Ping Pong Tips Which Will Help You To Perfect Your Game

Table tennis or ping pong is one of the most exciting games to play. Easy and fun filled, this game is played between two or four people. Besides the few basic ping pong rules and regulations, the person needs to fine-tune his table tennis skills so as to master this game. So given below are a few ping pong tips which will help you to perfect your game.

Easy Ping Pong Tips

Service
One of the best ping pong tips would be to capitalize on the serve. The serve gives a person an added advantage because the serve helps a person to place the ball such that he can easily bag a point. You can try and spin the ball in the serve. This way, if the person does not manage to pick up the serve properly, then he will invariably end up hitting the ball on his side of the table. The best spin in such cases would be the top spin because it is easy to do. In this kind of a serve, throw up the ball and lift up your paddle. Then, when the ball is close to the paddle, quickly swing your arm forward at the ball so that the paddle loops over the ball. This also makes the spin go faster. Furthermore, try and place the ball as close to the edge of the opponents side of the table as possible. The serve will then be more difficult to pick up. Read more on ping pong table dimensions.

Spin the Ball
Rather than playing amateur table tennis, try to smash and spin the ball. These are advanced ping pong tips and tricks that are bound to leave your opponent zapped. Spin is when you brush the ball rather than hitting it directly, so that it spins in a certain direction, which is dictated by the position of your paddle. Top spin is when the ball rotates forward so that the top is moving in the same direction as that of the ball. This kind of spin allows the players to hit the ball hard from below, ensuring that it lands on the other side of the table. This is a great shot that can be used to gain a point. You can also do a side spin or a back spin. All of these shots are dictated by the placement and direction in which the paddle moves. These shots are difficult to return unless played likewise.

Smash the Ball
A smash is a shot wherein the ball is hit so hard that the opponent hardly has any time to pick it up or react to it for that matter. Also known as kill, a slam or smash is a hit with very little or no top spin. To hit this shot, you should use the 'low-high' approach. Here, you want to start by hitting the shot low, but make sure it finishes high. Also, try and place it in such a manner that it becomes very difficult for your opponent to reach for it in time. In a smash, you want to generate more pace than spin. So normally, the ideal time for such a shot would be when your opponent hits a shot that comes slowly to you and at a height. This makes it easier to hit the ball low and with force on to the other side. Read more on table tennis history and facts.

Practice and Enjoy Your Game
One of the most important ping pong tips, of course, is to ensure that more than winning or losing, it is enjoying the game that should be your top priority. Many people may not be able to spin the ball very well or may not be able to smash with the desired force but that's okay. What is more important is to practice religiously and enjoy the game while doing so. Mistakes are bound to happen while practicing and the key here is to learn from these mistakes and try to improvise on your game simultaneously.

These were a few simple ping pong tips that will surely help improve your game considerably. A simple, yet fun filled game, the key to mastering this game is practice, practice and more practice!

Previews of Spring Sports in 2012

The basketball season is finally wrapping up and we quickly moving full swing into the Spring Sports. People love sports, as spring is on his way, so let's give a preview on 2012 spring sports.

The idea that anything is possible for a season really does have some validity, considering the amazing spring teams we have seen in Stanly County the past few years.  The strength of the softball and baseball programs at South Stanly and West Stanly comes to mind immediately.

The Bulls' baseball team came within one run of their second 1A state title in three years in 2011 with a team that had no seniors on it. Expectations are running high in Norwood for that squad, but they will have to do it without left-handed pitcher Landon Fraley, whose knee injury will likely keep him out for the entire season. Despite that loss, I know that South fans are looking for the Bulls to make another long run into the playoffs.

South's softball fans have no less reason to expect great things out of their ball club, despite their not having All-State catcher Erin Thompson for this season with a knee injury of her own.  The Bulls came up one win short of reaching the state finals tournament.

On the West side, the Colts' teams have been dominant over the years in the Rocky River Conference and look to continue those traditions into this season as well. The softball team graduated seven seniors but returns a strong pitching staff, while the baseball team also graduated a number of seniors and looks to a younger squad to continue their winning ways.

With girls' soccer, boys' tennis, track, golf and more, I will be moving so fast, people might think I'm a ghost at games, like I read today about Bobby Valentine's first day on the job as the skipper of the Red Sox.  But it will be fun!

When Children Should Start Sports

Life is in movement, we can not live without sports, sports can give us better bodies and make us more healthier. We must do sports when we are the children, it's not easy to determine how early to start children in organized sports. Children of the same age vary considerably in their physical and psychological maturation, and there is no practical method of measuring maturity. Assuming the child has shown interest, five or six is the generally accepted earliest starting age for organized team sports. At the early ages participation should be limited to sports that involve a lot of physical activity and encourage the development of major motor muscles.

Children in grades 1 - 4 can benefit most from games that are modified to meet their needs and abilities. Play and fun are more important to this age group than highly structured sports that emphasize the outcome rather than the process. Parents and coaches are usually the ones concerned about winning and losing. When helping your child select a sport, keep balance in mind. Encourage your children to try many sports and activities when young and not to think of specializing or playing competitively until they reach middle school. Make sure a balance also occurs between adult organized activities and free playtime. Children need time to just be kids and to play with other kids without a set of rules or adult involvement.

There are many kinds of sports for kids, such as football, there are also other options besides team sports available to a child who wants to participate in sports. Parents should also encourage their children to become involved in individual and lifetime sports such as bowling, golf, swimming, tennis, gymnastics and martial arts. You can find information about these sports by visiting the facilities or through the yellow pages of the phone book.

The most important decisions to make, are which youth sports organizations and which coaches are best for your child. Make sure that you take the time to find out about the league, its leaders and coaches. Better yet, get involved and volunteer to coach. Participating in sports is a healthy way, both physically and socially, for your children to channel their youthful energy in a positive direction. Make sure your children's first experience encourages them to begin a lifelong interest in physical activities and good health.