table tennis

Table tennis is a sport where two or four players hit a ball back and forth, over a net, with a table tennis paddle, also known as bats or rackets, on a table, in a manner similar to tennis. The rules are slightly different, but the concept is essentially the same. Table tennis is an Olympic sport, "ping-pong" is an often used recreational name for the same sport. Ball spin, speed and strategy play an important part in competitive table tennis matches. The speed of the ball can vary from slow serves with lots of spin to fast smashes that travel as fast as 110 km/h.