Are you thinking about getting into the sport of table tennis, or ping pong as many people call it? If you have any doubts as to whether or not you can learn to play, I’m here to answer you questions.
Anyone with the ability to hold a racket and swing it can play table tennis. There are no specific age requirements and one does not have to be physically fit in order to play the sport recreationally. There is even a Paralympic player with no arms who plays by holding the racket in his mouth.
Read on as I answer more frequently asked questions that might be holding you back from playing ping pong for the first time.
You might like my other article: Table Tennis Terminology: A Glossary of Ping Pong Lingo
How Hard is Ping Pong Beginners?
Table Tennis Can Have a Steep Learning Curve
I would argue that table tennis has a bigger learning curve than many popular sports since the precision and hand eye coordination requirements are greater. For example, I think it is more intuitive to kick a football, or (soccer ball) in the direction you want it to go than it is to hit a ping pong ball onto the opponent’s half of the the table.
When bridging the gap from casual play to competitive play the learning curve is even higher since heavy “spin” is introduced into the game which makes the game extremely nuanced.
A player who has only played the game with cheap sand paper paddles and no spin on the ball won’t have any idea what is happening when put against someone with a real racket who puts lots of spin on the ball.
Learn more: Do You Need To Be Physically Fit To Play Table Tennis? FAQ
But Anyone Can Learn and Enjoy the Game Quickly
Check out our tutorials aimed at teaching beginners the fundamentals here
However, ping pong can still be an easy sport to pick up for newbies. The key is when first learning to just focus on trying to keep the ball on the table with slow, controlled shots. Make sure that the people you play against are either close to your skill level, or willing to take the time to help you learn.
New players will enjoy the game more and improve much faster by aiming for long, controlled rallies rather than trying to play to win or by trying to hit the ball with lots of power or speed. Watch Tom Lodziak teaching his daughter how to play in this video below.
This video, in my opinion, is a perfect example of how new people should play the sport. You can also see that pretty much anyone will be able to play like this and have fun while improving.
Do You Need to be Fit to Play Table Tennis?
Being physically fit is not required to able to play table tennis. Although playing table tennis competitively at higher levels is very tiring and requires one to be very physically fit, the level of physical fitness to play at a casual level can be considered much less important for table tennis when compared to many other sports.
The sport can be played without moving your feet at all really, and many casual players play like this. The only real physical requirement is that you must be able to hold, lift, and move the racket around.
Compare this to a sport like football (soccer) or tennis where a lot more running and moving around is required.
Table tennis is even played by many people who are confined to wheelchairs.
Is Table Tennis a Cheap Sport?
To get started as a recreational player, table tennis can be very cheap, or even free. A pair of rackets and a few balls can be bought for under $20 and this is all that you need to spend if you have access to a table for free. You might even be able to find a friend with an extra racket or your local rec center might have rackets free for use.
Parks sometimes have outdoor tables that are free for public use, check to see if you have any friends or relatives who own a table already, or check with local community centers and find out if any near you have ping pong tables.
If you want to buy a table or need to pay to play in a club then it can start to get expensive.
You will have to spend over $400 to buy a decent full sized table if buying a new one.
The more competitive the sport gets, the more expensive it can be. Very serious players who compete often will easily spend over $300 on a racket and rubbers. They might even replace the rubbers every couple of weeks and some rubbers cost over $80 each!
Also paying for coaching or club memberships could get really expensive.
Overall though, table tennis is a cheap sport to play. Even if you are buying a table, you only have to buy one once and then the sport can be played year round.
Premade rackets with ITTF approved rubbers can even be bought for about $13 with free worldwide shipping form AliExpress. I bought the Palio 2 Star racket here for less than $13 and it’s actually a decent racket.
What Age Is Appropriate For Pin Pong?
What Age Should Kids Start to Learn Table Tennis?
In reality, kids can start playing table tennis as soon as they have the ability to hold a racket safely. Some kids start to play as young as 3 years old. Really young kids might not be tall enough for full size tables though, so they might need to stand on top of something or play on a shorter table.
You can see this cute 3 year old here playing table tennis and training. In many of the shots, there is a big raised platform on the floor to make him a better height of for the table.
Can Elderly People Play Ping Pong?
As I was explaining earlier, ping pong does not have to be played in a physically demanding manner. You do not need to be in peak physical condition in order to play. So it can be played by people of almost any age.
As long as you can possess the physical ability to hold and swing a racket, then you can play table tennis.
Not only can older people play table tennis, but I would argue that they should. It is a great way to socialize and keep up mental and physical health. I have friends who are a married couple in their 70s, and they still play each other almost daily for fun.
Elderly people should however consult a physician to make sure that they can safely play first.
Now Go Serve, Spin, and Smash
Now that you know that pretty much anyone can play ping pong, it’s time to get out there and play. Whether you’re 3 years old, or 80 years old, get out there and serve, spin, smash, and most importantly, have fun!
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