One of the most popular recreational activities in the United States is that of ping pong table tennis. There are some businesses that even have these types of ping pong tables in break rooms so that their employees can relax and have fun during their downtime. However, most people are unaware of the great history that rests behind the ping pong paddle. So here are all of the facts on the history of the ping pong paddle.
In the year 2016 alone, participants over the age of six and older playing table tennis managed to reach nearly 16 million. There are so many people that enjoy playing ping pong with a ping pong paddle and a table. There are nearly 10 million players that compete in sanctioned tournaments every year. So there are people who take their ping pong rackets very serious.
In the Soviet Union, table tennis was temporarily banned from the years of 1930 to 1950. They claimed that the sport was harmful to the eyes and not good for the people. That is obviously not true and eventually, people were able to go back to playing with their ping pong paddle and ping pong balls.
A modern table tennis match at the elite level lasts on the average about 30 minutes. However, there are some people who will play for hours on end without taking time off. This sort of information will squarely depend on what kind of lifestyle you live!
The speeds that people hit the table tennis balls at with their ping pong paddle is incredibly impressive. The best players can hit the ball at speeds that reach nearly 100 miles per hour. That is actually amazing to think about seeing as how MLB professional pitchers throw fastballs right around 100 miles per hour.
In 1993, Jackie Bellinger and Lisa Lomas set the world record for most hit balls back and forth in 60 seconds at 173. This has yet to be broken and truth be told, it may never be broken. No one has yet dared to try and conquer this type of impressive and amazing stat!
A modern table is 9 feet long, 5 feet wide, and 2.5 feet high. The net is 6 inches high. The ball is 40 mm in diameter. These sizes may seem random and unimportant to those who do not love ping pong or table tennis but try telling that to someone that does love the sport. People who care about table tennis absolutely treasure the sport!
The International Governing Body and the official Rules of Table Tennis were formulated in 1926. Thus, there is obviously so much history behind ping pong tables and the ping pong paddle! There are more than 1,500 varieties of table tennis rubbers on the authorized list
In Conclusion
Since 1981, China has won 109 of 131 World Championships. This is an amazing accomplishment and the fact that most people do not know this points to just how little people know about the history of table tennis and ping pong paddles.
