OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I am a new member, but play TT. I am trying to find a fairly comprehensive history of Table tennis and its origins and development over the years. Any Ideas Please?
Jack Secker

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Jack Secker

Hi Jake, welcome to the forum!

The most comprehensive details would most likely be on the ITTF website:
http://www.ittf.com

We have a brief summary on our review website here:
History of table tennis

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Thanks for the reply. I have tried both of those sites. The ITTF is sadly lacking in any sort of early history of the game. They seem to start around the 1950's. I was playing around that time myself and know a lot of what happened in those years. I would like some info from around the 1850's or somesuch time. If there is anything there and anyone knows about it, I would be delighted to know. Thanks again. Jack Secker

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Jack Secker

Hey Jack!

I'll have a look around and will ask a few people that might know, but I doubt there is much... Most info I have seen is derived from the ITTF site...

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

OK, many thanks once again, I too will keep looking. Anything that goes back to the date of IITF conception would be great. That was in 1926 I believe
Jack

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Jack Secker

Here's a pretty comprehensive list of books in English on Table Tennis: http://www.larrytt.com/ttbooks.html You might try getting your local library to try and get ones that look relevant through interlibrary loan.

-- Andrew

Hey! We recently posted two very long in-depth articles about the subject.

One is about the history and development of the table tennis racket: https://goo.gl/j3kCbJ

The other one is about the balls: https://goo.gl/fDPB8H

Hope this helps.

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Have you looked at the old ITTF website?

http://www.old.ittf.com/museum/

The old ITTF did a great job.

This is a very interesting read. The part about the hardbat era is interesting, it fills a perpective I've not come across before. The writer lived and played in Europe, so it's perhaps not surprising (though jarring, to me) to come across a historical piece about the hardbat era that DOESN'T mention Bernard Hock, MacCrossen bats, Marty Reisman, and British Leyland rubber. If you hunt around there's an account of what sort of replacement rubbers were available back then - apparently British Leyland made it, MacCrossen imported it (rumor has it that in Britain, it came in big rolls - the shopkeeper would cut off pieces for people.. but by the time MacCrossen sold it, it was in squares), Hock bought it off MacCrossen. Something like $1 a sheet, which, back in the 1920s, was akin to what Tenergy costs today!

I like the part about people using bats so long that the pips would wear flat in the middle... Never heard that bit of it before. I wonder how long this takes to happen.

Iskandar