by Navin Rajendran

Created on: August 03, 2009   Last Updated: August 04, 2009

Ping-Pong! What a singsong title for a delightfully fun game that's also called Table tennis. Which name is more appropriate? Well, that's a topic for a debate now, isn't it?

As this article is all about equipment, let's get right down to it.

1. Table:
What would Table tennis be without a.... table? The game is played on a rectangular table 2.74 m long (9'), 1.525 m wide (5'), 76 cm (30'') high, with a thickness of at least 0.75 inches, and a smooth, flat surface. Various tables cater to the different player-segments - beginners, amateurs and professionals. Look for the ones that have a foldable-design and rollers. These are very convenient, allowing the table to be moved around easily and easy to stack away when not in use. Some tables with rollers also come with brakes to ensure that the playing surface does not move around as play continues. Another useful feature is leg-levelers - these are nothing but screws attached to the bottom of each of the table-legs to help balance each half of the table and to ensure that the playing surface is perfectly horizontal and parallel to the floor - talk about a level-playing field!

An important aspect of the setup is the location of the table. TT is an indoor game and the room in which the table is placed needs to have at least about 5 feet of space all around it, so that the players can move around and swing their bats and play all those cool shots... There needs to be at least 10-12 feet of space between the table and the ceiling of the room, or you'll find yourself playing a freaky game that combines TT and squash, especially as TT balls can really bounce off surfaces!

Of course, if you were to play in a club or a sports-facility, you wouldn't need to worry about all this - the tables would be provided and all you'd need to bring in were the bats and balls.

Popular Brands: Stiga, Joola, Butterfly, Stag

2. Net:
Now that you have a table, you'll need a net that separates 'your space' from that of the opponent's. The TT net is usually made of a dark-colored mesh, which is clearly visible against a white or an orange ball, although other colors of nets are also available. It should be 15.25 cm high and have either a screw-clamp or spring-clamp, to allow the net to be held firmly in place by clamping each end of the net at two opposite ends of the middle of the table.

Popular Brands: Stag, Joola

3. Bats:
Table tennis is a game that normally requires a minimum of two players (of course there are options for the lone-gamer among

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>