Table Tennis is a fun game and have amazing health benefit. I believe it is more important to enjoy the game than struggling to be the best. If we have a goal to become a world class player, then we must train harder. We must remind ourselves that on the road to success, there always a Chinese player try to beat you, and will come back next game better if they failed the first time.
The game is the simple game just like conventional tennis but only the point counting is different. As we spoke about Table Tennis, a lot of us will automatically think of China. Undeniable, China has been dominating this game since it was introduced to the world stage. This game also served an important role in our national history development, as the “Ping Pong Diplomacy”, an exchange of US Ping Pong player with China Player has paved the way to first President of USA visit to Beijing.
It’s not a sport, it’s a Chinese culture.
Table tennis is a sports game played all around the world. So, why are Chinese are good at Table Tennis? There is joke why Chinese people can dominate the game so well, is due to their people average height. People said that the Chinese have the shorter distance between their head and the table, that’s why they can see the action of the table tennis ball clearer and can react faster than their Caucasian buddy. Chinese also believe to have shorter limb so that they can react faster to incoming balls. But all this is proven to be the myth, as we have seen the emergence of world-class European players lately.
It actually is due to the players’ pools is huge in China. Chinese has been sending their children to learn and play table tennis since they are 3 years old. In every age category, there are a lot of players waiting to shone in the games. The Chinese government also being supportive of this sports activity, by providing table tennis in recreational places such as in a park. They have trained their younger generation to be familiar with this game. And to emerge from that huge pools of players, you must be something special. Their top players, nevertheless are the best in the world. I have known some ordinary Chinese people, they can be sucks in soccer, football or basketball, but they will never back down a challenge in table tennis. Is like the game is already being implanted in their head. If you have beaten them in one match, trust me the second match will be much harder. Chinese are known for their hardworking to improve themselves in every aspect. This mindset has been applied even to the game, that’s why China is slowly becoming the world of sports powerhouse.
To Chinese people, table tennis is more than a sport. To a larger extent, it is a culture to these people. Get into China today, walk the streets, visit the social halls, factory basements, people’s yards, and what your are likely to notice as a common feature is the table tennis, with people of all socioeconomic class playing, and a crowd cheering them on. This is unlike other countries, such as the US where baseball is their favorite sport. This has been so since long ago and it most certainly enables selection of the best players from a wider pool, unlike in other countries where the selection is done from a few national players.
Politics
There has been an ongoing contest of capitalism and communism as spearheaded by the Marxist ideologies, and as a result, every country attempted to prove that its chosen ideology was superior. China wanted to show dominance in politics through communism. As a result, any way that could have contributed to its show of might was very much welcome. Apparently, Ping Pong turned out to be that very thing, something that contributed to its high endorsement, even by powerful politicians, and especially the communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong. With this endorsement, the sport became even more popular among Chinese and somehow built confidence among them that this was the sport that would unite them and set them apart as a powerful nation.
Rigorous training and fancy spins means glorious wins
Out of the 20 World Championships, china has scooped gold in 16 of them. But these wins are more attributed to the unique style that includes fancy spins that make Chinese players Shine in any match. These spins are taught under strict and thorough training sessions and on a relatively large number of people who are then winnowed until the very best are picked to represent the country in the international arena. In most cases, those who are dropped are more times better than those who are the best of other countries.
Conclusion
So, it is not only in Karate, Kung Fu, or Tai Chi, where China shines, but also in Ping Pong. Apparently, this sport has earned China much fame than the three combined, at least when it comes to world sporting events. It has only secured a number one spot, but has also become a diplomatic sport helping China mend its relations with other super power countries, hence a healthier socioeconomic for the country.
