Crazy Ping Pong Nicknames

When I was in high school they started
calling me Black Bart, like I was a pirate
stealing their points.  Well, if they played
better I wouldn’t be stealing their points,
would I?  LOL!

Then later on someone called me Paddles
because I always had the right paddle
in hand.  If you have a smooth paddle your
ball is going to fly every which way.  Better
to have a premium paddle with just the right
waffling, so that it’s you and not some wild
spirit that controls where your ball goes.

At least one good thing came from the
nicknames– sometimes my opponents were
afraid of some guy named Black Bart, or
affraid they’d get paddled by Paddles. LOL!

This is an easy game to get started with
if you would like to learn to play. Table
tennis is one of the few sports that don’t
need big spaces and expensive equipment.

I have one set up in our small apartment
and it is really not a burden to have your
own as well.

If you’re a fan of the sport or you want
to start learning how to play it,  here are
the basic pieces of equipment, the must
haves to get you started.

Ball– Under international rules, the table
tennis ball should weight 2.7 grams and
40mm in diameter. Specifically, just so
you understand, the ball must have a coefficient
of restitution of 0.88. This means that if the
ball is released from a height of 30 cm, it
should bounce back up to 23 cm. This ball’s
characteristic, if my memory serves me well,
was first introduced after the 2000 Sydney
Olympics.

Table– The official table tennis dimension
is 9 feet long by 5 feet wide by 30 inches high.
It is usually made from hardboard called
Masonite or timber with a smooth and
low-friction surface. A 6-inch high net installed
in the middle divides the table, which serves as
the court.

Racket– The table tennis racket is a                   laminated wooden blade covered with                rubber sheets on both sides. The rubber             sheets differ in characteristics and                       performance. There are rubber sheets                 that are ideal for fast plays, rubber sheets            that provide good control, and there are             also those that have all-around characteristics.
Players are allowed to use any combination
of rubber sheets on two faces of the racket.
With this, players use different techniques
with versatility and full control, especially
on ball spin and speed.   

The other good thing is that, compared to
other sports, the cost of getting going in
this sport is usually cheaper.  That was
one of the things that appealed to me
initially way back when.