The Mysteries of Table Tennis The ball comes towards me fast, faster than expected, and I swing the racket, hoping to successfully connect and return the ball. The ball hits the rubber and comes back over the net. Right after the bounce, my opponent slices the ball, causing it to slowly float towards my side. This ball seems vulnerable and easy to hit, so I put all my energy into one drive and the ball barely goes around the net. There is a lift and the ball curves downward. I mentally scream with joy, but it doesn't last long. With all my energy invested in this training, I find myself off balance and my opponent is able to return the ball. This time I'm not so lucky. The ball flies past me like an orange shooting star. The point is his. “Do you love table tennis as much as I do?” I hope so, because it's certainly one of the fastest, most exciting and most diverse sports around. This quote from world-class player Timo Boll perfectly describes what table tennis is all about. Some may think that it is just a basement game of pushing a small, lightweight ball over the net, but there is much more to it than that. For starters, it's the sixth most popular sport in the world. As with any good sport, the game has a few major elements. For example, in basketball there is dribbling, passing and shooting. For baseball, catching, throwing and hitting. In table tennis, also known as ping pong, the elements that dictate its gameplay are spin, speed, placement and serve. Spin is an important factor in table tennis. Because there are so many benefits to using spin, all the best modern players use it. In table tennis, spin is what the player puts on the ball, and it is created with a brushing motion. Topspin is where the player makes...... middle of paper......in every rally. It's amazing how many factors come into play in a simple game of ping pong. There are many variables that are hard to see, but once a person sees them, they realize how amazing table tennis is. Works cited by Geske, Klaus and Jens Mueller. Table tennis tactics. Maidenhead: Meyer and Meyer Sport, 2010. Print. Hodges, Larry. Table tennis tactics for thinkers. 2013. Print. Hodges, Larry. Table tennis: the steps to success. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1993. Print. Larcombe, Ben. “The four basic shots of table tennis.” Expert table tennis. Np, 6 11 2012. Web. January 29, 2014. Letts, Greg. “Spin in table tennis/ping pong.” About.com Table tennis / Ping-Pong. Np, and Web. March 4, 2014.McAfee, Richard. Table tennis steps to success. Champaign: Human Kinetics, 2009. Print.