Table tennis seems like it’s one of those sports that looks fun, but you seldom get the chance to play it. It also feels a bit old-fashioned, since these days, most people won’t instantly think of table tennis when they think of sports they want to get good at. However, table tennis is starting to see a little bit of a resurgence lately, with some businesses even popping up focused on providing a place for people to gather and have fun with the sport.
To play ping pong, you need a ping pong table — and not everyone has one of those lying around. There’s always the possibility of going to sports clubs or even buying your ping pong table. But is it a good investment, or would you just be wasting your money?
You may not know this, but table tennis has many emotional, physical, and cerebral benefits. However, this article will focus more on the sport’s health benefits.
1 Improves Your Reflexes
Table tennis is a fast-paced sport that requires quick decision-making in the heat of the moment. It requires you to make snap decisions to make sure that the ball correctly bounces so your opponent does not end up scoring over you. Because of how quickly you have to play this sport, you might end up improving your hand-eye coordination and your reflexes at the same time.
2 Works Your Whole Body
As a fast-paced sport, ping pong requires you to make quick bursts of movement followed by recovery, thereby developing your fast-twitch muscles. On top of that, you also make gross muscle movements and fine muscle movements, which means you’re giving your whole body a workout as you play.
Ping pong can help to improve everyone’s health, no matter how young or old they are. Not only does it help to enhance reflexes, but it can also improve alertness and concentration.
3 It’s Easier on the Joints
Although ping pong is still a fast-paced sport, you won’t be required to run as much as playing badminton or table tennis. For this reason, it’s not as rough on the joints, even though it provides a good workout.
If you have trouble with joint pain, you might find that table tennis is the right sport for you, as it can still be exciting and engaging without as much risk of creating further problems for your body.
4 Improves Coordination and Balance
Ping pong is a sport that requires you to make quick decisions and calculations for returning a ball and scoring. For this reason, you may often find yourself having to make quick movements that require you to have good balance and coordination, so you don’t fall over or trip.
With enough practice, table tennis may help you improve your coordination and balance. It can also strengthen your core muscles, which may help you improve your posture overall.
5 Worth or a Waste?
Whether a ping pong table is worth it or not will depend entirely on you and how often you think you’ll end up using it. However, there’s no denying that ping pong tables offer many fantastic benefits to both physical and mental health.
Investing in a table and a ping pong paddle or two can make a difference and push you towards making positive lifestyle changes. Plus, it’s fun for the whole family — and even for friends!
