OK, it’s not the most social way to enjoy having a table tennis table in the house, but if you have a room with less space than you need, especially along the length of the table, then using a table tennis robot could make things work.

With a robot, especially the kind that you put on top of the table and shoots balls to you for practice, there’s no need for any space beyond one side of the table. Instead of all the space you would need for two people to be able to move front to back and laterally, with a robot, you can practice by yourself, or take turns with only the length needed for one player in addition to the table.

If you are seriously training, then this can be a chance to get your form and consistency together. Depending on the type of robot you get, there are a lot of different settings for a lot of different types of spin, including randomizations.

Given, part of the fun of a table tennis table is being able to play with friends and family members, but for training purposes, a table tennis robot can help someone make due with less space.

In a previous post we talked about table tennis table size. The net is to divide the rectangular table long ways and be raised. For table tennis nets, 15.25 seems to be the magic number. Here are the specifications for the net:

• The net should be consistently 15.25cm above the table across its length.
• The supports for the net should also be 15.25cm high and positioned 15.25cm outside the sideline.
• The net is defined as the net itself, the supporters, the clamps to attach it to the table, and the suspension.
• The net bottom should be as close to the table as possible, and the sides should be as close to the supports as possible.

The net size is a very simple and important issue. I think one of the key points here is that the net should be 15.25 all the way along it’s length. Any droopiness in the middle or excessive height on the sides would go against the formal rules.

When choosing a table tennis table, it might be a good idea to see if it fits the official size requirements for tournaments.

• The upper surface should be rectangular, 2.74m x 1.525m.
• It should be 76cm high (the upper surface that is).
• It must be a dark colored, matt surface
• There must be a white sideline 2cm wide along the long sides of the rectangle, as well as along each 1.525m edge.
• Divided in half by a vertical net parallel to the end lines.

That’s what to look for when you look at the size of a table. If you are a serious player who wants a convertible table or is looking for something inexpensive, please keep these numbers in mind or you’ll find yourself playing at a tournament on a differently sized table than the one you are used to.

Go to the next post for specifications about the table tennis net.

I wrote previously about the enormous IDEAL size for a table tennis table room. I know it’s a kind of unrealistic size (except for some basements), but it’s only the ideal. There’s plenty of family fun and training that can be done in smaller rooms, but there are some other factors one should also consider when preparing the room.

One thing is lighting. Shadows and bad lighting could easily impact upon the quality of a training session or game. Needless to say a low hanging light above the table tennis could end up hindering some high shots, or become an unnecessary obstacle to play. If you can’t have very high ceilings, you at least need lighting that won’t interfere with the game, but still help players keep a sharp eye on the ball.

The floor is also something to consider. Although I don’t think it is as important as lighting, you want flooring that will be easy to move on, and be close to the kind of floor you find in competitions here. For Japan, that means wooden flooring, but a lot of people may not have much choice about the flooring they have to work with. I don’t think that this is an important enough factor for people to make any big moves or spend a lot of money, but the floor should at least be flat and allow freedom of movement. (I guess shag rugs could really affect a game, right?)

For me, the most important factor may be ventilation. As readers of this blog know, table tennis is a tough sport. People training are going to sweat. People who sweat tend to start to stink. Now if you have a couple of people going at it hard in a basement with poor ventilation, people are not going to want to spend a lot of time down there. If I invested money in anything else after finding the buying the right table tennis table, I would put money into making sure that the room is well lit, but most of all well ventilated, smelling good, and a pleasant place to be!

When looking for a table tennis table to buy and set up at your home, there are several things you have to consider. Before even getting discussing whether you are going to buy a butterfly table, killerspin, or stiga, you have to think hard about several other factors.

One important thing to consider is whether the table will be moved. Will it have a fixed location in the home, never to be folded, rolled, pushed, pulled, slid, converted, or otherwise? Will you have a special room only for the table, or will you need a folding table, or one that converts into something else.

How often will the table be used? Are you going to be practicing your serves for three hours every night, or playing as a family every day after school.

The level of play of the people using it at home can also be a big factor. If you regularly play at tournaments, it may be best to get the kind of table you most often play on, or with similar features. The more comfortable and experienced you are with a certain table’s design and feel the better, Although this is not a huge consideration, if you have a preference, you can consider that as well.

If you are serious abut competing, you will want an indoor table (and a table tennis table room) so that you don’t have to sacrifice any features of the table for the sake of it being good for use in all weather conditions. An indoor table will have a surface and design closest to those you’d use in competition.

Whether you have a room set aside for you playing, or will be using a multi-purpose room, coupled with how much space you have to store your table may help you decide what kind of undercarriage you need. Is a folding table right for you, a permanent construction, or one that breaks down into two pieces and can be stored with less space.

The greatest factor in your choice of table tennis table may be the price. This is only natural, but will have an affect on the other aspects of the table. My advice is to get the best table you can for what you are willing to spend on the table.

When you look at your table tennis table top, you definitely want it made of wood, but you have a choice when it comes to thickness. In general, thicker is better so you may want the thickest wooden table top you can afford. Next comes design and brand loyalty, most of the major brands (butterfly, double happiness, stiga, killerspin, joola, yasaka, or some of the other major sports equipment brands) make great tables so it just depends on the brand and style you like.

Good luck with finding the best table tennis table for you and your family to train and play on!

In pursuing my dream of having a table tennis table in my home, I have to consider room size.

The real honest answer to the question of how big a room for table tennis should be… is “as big as possible”. However, I know most people won’t be satisfied with that, so let’s start with this:

Table Tennis Table Size:

The good news is that this is easy to identify and serves for a great starting point.

The international standard size is about 30 inches tall, about 9 feet long, and about 5 feet wide. (This is represented in centimeters as a height of 76cm, a length of 274cm, and a width of 152.5cm.)

There are smaller table sold for recreation, but it would feel like bowling on a shortened lane. (I know it’s kind of a strange analogy, but that’s how I felt.)

I recommend the full size table even if it means sacrificing a little elbow room or furniture in the room.

Now the next thing to struggle with is how much space you need to move… I could rephrase this as how good are you, your family, and your friends (by this I mean your opponents!).

If you guys are hitting long balls or really working both sides of the table, you are going to want enough space so that you don’t have to hold back at all. (Which also brings up the question of how BIG are you? If you are 6′ 5″ with a wingspan, you may want even more space.l)

I think I’m going to want about 2 meters on either side of the table, meaning a total of about 9 meters in width on the room. (Although I’m sure people can do fine with only about 1.5 meters on each side if they have to.) 9 meters translates to about 29ft or so.

As for space around the length of the table, I would want about 4 meters on each side of the table for a total length of about 11 meters or so, that would be a room of about 36 feet long.

As it stands, we’ve come to a point where we want a room that’s about 36 feet long and 39 feet wide or more is the dream size for a table tennis room, but I’m sure you can get by with much less.

The answer then comes back to our original answer which is that you want as much room as you can get, but most of us are not going to buy a new house just to have a table tennis room… since we can go and play other places, it is not an incredible priority to have a table tennis table in the house, but if you have a large basement with a high enough ceiling that you can convert go for it. As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m moving back to the United States soon, so I will certainly be looking at room and basement size when I look at houses.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Am I grossly overestimating the size I need?