History Of Ping Pong – A Brief Story Of Table Tennis In 2023

Ping-pong is another name for table tennis, a recreational activity that has been an Olympic sport since 1988.

Even though this name is not officially used, it is still very popular today.

As its name implies, it is an onomatopoeic sound from the Far East that emerged in 1884.

The sound ‘ping’ represents the sound of a bat striking a ball, while the sound ‘pong’ refers to the sound of the ball bouncing on a table.

What do you think about the history of table tennis? Take a seat and let yourself be guided through the beginning of time.

Where Did Ping Pong Originate

The first table tennis games were played in England in the late 19th century.

The first players were middle-class Victorians who drew inspiration from lawn tennis.

Champagne corks were used as balls, cigar boxes were used as bats, and books were used as nets for the first game.

There was a time when table tennis was thought to be a mere diversion for the wealthy.

Englishman David Foster created the first table tennis game in 1890, inspired by its popularity.

A national championship was first held in Hungary in 1897.

When ping-pong was becoming popular at the turn of the 19th century, balls were usually made of string, rubber, or even old champagne corks.

The United States was not introduced to celluloid balls until 1901 when an Englishman named James Gibb discovered them and found that they were perfectly suited for ping-pong.

First Table Tennis Tournament

In 1902, the first official World Championship was held following the success of the first public tournaments at Queen’s Hall in London.

Following the success of the first public tournaments, the British Table Tennis Association was formed.

A European Championship was subsequently organized in 1907. During the 1920s, the game really took off.

In 1921, the Table Tennis Association was formed in England, and in 1926, the International Federation followed.

The first World Table Tennis Championships were held in London in 1926 and the French Table Tennis Federation was created in 1927.

The French first participated in Budapest in 1929.

The history of table tennis is characterized by many champions, like the Austro-British Richard Bergmann, the Franco-Polish Aloizy Ehrilich and the Romanian Angelica Rozeanu.

Table Tennis Rise In Asia

From the 1950s onward, table tennis became an integral part of Asian culture.

In the 1954-1959 World Team Championships, the Japanese dominated.

As foam transformed classic bats, this dominance was bolstered.

Many Japanese athletes have won world championships, including Hiroji Sato, who distinguished himself with impressive results in 1956 in Tokyo.

China’s supremacy arrived in the 1960s with Zhuand Zedong’s triple world title triumphs in 1961, 1963, and 1965.

During this time, Sino-American relations improved as a result of ping-pong diplomacy. The first “Chinese service” was introduced during the 1977 World Championships in Birmingham.

How Are Ping Pong And Table Tennis Different?

The two games are the same, and there are few differences between them. Their main difference is how they are perceived.

The competitive side of table tennis is the serious side of the sport, with people competing in leagues and cup competitions worldwide, along with international championships.

Although there are several different variations of this game, including beer pong, it is almost identical to ping pong, but it is played informally and socially.

What’s Difference?

Table tennis and ping pong were used interchangeably in the sport’s earlier days.

However, to avoid trademark conflicts, the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) opted to use the words table tennis instead of ping-pong when writing up the sport’s rules.

Many serious table tennis players do not like their game called ping pong today. Those who criticize the game believe it sounds frivolous and childish due to its onomatopoeic nature.

However, the ping pong community has adopted more informal and formal terms.

In addition to focusing on the social aspect of the game instead of competition, they usually play a simplified version of the game without some of table tennis’ more complex rules.

Ping Pong Terms

1: Service

The ball must be thrown up from an open hand, at least six inches above the table’s baseline, and hit from behind the baseline when playing table tennis.

Conversely, in less formal ping pong games, serves may be hit directly from the hand or after bouncing off the table.

2: Scoring

Players can serve two times per game in modern table tennis, with games going up to 11 points. Although in many ping pong matches, each player alternately serves five times with a traditional 21-point format.

3: Rundlauf

Ping pong is played in several different ways around the globe, including singles and doubles matches. Rundlauf is one such game.

This German invention is a fun way to enjoy ping pong with a large group of people at the same time. The table tennis table is divided into two queues of two teams of players each.

The first player in each team is served the ball, and then each player in a row takes their turn hitting the ball from beginning to end.

According to the particular rules being played, losing a point can mean leaving the game or losing a life.

Although Rundlauf originates from Germany, it has become an increasingly popular form of ping pong.

The game is played by a team of 10 to 16 players. Table tennis does not have such a group form.

Video Guide