If you are a regular spectator of professional table tennis matches, you might notice that the players often touch the table periodically. So, why do these professional players keep patting the ping-pong table, and are they allowed to do so?
First of all, it’s crucial to note that ping-pong rules prohibit players from rubbing the table with their free hand or paddle during a rally. A rally refers to the back and forth ball play between players.
However, once a player wins or loses a point, they can touch the table before the next rally begins. Table tennis players can pat the table to catch their breath and wipe off sweat. It can also be due to gamesmanship tactics and superstitious game rituals.
If you pay close attention to table tennis matches, you’ll probably notice players patting the table using their fingertips or the entire palm. Several theories can explain this player behavior, depending on which part of the hand touches the table.
If you see players making contact with the table tennis table using only their fingertips, it means they are approximating the distance from the table when serving the ball or receiving it. Although this tactic may appear trivial, it assists the players in developing better muscle memory so that they can carry out the service or receive the ball well.
By placing their free hand’s fingertips on the table, the player can determine the appropriate arm position required to serve or return the serve. Most Ping-Pong players typically use an arm’s length, but this position can vary from one individual to another.
When it comes to touching the table with the entire palm, there are four significant reasons why table tennis players do so, and they include:
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Ping Pong players touch the table to catch their breath
Table tennis is a fast-paced sport. Once the rally begins, the competitors need to keep their adrenaline at a high level and keep up with each other. If a rally continues for an extended period, the players may quickly become out of breath.
When players go for several back-to-back rallies, they can quickly tire, resulting in trivial mistakes that could cost them a point or the entire round.
Additionally, players can lose track of their breathing practices when the game moves too fast. This occurrence results in a drop in performance and stamina.
By taking a moment to wipe off sweat near the table tennis net, the sportspeople can have a few seconds to recover their breath. Also, they can take that time to readjust and restart their breathing techniques to ensure they have optimal muscle activation and contraction when the next rally begins.
Table Tennis players touch the table to Wipe off sweat
It is normal to get sweaty when playing Ping-Pong, and it can occur even to the best sportspeople. Unlike in field tennis, Ping-Pong players do not have access to towels when they score or lose a point. When playing pin pong, you can only get a towel to wipe off sweat after every six points.
When players have sweaty palms, it can affect their grip on the paddle and continuously lessen their grasp as they continue playing. So what do the players do to ensure their paddles don’t slip from their hands before they can get the towel? These sportspersons use the table to wife off excess sweat from their palms.
Also, sweating too much can cause anxiety in self-conscious players. Some sportsmen can develop social anxiety when they sweat too much when playing, and they try to limit it by patting the table to eliminate excess sweat from their palms.
However, as they do so, they take great care not to wipe off sweat on an area where the ball typically bounces as it can affect its trajectory. A sweaty ball can affect a Ping-Pong match, and some individuals complain that it gives some players an “edge” over others. For this reason, professional table tennis players tend to wipe off sweat near the table’s net to prevent it from affecting the ball and the game.
Touching the table could be gamesmanship tactics
Gamesmanship tactics refer to technically legal methods that players use to ensure they have a competitive advantage. Gamesmanship pushes the game rules to the limit without breaking them to ensure that you achieve the desired outcome.
When it comes to Ping-Pong, players can use various gamesmanship techniques to gain an edge. For instance, the sportspeople can touch the table and wipe off sweat to adjust the game’s pace to their liking.
If an opponent is scoring successive points and dominating the rallies, the other player may switch up to tactics that slow down the game’s pace. This tactic ensures the player can find an opportunity to break the opponent’s rhythm and attempt a comeback to win the round.
In some instances, approaching the net’s vicinity, wiping off sweat, and returning to the designated play area can distract an inexperienced opponent and can turn the tide. Also, this gamesmanship tactic can frustrate or aggravate an opponent and throw them off their game, allowing the other player to capitalize on the opportunity.
Some players touch the Ping-Pong table due to ritual and game superstitions
Various sportspersons have different rituals that they believe help them to win competitions. Some sports even have specific superstitions and traditions that players follow in the belief that they will gain an edge over their opponents.
This notion also applies among table tennis players. Some individuals carry around good luck charms as they play, whereas others celebrate their wins in a particular fashion.
Nonetheless, some Ping-Pong players tend to consider touching the table as a ritual that helps them score points continuously. This ritual of wiping hands on the table can become a routine mental practice, and it is so prevalent that some table tennis players do it subconsciously after every point. Since such players are hardwired to touch the table, they typically feel weird or jinxed when they fail to conduct this ritual when playing.
Table tennis is a sport with numerous regulations, strategies, and, yes, superstitions. If you pay close attention to Ping-pong matches, you’ll likely notice that some players tend to touch the table after receiving or losing a point. Numerous factors can cause this player behavior, and each individual has their reasons why they place their hands on the ping-pong table.
