24. Table Tennis
Did you know that table tennis comes in second to soccer as the most popular sport in the world?
After taking just one lesson, I understand why. It’s so much fun! In an hour, I was getting the hang of the basics, and could see my way to improvement with practice.
Coach Vincent Liung of the Boston Table Tennis Center in Medford, MA, taught me how to hold the paddle and showed me which side gives you more control and which one creates greater speed. He demonstrated the proper way to use my body, like a golfer, rather than just my wrist or arm.
Then he started lobbing balls at me, one at a time, and of course I hit the net or used too much force and landed the ball off of the table. But pretty soon I got into a groove, and was able to put the balls where I wanted them - some of the time, anyway.
When Coach Liung upped the ante by volleying with me and setting a goal of keeping the ball in play for five hits, I had a hard time getting the first hit right. When I could slow down on that first hit, as he suggested, we volleyed back and forth for five hits and more. It became almost meditative.
Then he taught me the correct technique for hitting backhand. Again, once I got that first hit right, I did okay.
My biggest challenge was putting everything together. He showed me how to move my feet - in a counterintuitive way - and I had to think about it every time I moved. Combining that with switching from forehand to backhand proved too much for me in this first lesson, though I was eventually able to switch between the two while keeping my feet stationary.
Half the fun of this adventure was working with Coach Liung. He explained things in a way that made it really easy to understand and put into action, and his humor and encouragement of my efforts made my first go at table tennis a pleasure. A former Paralympics champ, he clearly loves the sport.
If you’re interested, the Boston Table Tennis Center offers summer training camps and the Boston TTC League. The place was hopping on a Thursday night at 8:00, mostly with men of all ages, so all you women out there looking for a new, fun activity, go to it!
Once my adventure quest is over, I might jump into table tennis more deeply. Who would have thought?
Boston Table Tennis Center, Medford, MA: One hour lesson with Vincent Liung: $60
