Get To The Perfect Playlist For Table Tennis Performance

In this article, let’s look at how to choose the perfect soundtrack for your training or matches.

No the Beatles don't have to be on the list...unless you want them to be.

Photo source: Contributed by Steve Grant to celebritiesplayingtabletennis.com

Choose rhythm that matches your activity
Ethiopian distance runner Haile Gebrselassie was famous for setting world records running in time to the rhythmical pop song “Scatman.” He selected this song because the tempo perfectly matched his target stride rate.

As I mentioned in the last article, luckily for us, table tennis is one of the most rhythmic sports in existence! Let’s take a look at how we can find the songs that help us find our perfect rhythm:
I estimate that I forehand counterhit close to the table at about 72 strokes per minute, forehand loop to block at about 52 strokes per minute and forehand counterloop back from the table at about 40 strokes per minute. Of course each of these will slow slightly if I’m doing footwork while performing the stroke.

But it’s rare to find music this slow, and I wouldn’t want to risk slowing my heartrate either, so I’d opt for music at about 144, 104 beats per minute (BPM) respectively for counterhitting and loop-to-block drills and aim for one stroke per two beats, and 160BPM for counterlooping and aim for one stroke per four beats. Of course, if your focus is to increase the tempo at which you do these drills (which sometimes it should), then you should select slightly faster BPM than your current rate for performing each drill.

Irregular rhythm drills such as third ball attack can be more difficult to determine a stroke rate for. I studied a video of Wang Liqin practicing 3^rd ball attack and each instance of the drill created 7 ‘sounds’ (ball hitting racket or ball hitting table) in about 1.9 seconds. This equates to an average of 224 ‘beats’ per minute. Music is rarely this fast, so I’d be inclined to try music at half that, 112 BPM, for my 3^rd ball drills and roughly the same for my service receive drills.

If I can’t have that much control over the BPM of my playlist, I’d probably aim for songs at 120BPM as a good average across all my drills and also for matches, where I’ll be performing a variety of skills at once.

Not sure what the BPM of a song is? Just google the title of it and “BPM” or otherwise google, for example, “120 BPM songs” and look through some lists to find some you like. It's not a hard and fast rule, though. Some songs have the right BPM but the song itself has a slower energy, and vice versa. So, if you listen to a song that lists a BPM of 120, but it doesn't get you pumped to play or train, cut it from your playlist.

I'll finish by listing a few songs around 120BPM on my playlist to get you started:
- 'It's My Life' by Bon Jovi
- 'Get Lucky' by Daft Punk
- 'Alive' by Empire Of The Sun
- 'We Take Care Of Our Own' by Bruce Springsteen
- 'I Gotta Feeling' by Black Eyed Peas
- '4 Minutes (ft. Justin Timberlake)' by Madonna
- 'Gangnam Style' by PSY
- Get rocking, and stay tuned for Part 2!

Table Tennis Nets Are Key To The Game

As the sport of ping pong has grown, so has the quality of the equipment including table tennis nets. Setting it up properly is very important to those who are serious about the game. The rules of the game dictate that the net must be six inches high and six feet long, which is the standard width. The color must be black, dark green or dark blue with a white tape at the top that is no wider than 15 mm. Contrast colors can make a difference on how you see the ball and how you play the game so you need to choose the best that matches and contrast correctly between your table tennis tables and the table tennis nets.

The bottom of the net should sit as closely to the table top and as close to the end posts as possible. It should be taut between the two posts and not sag. The tension at the top should be tighter than the rest, as if a ball hits the top it should return to that player’s side, not slip over it to the opposition.

Knowing More About Table Tennis Nets and Sets

While some ping pong sets come with the posts permanently fixed to the table, most come with clamp-on style posts. Most posts will fit most tables, but table tennis nets are designed to fit specific posts. You should be aware of this when ordering or replacing an existing one and know what type of posts you have to fit. Thus, when buying table for table tennis, you need to make sure that your accessories including your ping pong net and other sets should be the correct one for the whole set of ping pong equipment.

Some manufacturers use different materials for making nets and different materials are better in varied situations. Cotton, polyethylene and nylon are the most common and generally hold up well for outdoor use as well as indoor. Many come with a tension adjustment cord for positioning.

To make equipment last it is important to take proper care of it and keep it covered whenever possible. Folding up and setting up a ping pong game is pretty easy. But when the nets become old and worn out, they don’t play well and certainly do not look pleasant. Replacements are not expensive and if ping pong is a game played often in your household or activity center you will want to keep your equipment fresh including new balls and table tennis nets.