another:

Court

The first thing to consider when working with any racquet sport will be the court. Each of them involves a specific playing area, from badminton and lawn tennis to squash or ping pong.

The net is usually placed at the center of a solid court for badminton. On the other hand, for squash, a glass-enclosed room is generally used – but on rare occasions, there are still venues that use wooden floors and the nets while playing.

However, a ping pong court is a rectangular, flat table, divided into halves and individual sections for each player by a net placed in the middle. 

Racquet

One uses a flimsy but sticky string racket made out of bamboo or carbon in badminton. Players have to work with heavier solid constructions of string and ball that rest on their rackets in tennis and squash. 

And then there is ping-pong with its racket – a wooden paddle with a 6.7 in long and 5.9 in wide. This racket differs from others because it doesn’t have any strings but instead comes with elastic rubber covering. 

The elastic rubber on both sides serves to bounce a ball during play. Because, unlike the other sports where a player holds their paddle in their hand and uses it through swinging motions, for ping-pong, no such movement exists – only hitting!

Ball

To be specific, all of these sports use different types of balls. Lawn tennis uses a regular-looking rubber ball similar to baseball but on a much larger scale. 

While for ping-pong, a small and lightweight plastic ball is used, which bounces back after hitting it on the racket!

Speed

We will have the following order in terms of speed requirements: ping-pong, squash, lawn tennis, and badminton. 

It’s not surprising because ping pong is all about perfect timing and speed to allow only one side to beat their opponent by controlling all factors in a given situation. 

Squash requires clean movements, precision, and practice to do so just right. The game of badminton is comparatively slower.

Skills

Like every sport out there, each game has its own unique set of rules and standards for playing it. You need to comply with having the most accurate and effective ball movements and determine which grip, ability, and posture to hit the ball suits your playing style the best in each game.

Tennis And Ping Pong – Are They Different?

Another common question we got from our readers is: what is the difference between tennis and table tennis?

The common public often mistakes these two games. They are very different in their concept, standard, and approach. Here are the main points:

• Ping pong is played on a table with a smaller net, while tennis is played on a large court.
• The hitting space is narrow in ping-pong, focusing only on the playing area, but it’s mainly in the air for tennis.
• The ball used in ping pong is lighter, due to which it can travel even faster. 
• The tools used in tennis are long-handled net rackets, while ping pong uses solid wood paddles, which are smaller and rounder.
• The rules and the scoring system are also different, not to mention the players’ skills and techniques.

Conclusion

This sport is a game for people of all ages and is a great way to have fun and get in shape. So, if you’re new to the game, we hope we’ve helped you learn more about it and how is table tennis different from other racquet sports. 

If you’re already a player, we hope you’ve found some interesting info that you didn’t know. Either way, we hope you’ve enjoyed our blog post!