5 Best Health Benefits of Owning a Ping Pong Table

1. Burns a Ton of Calories

Many people falsely believe that ping pong isn’t very effective at burning calories. This is why it might surprise you to hear that most people burn 275-400 calories per hour while playing it. That’s around the same amount as you burn while briskly walking.

However, you can burn much more than this if you play at an advanced level. Irrespective of your skill, ping pong is a ton of fun. And wouldn’t you rather burn 275-400 calories enjoying yourself rather than simply walking?

And what’s great about the sport is that anyone can play. It is well-known that ping pong has far fewer injuries than most sports. This is because it is non-contact and is much less impactful on the joints than compared to many sports. As such, it is exceedingly popular with pensioners!

2. Gives Your Brain a Workout

Hailed the “world’s best brain sport” by brain imaging expert Daniel G. Amen, ping pong puts your brain through a tough workout. This is because there is a lot to consider in table tennis. You need to account for speed, spin, and angles all in a fraction of a second. By many metrics, ping pong is the fastest sport in the world, so your poor old brain is working overtime!

You also have to think rather tactically and problem-solve on the fly. Each opponent poses a unique style that you have to overcome. You do this by identifying their weaknesses and formulating a strategy to exploit them. To some degree, it doesn’t matter who is better, but rather, who can implement the more effective game plan.

3. Improves Hand-Eye Coordination

Ping pong is a great sport to develop your hand-eye coordination. It requires a certain level of finesse that you will struggle to find in other sports. This is mostly due to how dominant spin is in table tennis. 

Not only do you have to position your bat to prevent the ball from flying past you, but you also have to account for the incoming spin. This requires you to make small adjustments to the angle of your bat which is very difficult to get the hang of. 

The great thing about developing your hand-eye coordination in table tennis is how transferable the skill is. When switching to other racket sports you will immediately see how table tennis has benefited you, and indeed you will notice the benefit in other areas of your life too. 

4. Relieves Stress 

There is nothing quite like hitting a powerful winner and seeing the ball whizz past your opponent! Ping pong is an action-packed sport that helps you push aside the stresses of work and responsibility and allows you to just relax.

Having time to unwind and do the things you enjoy is pivotal to mental well-being. And ping pong does a great job of uplifting and resetting you in preparation for the next workday.

5. Enhances Social Health

Socializing with others is a key component of your health — even if you consider yourself somewhat introverted. Ping pong provides a simple way of socializing naturally. As you are only a short distance away from your playing partner, it is very common to strike up a conversation with them. But then again, there is no requirement to do so. The power is in your hands!

You also have the opportunity to speak to a variety of people at clubs as a much wider age group plays ping pong than most other sports. This enables you to mingle with people who you wouldn’t usually speak with. 

So Which Ping Pong Table Should You Buy?

Your options for purchasing a table are broad and vary greatly depending on how much you want to spend. You are best off reading a ping pong table guide written by experts — they can help push you in the right direction. 

Fundamentally, you want to make sure you purchase a model that meets your needs as a player, but not go overkill and buy a table that is more suited for a world champion. If you are a beginner, you don’t need a particularly high-quality table, so you can save quite a bit of money. 

However, you may want to consider aspects such as storage and safety which some models specialize in. Compact folding, patented safety locking mechanisms, and oversized wheels are all features that may meet your specific needs.