World Cup 2017 Men's Final

Highlights from the Timo Boll vs Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Final) match

This edition of the Table Tennis World Cup was held in held in Liège, Belgium, from 20 to 22 October 2017

Best Paddles 2017

The best 10 table tennis paddles of 2017 reviewed:

Trick Shots

Table Tennis is fun: watch these trick shots!

Tables

Examples of indoor and outdoor table tennis tables

Types of grips

There are basically two different grips in table tennis:



1) Shakehand grip: The "shakehand" grip is the typical European grip where the head of the bay faces up, and your hand looks like shaking someone's hand. Players using the shakehand grip use both the front and back sides of the paddle.


2) Penhold grip: Pen hold is the Asian grip of holding the paddle, where the head of the bat is facing down and is held the way a person holds a pen or pencil. Often Penhold players don't use a rubber sheet on the backhand side and only play with the forehand side of the paddle, although modern players also use the back side. Pen hold blades have a shorter handle than Shakehand

The 4 basic shots

The four basic table tennis shots:

1. Forehand Drive 

    2. Backhand Drive

     

1. Forehand Push

      

1. Backhand Push

    

Table Tennis Balls

Balls have a rating system that uses stars that is determined by the manufacturer. Ranging from one to three, the best balls and the only balls you should use for most purposes are the three stars. 

These can typically be purchased in packs of 3, 6 or 12 or in bulk. Good quality balls last a long time when given the proper treatment.

As of July 1, 2014, all ITTF events started using Plastic Polystyrene 'Poly' balls. The playing characteristics of the new balls are unique but very similar to celluloid. They transport more safely and are more environmentally friendly. Non-poly balls (celluloid) may still be legal for some tournaments and it is up to national and regional table tennis governing bodies to determine what type of ball to use for their tournaments.

As of 2017 manufacturers started using a new type of plastic - ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) - for table tennis balls. ABS offers improved roundness and durability over poly balls and is more environmentally friendly.