Is Table Tennis socially acceptable? [Archive]

DaveR

12-01-2007, 12:54 AM

Ok

Nice one

We have someone intelligent

I'm being straight here, I as well will admit, most have said they are doing something else other than playing a TABLE TENNIS match, why I'll answer as with the previous post, its a totally "uncool" thing........not so....it's actually embedded within the Table Tennis person's mind, for example we love the sport and will practice, play matches etc but the general public really do get amazed if or when they see it played !

I have had the great fortune over the years to put Table Tennis displays on for schools and the public with massive response................positive I will say !

Why because they love it

We did/do displays within schools as a campaign to generate interest within and yes it works

Please promote

It's a positive reward

And yes I'm probably going on a bit but we at Sunderland have seen massive interest since displays and positive responses.............keep it going

Annie

12-01-2007, 10:50 AM

I then picked my girlfriend and some of her friends up after a match and one of her friends burst out laughing at me because I had been wearing shorts to play. She just could not understand why I could possibly need to wear shorts to play table tennis!

How ridiculous is this! Obviously this person has never seen the sport or participated in it otherwise she would know it's a very fast physical sport and shorts need to be worn not just for freedom of movement but to help players keep cool.

I've actually been to a major tournament with a friend and I felt nothing but pride. :thumbsup:

Browning

12-01-2007, 04:50 PM

Annie - It is ridiculous but that is only halve of it.

The same girl also told me that she has a friend that wants to get into the Scottish team for the commonwealth games. I asked who it was - because there are only a few people capable of making the scottish team and was surprised that she knew one of them - given her earlier comments about my shorts!

She said that it is just a guy she works with and doesn't really play table tennis that much. I obviously questioned this and she told me that they had been talking in the staff common room and he had just realised that he had never lost a game of table tennis therefore he believes that therefore he must be very good at it. I asked where and who he plays against and apparantly he just plays occasionally on holiday and at a social club he sometimes goes to!!?!

I just did not know what to say to this because it is so ridiculous. However. I realised that this guy, the girl I was speaking to, and lot's of their colleagues and friends genuinely think he has a chance of making the scottish team. It was clear to me that most people really don't hold table tennis in any esteem whatsoever because nobody would say this about football, tennis or any sport to be quite honest.

When you play a sport and are very passionate about it I think it is very hard to accept what others think about it. This was a bit of an eye-opener for me.

Annie

12-01-2007, 05:25 PM

Anyone who knows anything about sport would clearly recognise that Table Tennis is a skilled sport, takes hours of practice and a lot of talent to be a real professional.

Clearly this Lady and her friend know nothing about real sport!

Blocking Ace

12-03-2007, 11:04 AM

On this topic, I don't conceal that i am playing table tennis but, generally imagine that the person concerned holds a mental image of ping-pong played with bats purchased from Asda, playing consisting of tippy-tapping the ball to and fro. Not good for one's street-cred [if i had any].
Also, if you ever get into a taxi to go to a tournament and the taxi-driver asks what the event is, their remarks often include that they used to "play a bit", or, "those Chinese are a bit useful aren't they?".

Despite some ridicule directed at the sport, there appears to be a remarkable amount of people who "used to be good" when younger. They are, of course deluding themselves. 'Good' does not mean being undisputed champion of the works canteen. One sidespin or backspin serve would probably relieve them of that misconception.
:pray:

Annie

12-03-2007, 12:06 PM

They are, of course deluding themselves. 'Good' does not mean being undisputed champion of the works canteen. One sidespin or backspin serve would probably relieve them of that misconception.
:pray:

Very well said! I don't play myself but I applaud you guys that do and fully appreciate the skill involved :clap:

Browning

12-05-2007, 09:24 AM

Blocking Ace - well said.

I find one of the major problems is that everyone seems to have played at some point in their lives and because it is so often at such a low level they can't imagine what the game is like when played properly.

As for the "those Chinese are a bit useful aren't they?" thing I find this very infuriating. For me it is particularly difficult because my playing era was completely domnated by europeans (namely, Waldner, Persson, Applegren, Gatien, Grubba, etc) so I am used to europeans being very strong in the game and correctly people who think it is all chinese all the time.

What is worse though for me is the amount of people who want me to play their dad. It is the same thing everytime someone finds out that I play "Oh! you should play my dad - we used to have a table when I was young and he was really good, he always beat me!"

Annie

12-05-2007, 11:29 AM

Well just because someone is a busy player doesn't necessarily make them a good player.

My Father and Brother (both ambidextrous) played for The Woodfield Club in Wolverhampton for many years. Although they never reached the Premier Division they were still what I would class as proper players and a cut above the Ping Pong Brigade!

And Browning, you could have played against my Dad anytime and got a good match :thumbsup:

DaveR

12-05-2007, 11:33 AM

The whole image was one put forward quite a while ago (and even before someone my age) when the general public played, usually in trousers and sometimes even flat caps ! We can all promote the image of the sport with a positive spin rather than sometimes "hiding" it in church halls.

The fact is Table Tennis is a damn difficult sport to be any good at, as Ace Blocker has said in his previous post
quote.....Despite some ridicule directed at the sport, there appears to be a remarkable amount of people who "used to be good" when younger. They are, of course deluding themselves. 'Good' does not mean being undisputed champion of the works canteen. One sidespin or backspin serve would probably relieve them of that misconception.

Table Tennis is slightly different to most sports, in relation to how good you can be with sometimes limited practice or training, for example i as many could play football and kick the ball very hard, score a goal run around like a crazed moron an be pretty average at the sport within a short space of time..............lets take some other sports where aggression and force will usually do the trick for most people who participate in them such as rugby or various other contact sports. This will never happen in Table Tennis, aggression will mean the ball not hitting the table unless you have the total ability of channeling the anger and force into the correct shot and direction with skill / precision.

The hours and hours involved in the training to become average, then good if not great is way beyond the general publics mind set, which is where we as players and indeed the ETTA can help via media, with positive promotions of the sport.

Thats my rant over............

Spinmaster

12-06-2007, 12:57 PM

This topic has been brought up by so many players its become obvious that the real problem lies with "us" as players to promote the image of the sport, with the competitive side being as healthy as maybe Football. The image has in the past been of old style church halls, push your league and team to the front !

Flicker

12-06-2007, 05:04 PM

I think that Table tennis has a bad reputation in the UK as most people identify it with the very slow game played once a year on holiday that we still call Ping Pong played with hard bats with pimple out rubber and no sponge, Therefore no real spin or speed or skill or athletic ability required just good fun. These people have probably never seen real up to date Professional Table tennis played by the Worlds best players due to the very small media coverage in the UK, Agian therefore the majority of people only know or identify with Ping Pong and not modern Table tennis. Hopefully in the future Table tennis will become more popular in the UK then people will learn that Table tennis is one of the very top skilled sports in the World. Table tennis World wide is the most popular indoor sport, It is played by over 300 Million people and it is only taken seriously by countries that are successful at the sport or countries who make a real effort to be successful at the sport!

Annie

12-06-2007, 06:44 PM

I would like to make a suggestion. I have lived in Wolverhampton all my life and I only heard about the Wolves Tournament because of my association with a professional player. Everybody around here knows when there's a footie match but how come Table Tennis seems to be the best kept secret? I never see one advert or hear any kind of promotion on the local radio.

Tournaments held in Wolverhampton are huge and yet unless you are directly associated with the sport you don't get to hear about it.

Schools as well. Perhaps there should be more promotion within schools. Half an hour on a Table Tennis table is surely more beneficial than 10,000 steps and in a safer environment?

Perhaps this North South divide between Ping Pong and Table Tennis should be bridged. A means to an end so to speak.

DaveR

12-06-2007, 07:35 PM

These people have probably never seen real up to date Professional Table tennis played by the Worlds best players due to the very small media coverage in the UK, Agian therefore the majority of people only know or identify with Ping Pong and not modern Table tennis. Hopefully in the future Table tennis will become more popular in the UK then people will learn that Table tennis is one of the very top skilled sports in the World.

The UK is like many other places in relation to media coverage......money is more important and although i hate to say this until money is pumped into the sport then coverage will remain low. The general public is as you say still slightly retro in respect of how skilled the soprt is, whenever i have given high level displays they have gone down incredibly well with the kids and parents being staggered by the speed and accuracy levels involved.

Spinmaster

12-06-2007, 07:49 PM

Table tennis World wide is the most popular indoor sport, It is played by over 300 Million people and it is only taken seriously by countries that are successful at the sport or countries who make a real effort to be successful at the sport!

The sport is World wide and yes played by as you say 300 million, taken seriously only by those who are only successful at the sport is a little harsh as many countries are not so successful but are very serious about Table Tennis.

Flicker

12-06-2007, 08:16 PM

No offence meant by saying that only countries that are serious about TT are the ones that are successful at the Sport, I didn't put an England flag in my profile I will do that asap. I am a frustrated UK member,Player and TT enthusiast who is fed up with the ETTA the fact that our great sport is still a very small minority sport and regarded as little more than a kids school game still by the majority of people in the UK, That's just a sad fact about it in my experience. As the OP asked ''Is TT socially acceptable''? I would say definately NO and I have recieved some very funny looks when I have told people what Sport I like to spend my spare time playing! And who can say that during a Works lunch time chat between work colleagues that everyone wants to discuss the latest TT Tournaments but we all have to listen to the latest Football goings on, Is this not true?

DaveR

12-06-2007, 08:19 PM

I would say definately NO and I have recieved some very funny looks when I have told people what Sport I like to spend my spare time playing!

Me too !

The total image needs a refresh and i actually echo most if not all your thoughts Flicker....................

By the way nice to have you around the place

Flicker

12-06-2007, 08:44 PM

Thanks DaveR I like this forum its great! Very well put together, Nice one.

DaveR

12-06-2007, 08:53 PM

Well im adding lots of stuff over the next few weeks, it is new and pass the word around

Blocking Ace

12-07-2007, 10:55 AM

I do not need to tell people that i play table tennis in order to get funny looks. Not sure what my personal best score is.
Anyway, one might ask if it is even more socially unacceptable [i mean among table-tennis circles] if one plays with something like long pimples. In short - a spoiler. Would you rush to practice against a negative spoiler?
Or is that a controversial point? Ooh, i would just hate to be controversial.
:pray:

Flicker

12-07-2007, 11:11 AM

I think that long pinples adds more variety to the sport, It's gives you more to learn and you have to learn to play differently against it, So I am all for Long pimples being there. I have in the past when I started playing TT avoid the crafty old player with the long pimple in the club as I simply did not understand how to play against them and I quickly realised that I couldn't play my usual game against it But after a good few years and as you go up the divisions you find more and more players that use the pimpled rubber and if you ever want to compete with them then you have to practice against them! Maybe this is just my experience but I have learned that if you want to be any good at TT in almost any league or tournament then you have to learn how to play against pimpled rubber.

Mrs Nickerbater

12-07-2007, 03:11 PM

Yup, I agree Flicker - LP's are fairly harmless if you get the chance to practice and develop a set of tools to deal with them. Most people i know who complain expect to just turn up and beat LPers without preparation. [i'm not an LPer B.T.W.]

I enjoy playing LPers as it brings another dimension to the game and they are replacing the old choppers you don't see anymore.

The main problem TT has with image comes down to not having any national heroes, Des Douglas was a household name when he was at his best. Now TT is not shown because we don't really have any big names like him dominating the game.

Pingpongeoff

12-07-2007, 05:19 PM

Hi There,
I have been involved in TT for as long as I can remember, started playing in the late 50's.
Dad used to run many teams from a place called Hayes Working mens club, in the Uxbridge & district, Harrow & Wembley, West London, and Staines league.........bless him.........and I suppose Iv'e followed in his footsteps......now my son Matt plays a bit?
Anyway, yes I am a spoiler if you mean Hallmark long pips up to the table.........now the speed glue is vanishing, along with the frictionless pips.........what am I to do?..........take up tennis?
great website, will post another later!
regards,
Gw.:thumbsup:

DaveR

12-07-2007, 06:16 PM

Hey nice one Geoff and no stick to table tennis we need the support !

On a serious note, spoiler isnt the word i would use.......as we all get older and less quick sometimes we need to adapt and i for one have nothing against LP'S or Hallmark as both are creating variation. The sport wouldnt be the same without variation so as far "funny rubbers" go then play on and people who moan (like me at times) will have to adapt and play accordingly.

Nice to see you here Geoff

Pingpongeoff

12-07-2007, 07:01 PM

Thanks for your welcome words Dave,
Sorry about the headline- no I'm not the advertising manager for J Sainsbury (although I was employed with them for some 21 years !!)...........
Yes, good to join a club with like minded people, enjoying our truly great game.
In the last 8 years, TT has taken me to so many countries that I never thought I would ever visit. Sweden, now is "my second home", such a beautiful country, with wonderful people, so many "addicted to table tennis"!.......maybe a certain J O Waldner might have had something to do with the popularity of our indoor game?....... Off there again in January and February (Safirs International in Stockholm). I suppose I have opened the door to almost 100 young players and their parents going to training camps and tournaments out there since 2000. It's so easy to get there too, just hop on a Ryanair jet from Stanstead, return for only £50........cant be bad.
Germany, France, The Netherlands are also great countries I have been fortunate to visit through either tournaments or camps.
Look forward to reading your members articles, and maybe might see you at a Grand Prix event somewhere around the country...........
best wishes to all tt friends for a great christmas,
oh and PS,.........latest news, but keep it quiet!!
I hear B&Q are selling "bat & glue testing machines in their LARGE SUPERSTORE DEPOT'S for only £39, imported from the US" for the junior topspin player who needs to be "ahead of the game, and within strict ITTF guidelines" .............
and in the new year, from the 2nd january, they are on BOGOFF........
by one-get one free!!!
what a great idea for a crimbo pressie!!
:snigger:

DaveR

12-07-2007, 10:51 PM

We could start our own set up Geoff, with a shop and various products maybe in the future giving members discounts etc providing we searched for the most cheapest and competitive prices for various products............now we need a person who will search for us .......is anyone available to check out prices and relay back ?

Clatter of feet !

Martyn L

12-16-2007, 12:15 PM

Anyone that has ever seen the sport played at any competitive level will be able to appreciate the game. Of course it is a sport, but the majority of people that play the game play for recreational purposes. As it actually takes a fair bit of skill (hand/eye co-ordination) to be able to play the game properly, the majority of those trying the game do not take it up. As with all racket sports it isn't the easiest game to play against someone that hasn't trained to play it.
It is difficult to describe to work colleagues & friends that you play table tennis. When they actually see you play they appreciate it more.

DaveR

12-16-2007, 03:40 PM

The past time theory is deffinitely the problem, with TV not really promoting the main events because of money I would assume.

Many people are amazed when seeing it close up at displays and the schools we have given displays at are absolutely keen as mustard once they have got involved so the interest is there it just needs to be tapped into by the right sources.

This was another reason I started the site to create interest and motivation.

Annie

12-16-2007, 04:15 PM

And great you did too Dave :clap:

This is a Sport that can be enjoyed in a safe environment for kids, Ladies and just about everyone!

Guy

02-07-2008, 08:30 AM

Hello all
I promise to not get Hexapong into this topic, I would just like to get my to cents into the conversation. I do not fancy myself as even a fair player but I manage to surprise some of the members of the club I go to. Now Table Tennis as a social sport. In my opinion it comes down to how much money the sport (i.e. football, baseball, basketball etc.) generates for the sporting goods company, massive public appeal, novelty or amount of money the players receive. The TV networks fight for ratings and televise to a particular group of viewers.
Since we are talking about a sport lets take ESPN a major sports channel here in the U.S. They follow the team sports as mentioned above. In your neck of the woods I’m sure the sports are different, more like soccer, cricket and rugby (I don’t know…I’m a yank in the U.S.). With a little investigation any one can find the gross amount of money that the public has spent on sports equipment for any particular sport. I for one do not understand how fishing is considered a sport. I don’t mine to offend anyone but fishing to me is one jerk waiting for another. And I can certainly think of others thing to do if I want some time away from my wife.
Moving on to mass appeal, Tennis is a great example. This is a sport that just about every nation has a professional player. In any part of a metropolitan area you can find a tennis court at public parks were players congregation with racket that range from $12 up to $300. Now add the cost of bags, shoes and apparel. This is mass appeal and money. Professional players win big money at tournament. I don’t know about you but I could live on one million dollars for a while!
Novelty or money is an interesting one. Let’s start with novelty, ESPN actually covered and televised Arm Wrestling, Dominos, and even a tournament for Rock, Scissors, Paper.
I surprised that they don’t televise the Beer Pong Tournaments held in Las Vegas. Now on to the money. How captivated are you when you see players seating around a table playing high stakes poker.
In conclusion, until there are facilities that will cater specifically to table tennis and have tournament in which the winning player gets more than $500,000 the public will just think of table tennis as a social game that players wear shorts and do some unbelievable things with a tiny ball that travels at a high rate of speed.

DaveR

02-07-2008, 11:45 AM

The route of all evil but the route of success in most cases is sport, with the introduction of prize money years ago. The plain and simple facts are these.........

To be successful in the "media sector" a sport needs to be.........

Very "simple" for example the public sees the sport and understands the total basics........football is a prime example.

The sport has to be "big" in other words has to be a spectacle to watch, which can be done in various ways for example massive events and son on.

The sport has to be "people accepted".............what does that mean? well ill explain most players when asked if they play a sport ar have been training tonight would ussually play it down in as much as it would be "oh trained tonight" not "i played table tennis tonight" am i correct yes........and why well you ask yourselves the question and give me an answer......i doubt you can.

The sport has to be funded...........now are we funded in any great shape ? not really and certainly wont be until the above topics are answered never will be......

Now why does the chicken and the egg spring to mind.............

Roger

02-08-2008, 11:00 PM

Very interesting question. When some people saw me playing namely youngsters at the Bolton Lads and Girls club they saw i was a professional. That's because they don't know how the game can be played. I said it's "too hard" and I also gave them some facts such the speed of the balls at top level and that top players when topspinning can put 130 spins a second. I tend to explain that takes some doings.

When someone laughs I suggest we can have a game. While being curtous with them I would put as much spin as I can ... and most times they start to realise...

I think Badminton has a similar image problem in France...

Roger

02-08-2008, 11:04 PM

Prize money is going up. Samsonov when not so long ago won the energi masters in Germany. He got a "good" cheque and a £18 000 BMW for his troubles... It's getting there...

We need to persevere and we will get there...

Fight for what you believe in ... and DO NOT give up half way ...

DaveR

02-08-2008, 11:26 PM

Very true Roger and exactly the way forward, with promotion of your sport wether it be Badminton or Table Tennis.
The image has changed for the better but as said in the above post still needs people pushing the sport into the light in anyway possible, this may mean just general chat or more in depth with promoting events within your own club or regional events with media inclusion leading to better coverage and hopefully evan higher young player numbers.

TheMoose

02-08-2008, 11:42 PM

The site should try to promote a major event with media coverage included i would be pleased to get involved and no doubt many others .

Spongebob!

02-08-2008, 11:52 PM

Hi Roger - liked your e-mails. I don't know where to start in response to your comments on this - it seems that this is a subject we have talked about for years and years - more years in fact that I care to remember.

For me I think the issue (in terms of route cause) is that those who genuinely like / play the sport there is an increasing amount of access to recordings and / or live coverage of the sport. Take You Tube for example there are thousands of clips of matches / points / exhibitions etc.

However, the issue for me is (and I think this will remain the route cause) that there is simply just not enough TT on normal TV, i.e, BBC / ITV / C4 etc. If it is on (and this is very rare) it normally a 2 min clip, i.e., starting the match 8 all in the 5th and some rubbish commentator (Tony Gubba) getting all excited explaining what will happen if it gets to 10 all. With brilliant commentating (NOT) like 'he hit a hard shot!'.

The key issue for me is that the sport just sometimes does not lend itself to live TV, i.e., it is not a spectator sport if you are watching it live - don't get me wrong it is for us TT fanatics who will appreciate a tight serve / flick / spin / agility / recovery / off the bounce shot etc etc.

The reality is that when you watch it live you don't have the advantage (normally) of an instant action replay (like tennis does) because the time lapse between each serve / point is so short it does not lend itself to showing a replay and explaining the point / strokes made / spin on the ball / angles created leading to an opportunity to attack and win the point. In this respect it is difficult for normal spectators (by normal I mean non players etc) to appreciate the play / point etc.

As you will know even for TT fanatics a game can be unspectacular sometimes, i.e., few big rallies with big shots and hundred mile an hour speed. Sometimes a point can be a serve pushed into the net or with the ball floating off the table because of the serve being misread. Anyone watching that will immediately go - I'm not watching that I played better when I was 10 at the youth club. Pimple rubbers is a prime example of what can cause rallys which are sometimes unspectacular - this is not a having a go a pimples by the way and just trying to say that to someone who is looking to be entertained and hooked on a game etc just simply might not be. If they're not they switch off.

So what's the alternative - well I suppose different things have been tried - jazz it up / different colour table / ball / floor / jazzy clothes etc - the bottom line still being the route cause is not being addressed for live TV.

A number of years ago one channel (I think it was C4) recorded a whole tournament. In this respect it had loads of footage - points were analysed - slow motion - real table tennis players explaining in detail each shot - the spin / the angle / the tactics / the speed etc. All this before the next point was played (i.e., just like in tennis - although not live). Never the less is was brilliant watching - I think if there was more of this on a regular basis on normal TV then you would have half a chance of generating interest - then you can jazz it up and have all the razamataz that could make it good entertainment. Just looked at darts - how much has that taken off recently because of the sky coverage of their national league / championships - brilliant support - good fun etc - it has been great to watch. This in a massive room when the board is probably only 2 feet wide. But it has been gripping stuff. Could sky not do something similar to our british league or european leagues - I'm sure if it did a lot of things I talked about earlier it could (and its a could with a million fingers crossed) have a chance of being a spectator sport.

I know there are no easy solutions and it can seem like a bit chicken and egg situation but I just think we need to look at route cause and not just short term fixes that just scratch the surfice of the real issues.

Anyway..I'm not saying I'm right or wrong - I might be totally off the mark on this - but I would be keen to hear your views (and others on the site) on this.

Sponge! :happy:

FantasyCheeseBasin

02-09-2008, 03:05 AM

what id like to know is how the hell does cricket get so much tv air time when its sooooooo boring,hit the ball catch it run like hell oh look he fell over vic, and the other bloke hit the sticks so he has to go for a cup of tea in the wooden hut then his mate has a go,slog slog oh isnt this wonderfull ,hit the stick again ,hes out etc etc wooden hut ,isnt it spiffing tarquin. booooorinnngggggggggggggggg.......:taz:

HarryBelafonte

02-09-2008, 10:35 AM

The last few posts are all very interesting and I was going to write something along those lines,re hexapong and spongey,
If something is on tv enough,people will watch it,re home and away ,eastenders,it does nt have to be sport and it does nt have to be good.
Something like bowls is a good example,very simple easy game but it is shown LIVE on terrestrial tv.Always gets good viewing figures.

Anyway my main point was re chicken and egg?
What got me into tt was the 1977 worlds which were shown live every day for 2 weeks on beeb 1 and 2..only time I have ever played the wag from school,(naughty).
At first the viewing figuers were good but at the end of the first week almost 8 million ,yes 8 million were watching.
A few reasons I think;
1. it was shown every day,mainly live and at the same time.
2. We had a couple of decent players (famous) des d and denis neale
3.The chinese were amazing as always, but this was the first time we had seen them,wicked high toss serves,long pimple defenders.
4. some of the europeans actually beat the chinese,wow,Bengtsson,joyner ,klampar.
5.controversy,the umpires pulled up guo in the singles final for foul serves,when he had gone the whole tourney foul free,also the chinese won the team event 5.0 but did not win singles.did they throw this ,re friendship???
6.All my mates at school were watching, re talking about it.
7.it was on every day and you could follow the whole tourney,get into it,
even if youthought it was poor to watch it was there every day,,,,
8. the venue was packed good atmosphere.

So do we get the players without being on tv do we get them by coaching ,promoting,big money..
We have to get back on tv ...but how,the big question..

I think some of the reasons it is nt so good to watch on tv sometimes..
its not live,it is a made up invitation event,no prestige,poor production,

if a major tourney,does not follow through,(Eurosport) covered the 2003 worlds prob the last great tourney and stopped at 1/4 finals ,when schlager beat the top 2 chinese saving several match points..
won the title..all missed by fans who were getting in to it.
The 1997 worlds were on sky, but with so many channels and not to many people having sky then viewing figuers were poor.

Now,if you can watch tt live it is amazing,but get to a major tourney,
If you go to a minor ,bit like going to non league football compared to a premier with a full house, even then all games are not going to be great but the odd one will amaze and excite you..like watching Sunderland...

I went to 1988 euro asia,I was coaching at the time and took around 50 kids who had never seen anything like it,and as sponge says with editing and commentry atmosphere and a european lashing the chinese this was an amazing event.
We need more,we need them on bbc
we need bigger prize money,we need more europeans to challenge the might of asia,
rambling now and forgot what all points :happy::wacko2:were any way,what do you think....

HarryBelafonte

02-09-2008, 10:51 AM

:money::blower::blower:any way lets stop moaning to much, tt is massive in germany france belgium and as for asia........ its huge, only england is it a poor mans relation, but it is on the up junior,senior vetts tourneys full, come on .....
belafonte.......:woho:

FantasyCheeseBasin

02-10-2008, 12:12 AM

:thtease::thtease::thtease::thtease:proof that mr fonte is a total and complete anorak, read above i rest my case ,:thtease::thtease::thtease::thtease:

Guy

02-10-2008, 05:25 AM

Hello All

It seems that we have waved a little from he original question of Is Table Tennis socially acceptable? To How can we get more exposure for Table Tennis. And I’m about to add more to that train of thought.

The first part of this post is going to be off topic. Then I want to put a few thought out to everyone replying to the topic at hand.

Ok, first. To everyone that has and has not corresponded with me about Hexapong, I have an opportunity to expose Hexapong to a world wide chain of Hotels and Resorts. I have explained to the interested party that I am a one man operation and that any orders could not be delivered in a timely matter. Her reply was. That will not be an issue while she sends information to the sister facilities to find interested parties. My question to all of you is. Do any of you know or have contacts with any Table Tennis manufacturer? If so, would you care to pass that info along to me either through a post or contacting me by e-mail.

Now on to topic. It seems to me that tt is a matter of public perception and the fact that there are not enough facilities to accommodate the tt players and the general public. My thoughts are as follows.
1. Obtain a facility location (club if you will) that can be used exclusively for tt and can be opened during day time business hours.
2. The club will have ample amount of tables to minimize the waiting time. There should be “x” amount of tables exclusively for the serious tt members that will pay a monthly fee for the rental space of the club
3. The remaining tables “x-n” will be for the general public to pay a fee for a chip or card that can be placed on a table of the open forum in which they will have to wait their turn to get on the table. The players will be allowed to play best 3 of 5 match and the winner is only allow to stay on the table for 2 matches before returning to the queue. This is for the lower rated players as myself that has waited as long as 45 minutes to get on a table only to warm up, play and lose all within 15 minutes against the serious players that dominate the tables. I have gotten better since I first started at the club, but the waiting time is still an issue when the facility is only open for four hours.
4. For the general public players that are willing to pay an additional fee, they will be allowed to schedule a block of time similarly how clubs rent blocks of time for Tennis, squash, or racquetball.
5. Have a challenge table for the general public (with an additional minimal scheduling fee) to create rivalries among the not so serious tt players and to more or less keep them segregated from the serious tt players.
6. Have information or someone that would be available to answer questions about products and the playing of the sport. With maybe a few items to be carried as products to be sold at the club.
7. Have a small tournament once a month for the players in the general public. This could serve as means for converting ping pong players to tt players.

In my opinion people are curious by nature; something has to spark the interest in order to make them aware of the subject. Then it is up to the individual to either pursue or ignore the subject matter. Case in point Hexapong.

Roger

02-10-2008, 09:16 PM

:dance3:Hi Everyone. Even though Table Tennis is seen as a proper sport in France I wouldn't say it's massive as the media are still shy especially TV. It takes someone like Gatien before it's shown on TV. Saying that the PRO A and B are strong.

We can see top table tennis players playing in the French professional league such as the Olympic champion who just signed for Hemmebont...

Despite the fact that it's not shown on TV much Angers had 2 300 spectators for a European match...

bye

Roger

02-11-2008, 10:37 AM

FantasyCheeseBasin

02-11-2008, 02:10 PM

Yes table tennis is socially acceptable. If some laugh at it just give them a game as they usually think they can play. Until they see a proper game will they be ready to give an honest opinion. Probably not.

Anyone playing this sport because they love it should be proud of it. Let's be proud of table tennis.

spot on roger i totally agree,i never shy away from my chosen sport,its done me so many favours over the past 30 odd years i for one owe table tennis a great deal:thumbsup:

DaveR

02-11-2008, 02:28 PM

Yes table tennis is socially acceptable. If some laugh at it just give them a game as they usually think they can play. Until they see a proper game will they be ready to give an honest opinion. Probably not.

Anyone playing this sport because they love it should be proud of it. Let's be proud of table tennis.

Its refreshing to hear positive and outward comments like the posts above, maybe more should follow and move the sport into limelight, although events are usually left to those who put themselves out with others normally either to busy or maybe like playing only.

IrishCanary

02-12-2008, 11:16 AM

I think our sport is still seen as ping pong by the vast majority who played the game at school and always has and will rely on players like myself to bring people into the sport. Despite moving to the 11 up scoring system and bigger balls to make table tennis more tv friendly, i see very little evidence of this having worked. The only publicity tt gets on east anglia tv is normal generated by me. And due to my beef with the ETTA the item being put together now is pointing out how the ETTA rules stop me playing in unaffiliated leagues so hardly positive news. Soapbox put away now

DaveR

02-12-2008, 11:27 AM

Soap Boxes are not used enough today, hence the reason we have little coverage on our tv boxes. The whole media issue needs a think tank getting their heads together and get the sport well and truly developed, pushed and promoted...............development seems to be going well, the other two are not as predominant.

Pollywog

02-13-2008, 12:04 AM

i agree totally with you, its a disgrace the way you have been treated, after all your years with the league. Norwich loss is yarmouths gain good luck

DaveR

02-13-2008, 12:49 AM

Agreed .................nice one Pollywog

Roger

02-16-2008, 07:50 PM

:thumbsup:Yes many still see table tennis as ping pong but most of them change their mind when they start playing properly in a ... proper club

Roger

DaveR

02-16-2008, 07:59 PM

I think the site and sites like this have a role to play and can promote the sport in its true light .......a very difficult and extremely fast action competitive sport.......so never forget it !

Guy

02-16-2008, 09:19 PM

Do you think that maybe a cross sport competition would or could promote Table Tennis? What I mean by cross sport, is to get top players from Golf and Tennis ( since they seem to be well recognize sports and big money makers ) and others sports such as racquetball, handball and squash, and have all participants play in all the other sports. Maybe call the competition “The Great Ball Battle”:snigger:

It's just a thought.

DaveR

02-17-2008, 12:48 AM

The Ball Battle.............as it were was tried in other sports namely snooker in our clean and green green land !

With certain competitors such as Steve Davis and others competing in green baise tournaments like 8 ball etc, which i believe was a success given the names involved maybe it was always on the cards but it does show how diverse thoughts can promote positive outcome especially in sport. My personal thoughts are that any debate in Table Tennis is good given the sport has little or no outlet for it to be recognized.

The whole concept of building the site was to stimulate and create debate, leading to positive action at some point......... with Table Tennis being the winner, this is i agree a long term task but as we all know if the seeds arnt planted the trees wont grow.

Roger

02-17-2008, 06:00 PM

:slider_hi5:Yes

we need action steady action and it will happen.

we get already a bit more onm eurosport.

there are also a few TV channels that broadcast TT such as Andalucia TV ORF Sport + and a few others

We will get there

This site I agree is a fantastic one.

Lets carry on the good work.

Roger

Annie

02-17-2008, 06:53 PM

This site I agree is a fantastic one.

Lets carry on the good work.

Roger

This is so good to hear. TT Talk is genuinely about making a difference whilst giving players/supporters a real open say on the sport.

Thanks everyone! :thumbsup:

FantasyCheeseBasin

02-24-2008, 01:15 AM

put this in here not sure why.:fcb:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xV_8IFz7LR4

Guy

02-25-2008, 06:03 AM

I found this interesting

oxxqx-evAdc&rel=1

Just think how disappointing and discouraged individuals are when they get on a real table!

Mr Wilko

03-01-2008, 12:16 AM