Despite being extensively renowned, Table Tennis is not fully understood. It is a competitive Olympic sport, not merely a lighthearted Hollywood allusion or a leisurely pastime. Additionally, it is not at all simple. In reality, mastering table tennis demands considerable ability and athleticism and has tangible advantages for the body and mind.

Table tennis is “quite an open sport,” according to Hetherington, in contrast to other sports that have certain requirements or restrictions to participation. The no-contact, low-impact activity allows athletes with mental and/or physical problems who may be prevented from engaging in other sports. Age is not a barrier; competitions draw participants as young as 10 and as elderly as 90. For example, some table tennis organizations hold clinics for people with Alzheimer’s, and others have special initiatives for players with autism or Parkinson’s. Another noteworthy example is Egyptian table tennis player Hamato Ibrahim, who grips the paddle in his mouth while competing despite having lost both arms in a childhood accident.

Getty images/fStop/Vladimir Godnik

To be a competitive table tennis player, you actually do not need any certain requirements or fundamental abilities—even in prestigious competitions like the U.S. Nationals. All you have to do is register for a tournament pass. Table tennis requires coordination on a general physical level as well as hand-eye coordination. It’s crucial to be able to respond rapidly and come to conclusions quickly. You don’t have much time to figure out what’s going on when a table tennis ball is rushing toward you. The trick is to react (and move) immediately.

Competitive table tennis is a fantastic way to improve your agility, coordination, and cardiovascular system. It helps you focus and be resilient mentally. It becomes fairly repetitious if you put in a lot of hours of training which makes it quite a cognitively tough sport. It’s also a terrific method to make new friends and build a social network. A table tennis friend is a friend for life, according to a well-known phrase in the game, he continues.