Fitness Components of Table Tennis
Table Tennis Training and Drills
Last updated 9 years ago
Kevin Long Asked 11 years ago
Hi Alois,
If you had to pick the 5 most important fitness components for table tennis, what would they be and why? What would be the best way to train these components?
Alois Rosario Answered 11 years ago
Hi Kevin,
Table Tennis requires all 5 major components of fitness at the highest level. You speed, strength, power, endurance and agility. Speed is understandable because of the speed of the ball and the rallies.
Strength is required so that you can maintain leg positions required during a rally and the ability to get to a ball that is out of reach and moving at 160 km/h. Power will enable you to jump into position. Endurance will enable you to keep going through a long tournament. Some will last a week or more where you are playing 6 to 9 matches in a day at time.
Agility will enable you to reduce injury and stretch to reach balls.
These are just some examples of how Table Tennis requires all areas of fitness and one of the reasons that it is such a popular game.
To cover all of this you need to first embark on a general fitness program. Later you can start to tailor it more specifically for Table Tennis. Take a loo at these previous blogs on Weight Training Specifically for Table Tennis and Strength Conditioning for Table Tennis.
Thoughts on this question
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Barry Atkinson Posted 9 years ago
Hi Alois
Just been reading your article on components of fitness as I am embarking on my UKCC Level 2 Table Tennis qualification (I already have the ETTA equivalent). I would like to add another element to the five meNtioned and that is FLEXIBILITY. All muscles and joints need to be flexible, wrist, neck, arms, legs feet ankles, etc, this isn't covered in many articles that I have read other than one in the following article:http://www.ittf.com/ittf_science/sscenter/int_journal6/.
Regards
Barry Atkinson