Table Tennis Players Have Some Unique Habits, From Touching the Table to Stomping — Why Do They Do That?
Lots of sports have their quirks.
Published Aug. 2 2024, 4:05 p.m. ET
China's Yingsha Sun (left) touches the table during the table tennis mixed doubles final against North Korea at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Different sports tend to come along with their own unique and sometimes quirky traditions. For instance, some swimmers will slap themselves before a race. And you'll often see divers jumping into a hot tub after a dive. Whether or not viewers might understand, the athletes will tell you that these rituals work for them, for various reasons.
So if you're wondering why table tennis players wipe their hands on the table, or why they stomp, get ready to get served with some knowledge (sorry, awful pun)...
Yubin Shin of Team Republic of Korea competes during the Women's Singles Quarterfinal match between Yubin Shin of Team Republic of Korea and Miu Hirano of Team Japan on day six of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at South Paris Arena on Aug. 1, 2024 in Paris.
Why do table tennis players touch the table?
First of all, imagine how sweaty these table tennis players get. (Shoot, I get sweaty just trying to make it through one successful rally using the ping-pong table in my parents' basement.) These professional athletes are in constant motion, and they're only permitted to use a towel every sixth point.
As a result, they've made a habit of using the table to wipe their sweaty palms. They typically wipe their hands near the net, so as not to affect the rest of the table where the ball is more likely to hit.
And speaking of habit, that's a whole other part of it too. Basically the act of touching the table became a habit that stuck. Habits and rituals can help any kind of athlete in any sport stay focused.
Won Jin Kim of Team South Korea and Hugo Calderano of Team Brazil compete during the Men's Singles Quarterfinal match on day six of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at South Paris Arena on Aug. 1, 2024 in Paris, France.
As one fan on Reddit explained of this specific table tennis ritual, "Wiping your hands becomes a mental focal point. Sort of grounds you back into the game if your head isn't where it should be."
Why do table tennis players stomp?
According to Ping Sunday, there are a couple reasons behind this one. For one thing, it can help a player quickly get into position, if they do it a specific way (i.e., stomping with the left foot while simultaneously rotating their body). For another thing, stomping can apparently help mask the sound of your serve.
But if you ask some people, they might say the stomping could potentially come at the risk of injury. On the forum over at MyTableTennis.net, one person wrote that "stomping puts additional pressure on the joints, especially the ankle and knee. These areas are already under great stress from playing our sport."
Stomp carefully, folks!
