History of Table Tennis

The sport originated in Victorian England, where it was played among

the upper-class as an after-dinner parlour game. It had several
different names, including 'whiff-whaff', and it has been suggested
that makeshift versions of the game were developed by British
military officers in India or South Africa, who brought it back with
them. A row of books was stood up along the center of the table as a
net, two more books served as rackets and were used to
continuously hit a golf-ball. The name "ping-pong" was in wide use
before British manufacturer J. Jaques & Son Ltd trademarked it in
1901. The name "ping-pong" then came to be used for the game
played by the rather expensive Jaques's equipment, with other
manufacturers calling it table tennis. A similar situation arose in the
United States, where Jaques sold the rights to the "ping-pong" name
to Parker Brothers. Parker Brothers then enforced their trademark
for the term in the 1920s making the various associations change
their names to "table tennis" instead of the more common, but
trademarked, term.
Equipment
Ball- The international rules specify that the game is played with a
sphere having a mass of 2.7 grams (0.095 oz) and a diameter of 40
millimetres (1.57 in). The rules say that the ball shall bounce up 24–
26 cm (9.4–10.2 in) when dropped from a height of 30.5 cm (12.0 in)
onto a standard steel block thereby having a coefficient of restitution
of 0.89 to 0.92. The ball is made of plastic as of 2015, colored white
or orange, with a matte finish.
Table- The table is 2.74 m (9.0 ft) long, 1.525 m (5.0 ft) wide, and 76
cm (2.5 ft) high with any continuous material so long as the table
yields a uniform bounce of about 23 cm (9.1 in) when a standard ball
is dropped onto it from a height of 30 cm (11.8 in), or about 77%. The
table or playing surface is uniformly dark coloured and matte, divided
into two halves by a net at 15.25 cm (6.0 in) in height.
Racket- Players are equipped with a laminated wooden racket
covered with rubber on one or two sides depending on the grip of
the player. The ITTF uses the term "racket",[26] though "bat" is
common in Britain, and "paddle" in the U.S. .The wooden portion of
the racket, often referred to as the "blade", commonly features
anywhere between one and seven plies of wood, though cork, glass
fiber, carbon fiber, aluminum fiber, and Kevlar are sometimes used.
According to the ITTF regulations, at least 85% of the blade by
thickness shall be of natural wood.[27] Common wood types include
balsa, limba, and cypress or "hinoki," which is popular in Japan. The
average size of the blade is about 6.5 inches (17 cm) long and 6
inches (15 cm) wide. Although the official restrictions only focus on
the flatness and rigidness of the blade itself, these dimensions are
optimal for most play styles.
Basic Skill Techniques
Forehand grip- The short handle of the racket is gripped very close to
the blade. The thumb and forefinger brace opposite sides of the
blade. The index finger is places behind the blade for support.
Backhand grip- The grip is the same as the forehand grip except that
the thumb is at the back of the blade.
Penholder grip- the racket is held almost vertically downward with
the fore finger and thumb toward each other. Thw grip is no longer
recommended in a good table tennis games
Footwork and Stance- This skill is important to an alert player. For a
beginner a good stance in serving is a position about 1 ½ to 2 feet
directly behind the center of the court. Stand with feet a little apart
and with the left foor forward. In going after the ball, you should
remember that you must face the ball as you play it and return to
mid-court quickly after you have made a shot. Always keep your eyes
on the ball.
Strategy
For singles, concentrate in returning the ball safely to the opponent’s
court. Change the speed of your returns and try different shots. Size
up your opponents, find their weak returns, and play to this
weakness. Always crop your eyes on the ball and see to it that your
returns are safe. For double play, mix the types of shots and pace.
Keep your opponents off balance. Try to react with ample speed and
strive for a versatile and deceptive attack.
Service
Place the ball on open palm. Toss it and serve. The ball must land on
one side of the table before it goes over the net. During service, the
ball must be visible to the opponent. Each player serves the ball 5
consecutive times.
Scoring
The system is rally point. Every violation made by either player is a
point awarded to the opponent. The first to finish 21 points wins the
game. In case of 20-20 scores a deuce is called. In continuation, a
difference of 2 points decides the winner.
Pictures:

Players playing table tennis Racket of Table tennis

Ball of table tennis Table of Table Tennis