Find out if table tennis is worth playing if you are active in bodybuilding and are in the bulk phase. No one doubts the benefits of table tennis, because this game not only improves the physical condition of the athlete, but also causes a lot of positive emotions. The tennis table can be installed not only indoors, but also outdoors. The fastest and most agile athletes in the world are professional ping-pong players. Agree that it is very difficult to react to a small ball flying at a speed of more than 120 kilometers per hour and at the same time make the right decision.
Doctors recommend playing table tennis for people who have problems with the vestibular apparatus. In addition, this sport is also an excellent gymnastics for sight. Very often, after operations on the organs of vision, table tennis is used as one of the means of rehabilitation.
When playing table tennis, all the muscles of the body are involved in the work, which allows you to maintain good physical shape. It should also be noted that the blood supply to all organs is improved, blood pressure is normalized and the ability to get rid of excess weight should be noted. Much of the benefit of table tennis lies in its effectiveness in fighting fat. Being engaged in this excellent sport, you will be able to comprehensively influence all systems of the body.
Health Benefits of Table Tennis
If we talk about the benefits of table tennis, then it should be noted the positive impact of this type of sport not only on the physical condition of a person, but also on his emotions. However, let's deal with this issue in detail and in order.
- Reaction speed and agility. We have already said that in table tennis the ball flies at a speed of at least 120 kilometers per hour and after each hit on it, it changes its trajectory. To win, you need to make decisions and react with lightning speed. In terms of the degree of development of coordination, the players in ping-pong, who are engaged in this kind of sport professionally, are second only to tightrope walkers. Even boxers regularly play table tennis as part of their training program to improve their reflexes.
- The performance of the vestibular apparatus improves. To adequately confront an opponent in ping-pong, you need to move quickly and follow the ball, which constantly changes its direction of flight. If you are seasick on the bus, then the benefits of table tennis are obvious, because you can strengthen your vestibular apparatus.
- The work of the organs of vision improves. The main exercises in any complex of visual gymnastics are alternate observation of an object located first near you, and then at some distance. In table tennis, you have to observe a small object, the distance to which is constantly changing. Thus, ping-pong is able not only to perfectly relieve visual stress accumulated during a working day, but also to improve visual acuity. Almost all ophthalmologists recommend playing table tennis for people with various vision problems, as well as as a means of postoperative rehabilitation.
- The work of the heart muscle improves. Table tennis is an excellent type of cardio exercise that can increase endurance and improve the performance of the vascular system with the heart muscle. Already literally minutes after the start of the game, the blood flow accelerates sharply, which leads to the active consumption of oxygen by all organs. If we compare the benefits of table tennis with other types of cardio exercises, then only water polo is ahead of this sport.
- All types of motor skills develop. An important benefit of table tennis lies in the ability to improve motor skills. If you play ping-pong regularly, your wrist movements will become close to perfect. During just one set, the position of the hand with the racket changes several hundred times, or even more. Scientists have found that playing table tennis improves a person's handwriting and even helps develop artistic ability. If your kid has difficulty in writing or reading, he can give it to the ping-pong section.
- All muscles of the body are strengthened. Since the athlete needs to actively move around the table, the leg muscles are actively working. Other muscles also do not stand aside, as you have to make sharp turns of the body and strike with your hand. This helps to strengthen all the muscles in the body.
- An effective means for losing weight. We have already noted that the benefit of table tennis is to increase the amount of oxygen consumed by the body. This also directly affects the lipolysis process. As you know, adipose tissue is utilized only with the direct participation of oxygen. In addition, ping-pong is the fifth most energy-consuming sport on the list. Powerful physical activity of the aerobic type and high energy consumption lead to the fact that the body's fat reserves are actively utilized. Look at professional ping-pong athletes and you will see how effective it is for weight loss.
- Flexibility is increased. By playing table tennis, you can increase the mobility of the joints of the whole body. The spine, shoulder, wrist, elbow and hip staves are actively involved in the work. Only if you have developed enough flexibility will you be able to instantly react to your opponent's blows. Note that flexibility is a functional skill that will be extremely useful to you in everyday life.
- Self-control. In ping-pong, every second is of great importance and the outcome of a set or even the entire match can depend on it. If you don't have enough self-control, it will be incredibly difficult to achieve positive results. The ability to control and restrain emotions will definitely come in handy in your everyday life.
- Concentration increases. To be successful in ping-pong, you must constantly keep in mind the whole picture of the match, remember the score and constantly look for the most correct tactics. At the same time, you remember that even one second of delay can be worth a lost game, and with it the whole match. If your concentration is not maximized during the game, then you may lose. In the West, ping-pong is one of the stages of preparation for work in those positions that can lead to accidents, for example, dispatchers.
- Thinking skills are developed. Talking about table tennis, you can draw an analogy with chess, because here you also need to be able to calculate the opponent's moves forward. However, if in chess you have time to think about everything well, what in ping-pong you have to make a decision is only a couple of seconds. Due to the high pace of the game, thinking is developing quite actively.
- Eliminate stress. When you start playing table tennis, you will not be able to think about anything other than the game itself. When the set is completed, you are already mentally in the next one and there is no time to think about problems in everyday life again. Also note that exercise is an excellent stress reliever.
The benefits of table tennis for children
Love for a healthy lifestyle and sports in a child must begin to develop from birth. Try to ensure that your baby regularly does morning exercises himself and is more often in the fresh air. Unfortunately, today's children spend more time at the computer than on the street.
Try to interest your offspring in some kind of sport and send him to the section. It does not matter what heights the child will be able to achieve in sports, it is only important the benefits that they will receive. It is quite obvious that not every sport can be useful for a particular baby. It is very important that the chosen sports discipline interests the child and then the benefits of table tennis will be obvious.
You can start playing ping-pong from the age of six, although the main importance in this sports discipline is not age, but height. This is due to the fact that children play at the same tables as adults. If you want your child to achieve high results, then it is worth working with him additionally.
Have a cross with your little one two or three times a week. It will benefit not only him but you as well. To increase the child's flexibility, it is useful to do extra gymnastics and swimming. You will probably not believe it, but dancing classes are extremely effective for improving results in ping-pong. They allow you to increase your sense of rhythm, which is extremely important in table tennis.
We talked about the benefits of table tennis, which can be obtained by both adults and children. However, there is one negative point. Since the main load falls on one half of the body, the child may develop scoliosis. However, this can be easily avoided if you additionally work on the muscles of the abdomen and back.
Table tennis clubs can be found in many cities today. Moreover, classes in them can be conducted both free of charge and for money. When choosing a ping-pong section for your child, first of all, you should pay attention to the equipment of the hall - tables and sports equipment. They should be of high quality, and even better - professional. You should also talk to a coach, because ping-pong is in many ways an individual sport. To master the technique of the game as quickly and well as possible, you need to practice individually. If a group includes a large number of children, then it will be very difficult to achieve this.
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