Table Tennis, Ping Pong, Whiff Whaff, Gossima, nearly every area of the world has the game under a different name. The game itself has infiltrated pop culture. Over the past thirty years, we have seen a form of Table Tennis in movies, sitcoms, advertisements, public gatherings, and even on cereal boxes. With so many cultures representing the game, from where did it actually originate?
Each alternate name of Table Tennis has its own patent and trademark. That being said, many of the references to the games exist in literature before patents and trademarks became necessary. It is said that a game played on a table with paddles was in existence in England in 1884. By 1894, England had already begun to market their version by selling Table Tennis sets. These were marketed as a 'Drawing Room Diversion'. One instruction manual warned against wearing a "Dress Suit and Stiff Shirt" and "White Satin Gowns". In many ways, it was a game for the wealthy.
The first paddles resembled hand drums. They were made of stretched vellum covering a wooden skeleton. When the ball would strike the paddle, a rather loud percussive tone would ring. This offered a more characteristic Ping and Pong than modern day wooden and rubber paddles.
Throughout the invention of the game, organizations have been born and died, all of which trying to provide the law for the game. In England the two feuding groups were called the "Table Tennis Association" and the "Ping Pong Association". Both of these groups dissolved in the early 1900s, as the game fell quickly out of fashion. Yet, as the case is with most fads, by the 1920s, Ping Pong was back in demand. In no time at all, the Ping Pong Association was up and running uncontested. In an attempt to sound more authoritative, they changed their name from the "Ping Pong Association" to the "International Table Tennis Federation".
By the end of 1926, many authoritative documents were printed and archived by the International Table Tennis Federation. Of these, the most important were the Rules of Table Tennis, and the Constitution of the Table Tennis Federation. To celebrate their organization's success, they held the first Table Tennis Tournament in London, England.
The International Table Tennis Federation boasted chapters in Austria, Czechoslovakia, England, Germany, Hungary, India, Sweden, and Wales. The only country that had troubles with the original rules was Hungary, who added amendments regarding Doubles Play.
For a short time, Table Tennis was banned in Russia. The ruling members believed that it had an adverse affect on eyesight and deemed it an inappropriate past time. It was not until much later that Champions began to hail from Russia.
The International Table Tennis Federation undertook a few new regulations in the 1950s. After a trip to America, they brought back celluloid balls, as well as the racket of pimpled rubber. This drastically improved the standards of the game, making fairness even more even.
Eventually, they decided that a thin sheet of foam sandwiched in the paddle between the wooden core and the pimpled rubber improved precision and accuracy. A product marketed as "Speed Glue" quickly prompted reformations aimed at slowing the game down.
In early 2000, a demand for Table Tennis to be a Spectator Sport increased. People began to watch the game on their televisions, especially broadcast internationally. For this, the 38mm balls were officially replaced with 40mm balls. This increase drastically changed the aerodynamics of the ball, not only making visibility over television possible, but also opening many new techniques. Their have been no other modern major advancements to date.
by Brendan Middleton
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