Safety Tips for Table Tennis

Although many members of the general public may view table tennis as an unathletic pastime, serious players know better. Table Tennis is just as much a sport as any other (and even more so in some cases). An inescapable part of table tennis being a sport is the potential for injury when you take to the table. Remember, it's hard to improve when you are forced to be a spectator through injury, and insult is added when you are sidelined due to an event that could easily have been avoided. So here's a list of safety tips that will help keep you injury free and out on the table.

Make sure you get a proper warm up before starting play. Warming up involves 5-10 minutes of light physical activity to elevate your heart rate and breathing rate, increase your blood flow and make your muscles warmer. Serious athletes may require even more activity to fully get ready for the exertion ahead. Then follow up with some gentle stretching to finish the warm up.

When using more than one ball (for drills etc), don't leave balls under or near your feet, where you might easily stand on them and trip over.

Don't walk onto or through other players' courts until the players involved see you. A player with his back to you may not even know you are there, and may suddenly move backwards during a point, causing a collision with the potential to injure both of you.

When playing doubles, keep aware of where your partner is, so that you don't accidentally hit him with your bat, or run into each other without expecting it. Sooner or later you will run into each other, so at least be prepared so that you can soften the impact.

Don't step over the barriers between courts. It's very easy to accidentally catch your foot when doing so, and end up tripping over. Plus you often can't see whether any balls are on the other side of the barrier - you don't want to successfully jump the barrier just to land on a ball and fall down!

Don't take your water bottle onto the court - it's not legal to begin with, and it's very easy to spill water without noticing it. There's nothing more guaranteed to cause an injury than suddenly slipping on a patch of water when you are off-balance and reaching for the ball!

Speaking of slipping - when changing ends take a quick look to see that your opponent hasn't left drops of sweat on the floor. Slipping on a sweaty patch on the floor is another easy way to injure yourself.

Be careful around tables - make sure that roller tables have their brakes on, and check all tables to make sure that their bracing struts are in proper position. Also, be wary about sitting or leaning on tables, since there are many tables that will fold inwards if weight is placed on the table near the net.

It's easier than you think to accidentally pull a heavy table over on yourself when trying to set it up - so be cautious.

Don't use a cracked blade - you never know when it might finally snap and have the racket head go flying away, possibly to hit someone else!

On the same theme - don't ever throw your bat around.

Listen to your body! If you are playing and you get a sharp pain, don't ignore it! As you get older you will no doubt get used to playing with niggling injuries due to wear and tear on your body, but the best way to turn a small injury into a large one is to ignore your body's warning signs and keep on playing when a new pain flares up.