Everyone loves table tennis for entirely different reasons. Some will play it because it feeds their thirst for competition, others merely see it as a way to spend more quality time with their family.
But what are the benefits of table tennis that you can reap if you play it more often?
In this post, we’ll list every positive thing that table tennis has to offer you. Plus, we’ll provide you with some tips to make your next game even more fun.
Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
5 Outstanding Table Tennis Benefits
Besides being enjoyable, playing table tennis has many health benefits that make it one of the best sports you should try. It’s time that you learn more about them.
Helps You Lose Weight Faster
Of course, any type of physical activity can help you burn more fat. As long as you pair your table tennis games with a healthy and balanced diet, you can increase your weight loss rate.
The best thing is that you’ll be having a great time while burning off calories, which may not be the case when you’re on a treadmill.
Even better, working out at the gym should become much easier because playing table tennis will make you more active.
Improves Your Coordination
Playing table tennis can boost your hand-eye coordination as well as your overall body coordination. Just imagine the amount of time that you spend watching the ball closely and following its path with precision.
Thus, the more you play, the better coordination you should have. Eventually, you’ll notice a huge difference in your daily life, especially if your job depends on your physical coordination.
Stimulates the Brain
A great thing about this sport is that it provides incredible brain stimulation that all of us need to keep our brains healthy. For instance, you’ll be using your prefrontal cortex when planning your next move following the other player’s shots.
Plus, you get to stimulate the hippocampus, which is responsible for helping you learn new skills and save them for later use. As a result, this will help you improve your memory.
Read more about how table tennis can help improve mental health here.
Enhances Your Balance
Some people don’t have a good balance naturally, but you can improve yours by taking up table tennis. See, mastering this game requires you to move in time and change your directions fast. Besides, your motion has to be precise to match the speed of the ball.
The more you play table tennis, the better your balance should become. For all clumsy people out there, having improved balance can be life-saving!
Improves Joint Strength
Unlike other forms of exercise, table tennis can help you increase your joint strength without putting much strain on them. Also, if you have sore knees, back, or ankles, you can pursue table tennis as a form of physical therapy.
Yet, you must ensure that you make no mistakes while playing table tennis, or you might accidentally injure yourself. In the following section, we’ll discuss this point more in-depth.
What Should I Do to Prevent Injuries While Playing Table Tennis?
Here are a few precautions you should follow to stay on the safe side while playing table tennis.
Make Sure to Warm Up
The first thing you should do is to not play too much in the beginning. Instead, give your body some time to warm up to the movements. This will help increase blood flow, and it will prevent any muscle stiffness.
Just give your body ten minutes before you increase the intensity of your gameplay.
Take Rests
Second of all, you must rest if you feel like you’ve strained your muscles, especially your calf muscles. Players who keep playing despite their sore calves may experience calf injuries. In that case, they should consult a physician to determine the best treatment.
It’s best if you rest for a day or two after an intense game of table tennis.
Wrap Your Knees With a Strap
Also, it’s always a good idea to wear a knee strap while playing to prevent knee injuries. While they’re less common than calf injuries, a player’s knees might twist if they change directions suddenly. So, wearing something around your knee should give you more stability.
A knee brace with a hole in the center is another great candidate for this job.
Don’t Overwhelm Your Shoulders
Last but not least, make sure that you don’t overstrain your shoulder muscles. Because your shoulders will move back and forth, they might be overcome with fatigue faster than any other part of your body. To prevent shoulder injuries, remember to take a rest if you feel tired.
How to Take Your Table Tennis Skills to the Next Level
If you wish to start down the professional road, here are a few tips to help you hone your table tennis skills.
- Use your own table tennis racket so that you don’t have to repeatedly adapt to a new one
- Keep your returns low over the net to make it harder for the opponent to hit them
- Make more time to practice than to compete to improve every aspect of your skills
- Get a table tennis practice partner to ensure that you commit to the game
- Develop sidespin serves to limit your opponent’s return options
- Rotate your entire body backward during the backswing
- Push your shoulders and hips forward when you stroke your forehand to make it more forceful
- Keep a good ready position to help your body move quickly in any direction
- Work on your strokes over and over until they come naturally to you
To Wrap It Up
The benefits of table tennis are more than we can count. This sport is entertaining, a great way to bond with loved ones, and can improve your health in many ways.
From helping you to lose weight to providing much-needed stimulation to your brain, there’s more to table tennis than we’ve first presumed. Just make sure that you make minimum mistakes while playing, and you should get all the benefits of table tennis.