The Beauty of Table Tennis

Table tennis is a quite niche sport, but I love it so much.

Watching the games is so fun for me. The pros play with such control and power over the ball, it is almost like they caught the ball with their hand and spun it themselves. The reflexes are very demanding, as the tenth of a second late determines the point.

And playing it? Playing table tennis is one of my all time favorite things to do. The satisfaction I get as I try a new spin shot and land it, and my opponent is astonished by the new shot, is unmatched. The ball can do almost gravity defying things in the air. It can curve so sharply, you wonder how someone could possibly do that to a ball that is half a finger length wide.

As you opponent tries a new shot on you, the instantaneous feelings of anxiety and anticipation kick in. But they last for mere milliseconds as I decide what a good play would be. And as I return the shot and win the point, it is almost like winning a small game.

Learning a new shot is a one of a kind experience. Hitting the shot again and again and again, until you are on the brink of giving up, and then you make it. Another burst of satisfaction ensues.

The fast pace of the game is one of the prime reasons why I play it. Minute differences in reaction time and bat angle could make all the difference in a game.

Table tennis is a beautiful sport, like all others. But table tennis to me is an experience, a challenge, a rivalry, and most of all, a fight to assert the court.