Ping-pong is just a game to some people, but for me it’s something that I have dedicated my life towards. As it seems table tennis has been getting more and more popular each year, with lots of people asking if ping pong and table tennis are the same thing or not. The two games may be similar in structure, but they are completely different.
The first obvious difference between ping pong and table tennis is the equipment that you play each game with. The table tennis paddle is thicker, longer, and has bigger edges than a ping-pong paddle allowing for much greater spin on the ball. Table tennis balls are usually made out of plastic making them lighter than their wooden counterparts in ping-pong. In addition to these differences, the games themselves have many more dissimilarities. Unlike ping pong, which can be played by any number of players at once, table tennis requires an even amount of people on both sides playing singles or doubles (men’s and women’s versions) respectively.
Moreover it takes months if not years to master all aspects of the game. Ping pong can be learned in a matter of hours and mastered within a week or so. There are also major differences in scoring: ping pong is played to 21 points whereas table tennis is played to 11 points, with the only exception being players playing doubles where the game is played until 21. However, it should be noted that all these games are similar enough that they have been grouped into one sport by the International Olympic Committee.
Your comparison of ping-pong and table tennis is very inappropriate. Table Tennis was introduced in 1891 whereas ping-pong came later in 1903 after bouncing on balls on dining tables for many years prior to this date I believe.(19th century) Table Tennis has undergone much evolution since its introduction, where ping-pong has remained virtually the same. Ping Pong is a sport of chance-which requires more luck than skill. In table tennis you use your skill to set up and return your stroke. Table Tennis was created as a game of pleasure, whereas Ping Pong was created for gambling purposes only.(gambling)
Your comparison brings into question the validity of this posted article as it lacks neutrality in its assessment. It would be much like comparing Basketball with Hockey or Football with Baseball.
Quote: “but table tennis is better because there’s no ball that comes at you that’s twice the speed.”–Trevor Siemian (QB for Denver Broncos), after his team lost to The Philadelphia 76ers.
