11 Reasons Why Table Tennis Is Fun To Play

The sound of the ball, the paddle in your hand – playing table tennis is simply fun. But why is that? In this post, you’ll find out my 11 reasons.

Table tennis is an incredibly fast game. Even if you are a beginner, you can still play well. It is extremely versatile. You can either relax and play around with the ball and have a good time, or you can experience nerve-racking matches involving stamina, strategy, technique, and spin.

That was my personal brief summary of why this game fascinates me so much. But that’s not all. Read this post to find out the 11 reasons why this sport is so unique.

1. Simple to Play (in contrast to tennis)

In order to play the ball back and forth, at least in a controlled manner, it doesn’t take much experience. Unlike comparable racket sports, such as tennis, ping pong is more forgiving of mistakes, which means you get a sense of accomplishment early on. So even as a beginner, you can have a lot of fun playing.

2. Extremely Fast Game with Little Time to React

In a professional game, the table tennis ball is smashed across the board at up to 110 mph. In badminton or hockey, the playing equipment is even a little faster, but the comparably short table naturally shortens the reaction time. 

The rhythm of the strokes is also faster than in most other sports and the players make more strokes per minute during a rally. 

For me, this speed is incredibly fascinating, because you have to be concentrated all the time. Sometimes you even get surprised by your own body:

When your opponent smashes, you don’t have enough time to really think about how to counter that shot. It often happens to me that I just automatically react correctly and then I ask myself, “how did my hand get there so fast?”

3. Incredible Spin

Due to the unique rubberized racket surface and the comparably light ball, table tennis can generate the most spin compared to other racket sports. 

This allows the ball to curve in extreme arcs, change direction on contact with the plate or bat, or even accelerate further. This gives the game so much variability.

Personally, I find it incredibly fun to train spin because I’m fascinated by how it can be used to control the ball.

4. Amazing Brain Training

Due to the high speed of the game and the variability of the spin, table tennis is extremely good training for the brain. While playing, you can literally feel how your hand-eye coordination is constantly improving.

You seem to get better and better at anticipating trajectories so that you automatically hold the racket correctly. The brain does all this subconsciously.

With the thought in mind that table tennis is a fun way to train the brain, I always enjoy it even more. The sport is even used as a preventive therapy for Alzheimer’s disease.

Want to know more about the health benefits of table tennis? Then check out this post.

5. Relaxing Stress Relief

Table tennis does not always have to be played with one hundred percent concentration. I often hit balls back and forth with friends in a relaxed way while we’re chatting. 

For me, this is the perfect combination of light exercise and social contact. It relaxes me immensely and I can completely switch off from the stress of everyday life. 

However, challenging matches also help me find balance in everyday life. With the right energy in the strokes, you can completely let off steam and also let out any aggression on the ball.

Either way, I always feel better after playing table tennis than before.

6. No Matter How Many Players It’s Fun 

The fun of table tennis is for me independent of the number of players. But more it rather should not be more than 12 players 😉

You can very well play table tennis alone and have fun. Many table tennis tables can be set to “playback” mode, i.e. you can set up one side and play against that side. 

If you have some money available you can also buy a table tennis robot for about $120, which can keep you pretty busy even alone.

Even with more than four players, there are different game variations where everyone has fun. My favorite is around the world, where all players compete against each other and are moving around the table after every shot.

Want to learn more about ping pong game variations? Then check out this post.

7. With Strategy to Victory

In table tennis, you always have to be aware of what you are doing and place your strokes strategically. It’s about analyzing your opponent, reading his strengths and weaknesses, and exploiting them. 

Ideally, every single stroke is part of a plan that either forces him to make mistakes or puts you in position for the final attacking shot.

When one of these plans works out, it’s always a sense of achievement that’s just enjoyable.

8. Attacking Game

Table tennis is one of the few sports where you can counter attacking shots with your attacking shot. This is also one of the reasons why the game is so fast.

This means that you are not always on defense when your opponent hits an attacking ball. If you position yourself correctly, you can simply attack back.

For me, even as a spectator, that’s the fascinating part, when the players play smash ball after smash ball back and forth. 

9. Low Strain – Prolonged Playing Fun

Table tennis is considered to be one of the most joint-friendly sports, which is why it can be played even in older generations, while other sports are too strenuous.

You can perfectly control the degree of strain yourself. If you take it easy and just play the balls back and forth in a relaxed way, you can actually play forever and will usually not be out of breath.

At the same time, you’re always on the move, getting your circulation going, and still having fun.

10. Quick Progress

Getting better at something is always fun. For me, this seems to be one of the reasons why table tennis is so popular. It’s easy to get started and you noticeably get better with each stroke.

This is due to the fact that you train your brain to analyze the trajectory of the ball correctly. In addition, table tennis quickly improves coordination and reaction.

It is just nice when you realize that you can suddenly block a smash or return shots with extreme spin. These constant moments of success motivate you to keep playing.

11. A Game For Everywhere

The fact that table tennis is a game for everywhere may sound strange at first. You need a proper table, don’t you? Yes and no. What you need are a racket and a ball, but you don’t necessarily need a ping pong table.

If you just want to play for fun, you can do this on normal tables – whether in the garden or the park. To have then also a net, there are so-called instant nets, which you can actually attach to any table. 

Of course, the tables do not have the right dimensions or the right texture of a conventional plate. But this is exactly the challenge that makes it fun.

11 Arguments For Table Tennis

If you have read this article up to here, you now know why I enjoy table tennis so much. But of course, these are only theoretical and subjective points.

The best way to find out why table tennis is fun is to play it yourself. Maybe you will also find some other reasons. Have Fun!