1.
Being a part of a social community that is not defined by age, gender or class improves your mental health and wellbeing.
Improve the health and fitness of your community with outdoor table tennis
Discover the social, physical and mental health benefits of playing table tennis outdoors. From improving cardiovascular health to boosting brain function, outdoor table tennis offers the ultimate in social, active and physical play for all ages.
Table tennis is both a brain game and incredibly physical. Featuring a fast-paced mix of aerobics, strategy and hand-eye coordination, it combines both physical and mental exercise to achieve the ultimate in health and fitness. The universal game (almost everybody has played before!) can be played by anybody from 8 year olds rallying for the first time - to octogenarians competing at pennants. It is also played by many elite athletes at the top of their game to sharpen their reflexes - check out this video of Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald showing off his skills, and this video of NBA players Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul in a rally.
To dive a little deeper, here are the health benefits the game of ping pong delivers in leaps and bounds:
2.
For young people, at the critical growth stage in their motor learning and development, ping pong helps to develop neuromuscular skill, conditioned reflexes and prolonged concentration.
For young people, at the critical growth stage in their motor learning and development, ping pong helps to develop neuromuscular skill, conditioned reflexes and prolonged concentration.
3.
Anticipating your opponent's shot engages the prefrontal cortex - a part of the brain used for strategic planning and decision making.
Anticipating your opponent's shot engages the prefrontal cortex - a part of the brain used for strategic planning and decision making.
4.
Increased evidence supports a link between playing ping pong and the prevention or reduction of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Increased evidence supports a link between playing ping pong and the prevention or reduction of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
5.
The aerobic exercise of ping pong stimulates the hippocampus - the part of your brain responsible for forming and retaining long-term facts and information.
The aerobic exercise of ping pong stimulates the hippocampus - the part of your brain responsible for forming and retaining long-term facts and information.
6.
Increasing the flow of blood to your brain increases your motor skills and cognitive awareness.
Increasing the flow of blood to your brain increases your motor skills and cognitive awareness.
7.
Playing ping pong develops mental acuity, alertness, concentration and tactical strategy.
Playing ping pong develops mental acuity, alertness, concentration and tactical strategy.
8.
Rallies and practice improves your hand-eye coordination, balance and reflexes.
Rallies and practice improves your hand-eye coordination, balance and reflexes.
9.
The low-impact but physical nature of ping pong improves leg, arm and core strength without the high risk of injuries.
The low-impact but physical nature of ping pong improves leg, arm and core strength without the high risk of injuries.
10.
The bursts of exertion and recovery in ping pong burns plenty of calories.
The bursts of exertion and recovery in ping pong burns plenty of calories.
1 Trust for Public Land, "Measuring the Economic Value of a City Park System," April 2009 2 National Institute of Justice, “Disorder in Urban Neighborhoods - Does It Lead To Crime?”, February 2001. 3 Trust For Public Land, “Economic Benefit Reports”. 4 Medibank Private, "The Cost of Physical Activity. What is the Lack of Participation in Physical Activity Costing Australia?", August 2007. 5 UN Habitat, "For a Better Urban Future"
"There is a lot going on in table tennis - attention is increasing, memory is increasing, you have a better mood. And you're building motor circuits in your brain."
Dr Wendy Suzuki, Professor of Neural Science and Psychology, New York University
If you want to read more about the health and fitness aspects of of table tennis, the POPP team wrote about ‘Sports Participation Over A Lifetime’ for our eNewsletter (read the article here). To stay up to date, you can subscribe to the monthly POPP eNewsletter here - and you can read past articles in the Journal here.