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Introduction - The purpose of the following pages is to teach you—by words and photographs —how to play championship table tennis.

Of course, not everyone can be a champion, nor does everyone wish to be. However, increased proficiency at a sport almost always means added enjoyment for the participants, and it is quite simple to learn the few rules and basic scientific principles involved in table tennis which will make you a skilled player.

01. History - Since its beginnings in the late nineteenth century, table tennis has acquired a huge number of enthusiastic followers, and the game itself has changed from a parlor game to a real sport.

The origins of table tennis, as of most other racket games, are obscure. Some claim that it originated in England; others say it was developed- by English army officers stationed in India; and still others assert that it was first played in New England.

02. Equipment - Table tennis equipment in general is so inexpensive as compared with that required in other sports that you should not hesitate to purchase the best. An excellent racket costs about five dollars; a ball, twenty-five cents; and a table, fifty to sixty dollars. A reputable store will sell you good equipment, if you insist upon it. If you wish to be really certain, look for the official seal of the United States Table Tennis Association, which is stamped upon their equipment by those manufacturers whose products meet the minimum specifications laid down by this body.

03. The Grip - The grip is an all-important fundamental in every racket game. In table tennis it has provoked much controversy, and many grips have been advo­cated in the past: the "shovel" grip, the "penholder" grip, the "palm" grip. We recommend the tennis grip because that is the one used by all ranking table-tennis players.

04. The Strokes - The first stroke you must learn for defense is the block shot, which is executed by holding your racket at a right angle to the table and meeting the ball just after it has landed on your side of the net. This shot is quite easy to master once you have learned to grip the racket properly and time the ball well enough so that you hit it more or less in the center of the racket face. If it were not possible for the opponent to put a great deal of spin on a light ball, we probably would use this shot exclusively.

05. Block Shot - Although expert players use a great deal of spin on almost every shot, and perform drives and chops with ease, you will want to learn the block shot first because it is the easiest and simplest way of returning the ball. The block shot is also valuable for you as a beginner because it teaches you to keep your eye on the ball, helps to develop accuracy and the "feel" of making a good return, and illustrates the important fact that you can keep the ball in play simply by holding your racket upright and "bunting" the ball across the net, thus reducing your errors and loss of points to a minimum.

06. The Chop - Many players ask why, inasmuch as a block shot is both simple and accurate, it is necessary to learn any other shot. The answer is that, when a fast ball is hit to you, its speed often forces you back from the end of the table. It would be impossible to return these fast drives without retarding their speed. And the only way to retard their speed is to retreat behind the table and to make use of the scientific fact that the friction caused by a light celluloid ball passing a distance through the air makes it slow down tremendously.

07. The Drive - You will never become an expert player simply by waiting for your opponent to make errors. Frequently during a match he will return a ball which bounds high enough for you to make the point outright with a simple offensive shot. If you pass up these opportunities to attack, you are greatly increasing your own chances of making errors.

08. Other Strokes - Besides the fundamental chops and drives, from both forehand and backhand, we should learn certain other strokes for special occasions. These strokes are the drop shot, the smash, and the flick.

You will have difficulty in driving the ball through a good defensive player. The harder you hit, the farther back of the table he will retreat. The answer to these tactics is the drop shot, a short shot played close to the net so that your opponent cannot reach it on the first bounce.

09. The Serve - Service is the means of putting the ball into play. In modern table tennis so many restrictions have been placed on the service that there is very little, if any, advantage in serving to your opponent rather than in receiving. Conse­quently, we felt'that service could be omitted from discussion until after the other strokes were described.

10. Resume: Spin - Previously we have tried to impress upon you the fact that every table-tennis ball your opponent hits to you has some sort of spin on it. This spin prevents the ball from rebounding normally and from following a straight arc. In stroking, you have learned how to employ under spin and over spin in order to slow up your opponent's attack or increase the accuracy of your own drives. Now, in resume, a few words on how to return spins.

11. Tactics - When you have learned your preliminary strokes well and have had the opportunity for a great deal of practice, you will find that your table-tennis game is quite good. By this time you should have a fair comprehension of the theory behind your strokes and should be able to analyze your varied strong and weak points.

12. Laws - (Adopted by the ITTF and USTTA for inter­national competition, together with 4 Close Laws adopted by the USTTA for events sanc­tioned by it and its affiliates.)

1. the table. The table shall be in surface rectangular, 9 ft. in length, 5 ft. in width; it shall be supported in such a way that its upper surface shall be 2 ft. 6 ins. above the floor, and shall lie in a horizontal plane.

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