h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Guess I'll look for a table tennis discussion under cartilaginous fish category, if there is one. The thing is, table tennis is SO misunderstood by North Americans... other than the tiny fraction who play it seriously, with due consideration of technique, proper footwork, tactics, proper equipment etc etc... that it's galling to me. Here's a forum that MAYBE 15 people might read, and get a hint about REAL table tennis, and we're now into the realm of goldfish and lawn bowling.

I can understand that Table Tennis is misunderstood by Americans. Americans likes sports where a whole heap of people can compete in a team, and even though Table Tennis is somewhat a team sport, since there are league matches and International Team Tournaments played, it still breaks down to the fact that it's one-on-one at the table (or two-on-two in the doubles).
Yes, you might say, but so is regular tennis. True, regular tennis is also an individual sport (except for the doubles) but it's far easier to find somewhere to practice regular tennis. All you need is a ball, a racket and a big wall and you're off.
Table tennis is a little bit more complicated to handle that way.

However, these last bundle of posts, you haven't been discussing this topic with North Americans, but rather a Swede (that would be me) and an Irishman (Demon Drawer). I can't say that I personally know of many famous Irish table tennis players, but I can think of a few Swedish ones. Can you?

And the topics changing in the threads? Well, let's compare the threads with regular verbal conversations. Have you ever been in a conversation that has lasted for, let's just grasp a number, 15 minutes that hasn't strayed off the original topic? These Forums are nothing but conversations, and as conversations, they will stray away from the original topic. It's a fact of life.
I think that the thing I reacted to about your first post, was the fact that I thought it had a hostile tone in it. In my view, there is nothing worse than someone starting off in a hostile tone. It's far better to work one's way up to it.

The bottom line is that the forum itself isn't what's important here, the article is. The article is what is important. The article is here to trigger a reaction, either in the form of a forum or in the form of someone thinking it's a good idea, and deciding to find out more, and maybe gettign in touch with their local table tennis club. The forums never really stay on topic so they shouldn't be taken as the main source of information on a topic (unless the article itself is the result as a cooperative effort where all the contents of the actual article is picked from the forums).

I do apologise for my behaviour earlier in the thread. I should never have retorted to name calling. I am sorry for that.

The hostility you mention is from originally coming here and finding the first posts under the article demeaning the sport as a bar room pastime... typical misinformed North American jock-speak. As nobody really set that straight, I made sure my 2 cents addressed that, even though the thread had wandered since then. I don't care much about honouring the thread. If the remarks I was responding to were buried by 25 subsequent posts, who cares?? Anything in this thread is fair game, as far as I'm concerned, whether it's the latest post or the first.
As for Swedish players... Appelgren, Bengtsson, Stellwag, Lindh, Karlson, I think there's a Gustafson or something... and some guy with a W... and no, I don't know of any Irish players off the top of my head.

I've had just about enough of your racist and inflammatory comments, Mr. Wall. And if you want to play a real sport, play REAL tennis. There's a sport that requires conditioning, athleticism, and coordination.

Wall-guy.
"Some guy with a W"??? And you call yourself a table tennis playre/coach. You refer to Jan-Owe Waldner as "Some guy with a W"? Now, who's ignorant. We're talking an Olympic Champion, a several times World Champion and European Champion. And you're calling him "Some guy with a W"??

I'm not going to say anything more about it, just that you obviously don't have a clue to what you're talking about.

End of discussion.

Are you unfamiliar with humor, Lost??? Referring to Waldner as "some guy with a W", after naming a bunch of lesser-known Swedish players of the past 20 years or so.. meant to be sardonic irony. Sorry it went a mile over your head, didn't think I was being that subtle.
As for tennis, Mr. Gargle, I DO play it. And the workout I get is similar to table tennis. Except on very hot days, when obviously I'm fatigued and dehydrated much more quickly. The ready position for both sports is basically identical. And I enjoy the luxury of having much more time between shots in tennis... since the ball has what, 8 or ten times further to travel each way than in table tennis. Plus the option of volleying, which obviously isn't allowed in T.T.
What I dislike about tennis is that spin is comparatively a non factor. And that severely limits your serving options. In tennis, basically all you can use is speed and placement (or what placement is available, restricted within the diagonal you're serving to). And you get a second chance if you screw up your serve.
Table tennis allows you to make use of placement, speed, AND spin. And no second chance on serve. More perfection demanded, and more options to use (other than volleying) in applying offense or defensive tactics.