At this point, I have sacrificed 5 almost 6 years of time for table tennis, and recently, my friend asked me, “If you’re so athletic, why did you choose ping pong out of all the sports?”. That made me think, “Why do I like table tennis better than other sports?”.
Upon thinking about this I remembered an article I read about table tennis. The article was about how table tennis was a lot like chess. Table tennis isn’t just about moving around a table trying to hit a ball over, it’s much deeper. First, I must calculate where my opponent will hit and how I need to hit it back. The table’s already small so making my opponent miss isn’t that easy. Also, I need to know what type of ball my opponent is hitting over, in order to have an easier shot to hit next. All of this is considered in the 20–30 seconds between points. Each game is only 11 points and there are at most 7 games, so there is no space to relax or mess up. So why do I love table tennis if it’s this hard? Because table tennis is intense, giving me no time to think of anything else.
I have played many sports before and they are different from table tennis. Table tennis uses almost every part of my body. My legs for moving, my arms for looping, my body for control, my brain to think, and more. Also, most of these things are used at the same time. Once a ball starts there is no going back. When looking at table tennis, it may seem like an easy and relaxing sport, like how most people play it, but when played professionally, the practice and rallies done every day are tiring and painful. When running side to side hundreds of times, there is no relaxation.
The one big reason I like table tennis more than other sports is because it is a single sport, but more interactive. Other single sports like running and swimming, are more of me against myself. There is no blocking others from reaching the end. But in table tennis, based on what my opponent does, I have to respond to it, fast. But then also, I don’t have to rely on my teammates to pass me the ball so there’s no one to count on but myself. When I’m on the court, it’s just me and my opponent. One person has to win, and one person has to lose, so there’s no saying I won because of my teammates or I lost because of them.
Table tennis is an intense and exhausting sport, and a lot of effort and energy is needed to get better at it. Figuring out what my opponent will do when I serve or hit the ball over in a short amount of time is hard, but I love the sensation of it. Knowing that I only need to rely on myself and my everyday practice for win or loss makes the game nerve-racking but I would much rather be responsible for winning my matches. All of these things are the reason why I love playing table tennis so much.
