You can not play table tennis without ping pong net.  This small accessory is crucial for every table tennis game.  It can also have a significant influence on how you play the game.

A decent ping pong net should conform to the standards set by the ITTF.  Generally, table tennis nets from Donic or Yasaka are made from nylon mesh, synthetic plastic or cotton cloth.  There are specialized metal nets which are usually used for collapsible ping pong tables.  But for most games, the pliant cloth or plastic nets are the preferred choices.

But why you should bother with the net?  The answer to this is simple: the ping pong net should not give due advantage to one player in a game.  If a ball hit the top edge of the net, it should rebound to the hitter or bounce forward.  If the table tennis net has incorrect tension, the hitter could get a lucky point because the ball will simply fall forward making it impossible for the other player to hit it back.

So when choosing a ping pong net, always follow the basic rules set by the sport’s international regulatory body.  Often times its better to buy a Donic, Yasaka, or Butterfly Ping Pong Net.

Standard Rules for Table Tennis Net

Table tennis regulations dictate that the net should be 6 feet long and 6 inches high.  The accepted colors for the net are green, black, or blue.  The top edge should be white and must be 15mm wide.

The bottom edge of regulation net must hang as close as possible on the table.  The side ends of the table tennis net must be secured close to the posts.  The ITTF also mandates that all types of net colors can be used whether the table is green or blue.

What’s the Best Ping Pong Net for You?

With these rules in mind, you have to choose the appropriate net that conforms to international regulations.  It is also best to choose a brand that has the official approval of the ITTF.  For example, Joola net, Kinson Professional, Donic World Champion, Sunflex Pro, and Yasaka Master are some of the official nets approved for tournament plays.

The spring loaded clip variety is the easiest ping pong net to set-up.  You can attach the clip to a table and detach it in one single motion.  For tournament plays, the sturdy screw clamp type is the preferred net.  It offers stability, durability, and longer lifespan.

When choosing the best ping pong net, make sure that it conforms to ITTF rules and can offer superior durability and ease of use.

Table tennis is one of the best sports that you can play with. It is one of my favorite sport where I play on weekly basis. To play table tennis, the first thing is you need a table tennis table. If you can't afford for a new one, you can try to get a used table tennis table which very often available to you with fair price.

Before buying a used table, it is best for you to check if the price of the table that you going to pay for is worthwhile. You can do a comparison of the price of used table with the new one for the model that you want t purchase. You can try to figure out the year of the model being released and check with the current owner how long and how frequent the table was used.

Brand of the Table Tennis Table

Like many other products, the ping pong tables also manufactured by many companies. Here is a list of few of the companies: Kettler, Stiga, Joola, Butterfly, Killerspin, Cornileau, Prince, DHS, Franklin Sports, EastPoint, Hathaway, Dunlop, and etc.

Types of Used Table Tennis Tables That You can Find

Rollaway Tables
Many tables used by ping pong players at the intermediate and advanced level are feature with caster wheels to ease for rollaway. You can move the table around easily and you can place the table in a still position where you can lock the caster of the wheel to make it stand at the place where it is being placed.

The one with the best quality usually has thick frames and many connection points. This allows you to have a stable surface to play ping pong once you unfold you rollaway table tennis table.

Stationery Tables
The stationery table tennis table fits into all levels of players. But it can occupy quite a large room space when you want to place the table.

Table Tennis Conversion Top
There are many ping pong table tops that you can choose from as well if you already have a pool table in your house but you still wish to play table tennis. 

Conversion tops are new creative products which make it possible for you to enjoy playing the game of table tennis anywhere. You can set it up on your pool table and enjoy the game in short while.

Compact and Midsize Tables
This table is for recreational use. You can carry it anywhere you want to go. You can having fun with your friends and family members especially when you are having outing activities like camping.

Floating Tables
With a floating ping pong table, you can enjoy swimming and playing the game of ping pong as the same time. This table is very affordable and can last for long. The water does not have any negative effect on it.

Things that You need to Know Before Buying A Used Table Tennis Table

Other than the price, there are still some thing that you need to check before paying for a used table. Things are included:

- Doing a detailed inspection on the table to find out if any malfunction.
- Check if there is any damage or warping on the table.
- Calculate the depreciation percentage.
- Check how long the table been used.
- Test the table by playing on it.
- Check if the ball gives you the kind of bounce that you want.

If you want to improve your overall playing skill in the sport of table tennis, it is best for you to watch some video tutorials or read articles and try to understand and then imitate the technique. Perfect technique means you must do the same stroke thousands and then more thousands times till you can do it with your eyes closed.  

I practiced my forehand loop without a coach, for all situations (against backspin no spin light back spin topspin far from the table and close to the table) approximately for 100-150 hours but also I had somehow a natural feel/timing for the ball when it comes to FH. I believe with a good coach that knows how to take the best out of a player and explain the stroke correctly you can achieve a very good forehand in 50 training hours.

Note Im talking 50 training hours practicing only FH and footwork for it. It's just my personal opinion and a conclusion I have come with by coaching other players. Some develop really fast, some dont but when I find the key points for every player to adapt then they all learn it quite quickly. Dont get disappointed and try various methods on your training session.

Racket Combination for Beginners

What combination will you suggest for a player who is new to table tennis? What blade should be used? What European rubbers are good? And what Chinese ones are good?

It is wise to choose a slow blade and rubbers with good feeling. Any allwood blade with limba or hinoki outer ply is perfectly fine. As for rubbers they must produce decent spin so that the player can develop the correct feeling in order to produce good spin. I give you a list with my favourite and cheap beginner rubbers

1. Air ILLUMINA (best choice if you ask me)

2. Dawei Super power 2008 XP (for those who like heavy rubbers)

3. LKT/KTL Black Power (black rubber) golden cake sponge & LKT/KTL Red Diamond (red rubber) golden cake sponge

4. Yasaka Mark V

5. Butterfly Sriver FX

6. Dawei Inspiritt Quattro or Dawei Inspirit Quattro Ultra light

Some very good blades with limba are : Stiga Allround, Stiga Offensive, Yasaka Gatien Extra, Butterfly Primorac. KTL instinct

A table tennis set has different parts that you should understand well before playing the game. Apart from the table, ball, net, bats, a conversion top is another part that is present on the table tennis set. Now what is it and where is it located? Well…a table tennis conversion top is basically that part, which is situated over the table tennis table. The conversion top is that portion where table tennis is being played when deducted from the bulky and heavy legs (yes, strip off these things and the remanent is your conversion top). A conversion top may be fixed on a flat surface so that you can play at any juncture. The conversion top is very convenient for families who live in the small houses. In most of the times, these families run short of space to set up the normal ping pong table.

You can also set up a table tennis conversion top in a ‘game room’ that has crams with space; remove the space consuming tables like the card as well as the pool tables. In general, it is available in such a size, which would fit securely on any normal pool table along with easy removal and installation as and when required. In case you have made up your mind to purchase a conversion top for personal use, first and foremost, you should take into consideration the height as well as the size of the pool table. You should also consider the other tables that you have in your household while purchasing the conversion top. However, a very common disadvantage of the table tennis conversion top is that many players are of the opinion that the table tennis conversion top cannot provide with the real essence of table tennis sport. Therefore, you should consider this factor if you take table tennis to play seriously. The conversion top is quite effective for kids and families who wish to use it on an occasional basis and are not regulars.

Have you always been fond of the game of table tennis for a long time? Well, in that case here is the opportunity for you to learn more about the game. To play table tennis, there are certain important equipments that you need to have. However, the most crucial ones are rackets, balls, nets and paddles. The paddles are usually around 10 inches in length. You can actually find many different types of such table tennis paddles in the market. You have to choose the one that is most suit your handling pattern and style. If you are having difficulty in finding one, then I would suggest you to choose for a stiga table tennis paddles which tend to be an ideal paddle for beginners.



While for advanced ping pong players, most of them would like to spin the table tennis ball and this can be done only with the advanced paddles. Therefore, choosing the right set of these table tennis paddles is considered to be a crucial task and this is what determines how good are your shots during the match. In the similar manner, a beginner player would not reach the level to spin the ball and they will need to use the paddle to grasp the technique first before they change to more advance paddle to learn for advance skill.

Price

The stiga table tennis paddles may be little more expensive compare to other brands but they are worth for the price you pay for since they are being produced with great rubber texture. Moreover, the bat and handle of these table tennis paddles are also made of good quality wood. 

Well Worth the Price

These table tennis paddles are quite solid in appearance. In general, the more expensive the table tennis paddles, the better quality they are going to be. With the use of better quality table tennis paddles, they can help you in spinning the in a much better way. 

Today, there are many companies that manufacture table tennis paddles, but the table tennis paddles from Stiga are certainly one among the best.  Moreover, these table tennis paddles are also available online which you may just go and buy from there and the online shopper will ship the item to your doorstep without the need for you to go to the shop and buy yourself. This can save you a lot of hassle. Nonetheless, the only disadvantage for doing this is that you will not be able to try the paddles before purchase them. 

Table tennis is played with 2 or 4 players, those who hit the balls with the rackets back & forth across the table just like the way it happens in a lawn tennis. While in table tennis the rules, the requirements, and the dimensions are slightly different. Just like, when you are playing, it is not required to serve the cross from the right hand corner towards the right hand corner of the receiver’s court, which we generally see in tennis. This rule is only imposed when there is a double match going on the board. In competitive table tennis matches, the ball spin, the placement, the speed, the strategy and the tactics plays an important role and so the measurements of the table tennis rackets, the tables, the nets and the weight of the ball are important factor to consider. Among them, the dimensions of table tennis table is an important factor to consider because it determines the speed of the ball and the overall conduct of the game.

The dimension of standard ping pong table is with measurement of  274 cm × 152.5 cm × 76 cm high (9 ft × 5 ft × 30 inches high), while the international table tennis federation has allowed for a playing area of not less than 14 meter long, 7 meter wide and 5 meter high for the different competitions organized in the world championship tournaments. However, in few cases there could be no such specific requirements for the shape and size of the table tennis table dimensions.

It is important to have the dimensions right because a bad table can produce irregular, abnormal, or any unpredictable bounces, which can impose difficulties for the players. However, when you are plying the game for pleasure or recreation, the dimensions may not be an issue but at the competitions and at the tournament levels the bounce and the performance of the table should be ensured and predictable.

You may learn more about the dimension of table tennis table at wikipedia.