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Table tennis can be a great way to build endurance, train one's wits, and even lose weight. Often referred to by ping pong, its trade name, table tennis entails skill and strength, and learning it can be difficult. The constant footwork can make one's body more adapted to stress. The high speeds of the ball can sharpen one's eyes, and make one anticipate and adapt to an opponent's strategies. The activity associated with table tennis, moreover, can make anyone sweat and slim down.

Table tennis is played by either two opposing players, or two opposing pairs. These opponents are positioned on opposite sides of a low table, with a low net separating them from each other. Players hit a hollow ball from end of the table to the other, with the use of rubber matted rackets, keeping the ball in the air. Strategies come when the ball is spun, creating an unusual trajectory that can be difficult to follow and counteract. If a ball is not hit while it is within one team's qualifications and capacity to hit, the opposing team may be awarded a point.

The two main skills a table tennis player has to learn are speed and spin. There are two aspects to speed in table tennis: a player has to be able to think quickly and anticipate the opponent's moves, which can be difficult in a high speed game like ping pong. Skilled table tennis players, moreover, can hit balls at extremely high speeds, so that opponents have very little time to make their counterattack.

Spin, on the other hand, is the ability of a player to use the appropriate rubber side of his or her racket to hit the ball, and send it on an often bewildering, distracting trajectory to the other side of the table. The rubber mats that compose the two sides of a table tennis racket have their own uses: depending on their texture and composition, they can change a ball's direction, spin it, or send it bouncing onto the table. The ability to know which side to use, what spin to use, and how to keep the ball in the air all come together to make the best table tennis players.

Thanks to recent technology, table tennis enthusiasts can train using table tennis DVDs. Through a combination of lectures on the physics of table tennis, along with hands-on prompts, DVDs can assist trainers in their classes, or can allow you to learn how to play table tennis at home.

If you are interested in learning table tennis through a DVD, then take note of these aspects of table tennis that a DVD may teach you.

' The table tennis DVD can teach you to customize your paddle. Also known as a bat, the tennis table paddle or racket can be customized to fit your needs and skills.

' The table tennis DVD can also teach you how to hold your paddle comfortably. For instance, if you wish to have a greater grip, but less control on shifting from one side of your racket to the other, then you may want to hold your racket in the pen hold grip. On the other hand, if you wish to have more shifting control, but a weaker grip on the racket, you can try the hand shake grip. Last, if you want to combine the advantages of both grips, you can try the experimental V-grip.

While these lectures and demonstrations are being shown on the DVD, you may want to hold the racket in your hand and try what position you are most comfortable with.

' A table tennis DVD will also demonstrate the different strokes associated with table tennis, and how these strokes change the speed, spin, and direction of the ball. You may want to place your TV and DVD player near the ping pong table if you want to experiment on these strokes. Be careful, however, of sending the ball hurtling toward the TV!

These are only a few of the aspects tackled by a typical table tennis DVD. You may also be taught footwork, proper posture, and defensive play. If you carry out your training meticulously, and if you watch the DVD regularly, then you may be able to play table tennis and enjoy the sport better.