Playing ping pong or table tennis, although less aggressive than the other sports, can turn out to be an intense competition. Besides promoting the spirit of sportsmanship, many enthusiasts find table tennis a perfect form of exercise with a host of health benefits.
1. Improves Hand and Eye Coordination
The ping pong ball is super lightweight that it bounces easily, sometimes escaping the player’s eyes. Given these dynamics, players are trained to spot the ball and strike it by hand in time – a task that requires proper coordination. Regular play of table tennis will significantly improve your motor skills and reflexes.
2. Increases Mental Alertness
Because of the speed, position, and spin of the ball, players have to quickly develop tactical strategies to hit it accurately in a way that cannot be matched by the opponent. Table tennis, therefore, develops the prefrontal cortex of the brain which eventually sharpens your mental acuity, great for the senior players.
3. Burns Calories
The World Health Organization (WHO) noted that more than 20% of the adult population in Australia in 2005 are obese. In 2017, the number rose to 30% which is alarming enough to encourage engaging in exercises that ultimately burn calories and ping pong is one of them. Specifically, an hour of playing burns about 270 calories in a 150-lb person.
4. Develops Concentration
Quick thinking is different from focused thinking. Both are fortunately developed by playing table tennis. Every movement and second is a deal breaker in table tennis, the reason why players must be perfectly glued to the game and filter out the nuisance.
5. Prevents Memory Gap
Concomitant to the benefit of increased concentration and mental acuity, table tennis also helps prevent the onset of memory-related disorders including Alzheimer’s and dementia.
A study conducted in Japan provided evidence to the increased blood flow to the brain resulting from playing table tennis and thus enhancing cognitive functions. This is partly because an aerobic exercise like ping pong stimulates the hippocampus, which is in-charge of the short-term and long-term memory recall.
6. Builds Muscles and Improves Motor Skills
While the strikes in table tennis are not as intense compared to lawn tennis, still the sport requires swift arm movements and proper leg positions. Collectively, this builds muscles both in the upper and lower body areas.
7. Maintains Good Balance
Balance is important in our everyday activities, even in simple walking. Luckily, balance eventually improves when you play table tennis. This is because in a typical rally, one has to swiftly change directions and positions without tripping off.
8. Corrects Poor Posture
Effective execution of the stance demands proper body posture. This and good balance are physical benefits that lure in a number of aged people to play ping pong, especially that the sport is also easy on the joints.
9. Promotes Social Interaction
The sport is usually played by 2 to 4 players. The fewer the number of players involved, the more heightened the social interaction becomes.
10. Alleviates Stress
Besides offering fun, table tennis allows the release of happy hormones like endorphin and serotonin into the system. As an aerobic exercise, table tennis also enhances your breathing and flow of oxygen and blood throughout the system.
Table tennis combines cognitive and physical benefits. So it makes a preferred exercise for those who want a holistic approach to health. Plus, it’s also fun and interactive, thus helping you foster social relationships.
