Balls

Balls

I was over at the Biltmore yesterday hitting as usual. The under 14 Orange Bowl was winding down. Two girls were playing table tennis with a tennis ball. I had a brief conversation with one of them who said it was hard. This set me thinking. When I got home, I ferreted out some indoor golf balls I had and took them to my table tennis table. I felt a pleasant sense of excitement. Would it work? Lo and behold, it did: the balls bounced nicely and responded well to the racket. Spin was easily imparted. The balls had an agreeable heaviness compared to a standard table tennis ball. I thought: strange that this game has always been limited to the light plastic ball; maybe other balls would be at least as good. I also tried an ordinary tennis ball and a pickle ball—not so good. I ordered some squash balls from Amazon to see how they handled. So far, the best balls have been those indoor golf balls, both hollow and solid; they perform remarkably well. I haven’t played anyone with them yet but I have high hopes. Why did I never think of this before? Because of the power of convention, no doubt. I look forward to a table tennis second life.

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