Table tennis

Table tennis, also known as ping pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball back and forth across a table using a small paddle. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Except for the initial serve, the rules are generally as follows: Players must allow a ball played toward them to bounce one time on their side of the table, and must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side at least once. Points are scored when a player fails to return the ball within the rules. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. Spinning the ball alters its trajectory and limits an opponent's options, giving the hitter a great advantage. When doing so the hitter has a better chance of scoring if the spin is successful.

Table tennis is governed by the worldwide organization International Table Tennis Federation, founded in 1926. ITTF currently includes 220 member associations. The table tennis official rules are specified in the ITTF handbook. Table tennis has been an Olympic sport since 1988, with several event categories. In particular, from 1988 until 2004, these were: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles. Since 2008, a team event has been played instead of the doubles.

Zhang Jike

Zhang Jike (simplified Chinese: 张继科; traditional Chinese: 張繼科; pinyin: Zhāng Jìkē; born 16 February 1988) is a Chinese table tennis player. He was named after the Brazilian soccer player Zico.

Zhang Jike is the reigning Olympic champion in singles. When he won the Olympic gold medal in singles, he became the fourth male player in the history of table tennis to achieve a career grand slam. The others are Jan-Ove Waldner (in 1992), Liu Guoliang (in 1999) and Kong Linghui (in 2000). Zhang, however, is the only one of the four who have been the reigning champion in all three competitions simultaneously. As he won consecutively first in WTTC 2011, then World Cup 2011, and then London Olympics 2012, he won the grand slam in only 445 days after his first major title, being the fastest player ever to do so.

Equipment and playing style

Zhang Jike is a Butterfly sponsored athlete. He uses Butterfly Zhang Jike for his blade, a Butterfly Tenergy 64 (red) on his backhand, and DHS Hurricane 3 neo National blue sponge (black) on his forehand .

World Table Tennis Championships

The World Table Tennis Championships have been held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Five individual events, which include men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's double and mixed doubles, are currently held in odd numbered years. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in even numbered years.

In the earlier days of the tournament, Hungary's men's team was a dominant force, winning the championships 12 times. From the 1960s onwards, China emerged as the new dominant power in this tournament and continues to dominate the sport until this day. China's men's team holds a record 18 world team championship titles.

In the 1950s, Japan's women team was a force to be reckoned with winning a total of 8 titles. The Chinese women started their strong grip on the world team championships from the 1970s onwards. They have only lost twice since 1975. China holds 18 women's team titles. Singapore's women team holds the title in 2010.

Timo Boll

Timo Boll (born 8 March 1981) is a German professional table tennis player who currently plays with Borussia Düsseldorf and is ranked second in the German Table Tennis National League. He is currently 7th in the ITTF world rankings as of December 2015, having previously been number one.

Childhood

Boll was born in Erbach im Odenwald, Hessen. At the age of four, Boll was playing table tennis and at that time was coached by his father. In 1987 he became a member of TSV Höchst and played there at association level. At the age of eight years he was discovered by Helmut Hampel, a Hessian trainer who promoted him. In 1990, he started to train at the training centre Pfungstadt and four years later changed teams to FTG Frankfurt with whom he took part in the second division, at which time other table tennis associations became interested in him. TTV Gönnern hired him in 1995. Timo Boll was put in position five on the team but, nevertheless, lost only one match in the whole season and thus contributed to the rise of the team in the table tennis national league.

WTTC

WTTC may refer to: