Every sport is beautiful in its own way.

Football’s unrivalled fan support, for example, is in itself a thing of beauty. So too is an upset victory, especially during post-season play. The beauty of table tennis is that it’s non-discriminatory. Anyone can play regardless of age, size or gender. A five-foot, 100-pound woman with a good sidespin is sure to scorch a six-foot, 200-pound man with none.

Better yet, table tennis, attractively inexpensive, can be played almost anywhere—a game between friends is as enjoyable in a cluttered basement as it is in a state-of-the-art gymnasium.

If that’s not enough, with practice you can make a giant leap forward every three months. That’s like going from zero to 60mph in five seconds, and who doesn’t crave that kind of acceleration?

“It’s really cool to see the age and size variation at a local club,” says five-time U.S. singles champion Sean O’Neill (www.pingpong.com or www.tabletennis.about.com), of Charlottesville, Virginia.

“Seeing 80-year-olds playing eight-year-olds is fun to watch because their levels are so similar. Table tennis is a very co-ed sport. Almost all the top women in North America play in the men’s open events. You’ll see moms playing mixed doubles with their sons. You’re not going to see moms playing with their sons in the NBA. Newcomers gain a really quick respect for the sport, after someone half their size and half their age serves them off the table, and it’s not because they’re serving fast, it’s because they put spin on the ball.”

Frequently described as athletic chess, table tennis demands more from the mind than the body. Players must learn to read the spin of the ball, no matter what their level of play. With more than 750 different approved surfaces for paddles, each one altering the flight of the ball, no two games are ever the same.

“Spin is king in table tennis,” comments O’Neill, who has also held the U.S. mixed doubles title six times. “Whoever controls the spin dictates what’s going to happen during the rally.”

Small wonder that table tennis improves hand/eye coordination, and sharpens reflexes.

It takes between 10,000 to 15,000 hours of practice to compete internationally. O’Neill trained seven hours a day, six days a week to prepare for the Olympics, a regimen that included three-to-five-mile runs, and long cycling sessions.

Recreational players, on the other hand, need only be nimble of foot—and preferably extroverted. Like golf, table tennis has a wonderful social component that transcends the game. O’Neill identifies a thriving atmosphere at the clubs, which are found in almost every large center throughout the world.

“It’s fun to join a league, or play in the nightly round robins. If you want to be more casual, bring a friend and play on your own. It will probably take three visits to a club to acquire basic skills. The first day you’ll be really excited, and you’ll be out there swinging, and you’ll notice the difference in equipment, and it’ll be like ‘whoa, these paddles can really put heavy spin on the ball.’ Second time you’ll begin to adjust to the spin, and the third time you’ll start putting it all together.”

Table tennis is accessible to everyone—it’s an option for the elderly and the physically challenged, for athletes wishing to break the monotony of routine, or for those in search of a recreational outlet. Joining a table tennis league is one way to speed the passage of winter. It can be an absorbing pastime for kids, who possess the prerequisite quickness needed for success. Amazingly enough, table tennis fits every situation, a boast no other sport can make.

Mind Game:

Club members will forgive newcomers their lack of skill, but preparation is paramount.

“The last thing you want to do is show up at a club and feel you came unprepared,” says O’Neill. “Even if your game isn’t that good, at least your equipment can be up to standard. Show people that you know your stuff.”

With that in mind:

• Discard the old green paddle you proudly retrieved from the basement. It’s definitely passé. Acquire a regulation paddle, which is black on one side, red on the other. It’s also referred to as a racquet or bat. The term blade describes a paddle that is wood only, with no striking surface.
• Familiarize yourself with the terms “inverted rubber” and “pips out rubber.” These are the two kinds of striking surfaces used; the smooth inverted rubber produces less friction. Pips out are the common knobby paddles typical of recreational settings.
• When purchasing balls be sure to select those featuring three-stars. The number of stars on a ball indicates hardness and roundness. Also take note that balls have enlarged in size from 38mm to 40mm.

“If you show up at a club with 38mm balls,” cautions O’Neill, “people will say, ‘and just where have you been?’”