Reflections on Table Tennis

by Raoul Bedoc, Capt. of French Swaythling Cup Team

reprinted from the French Magazine "Tennis de Table", Jan.1966, without acknowledgement as to translater, in the USTTA magazine "Table Tennis Topics", Apr. 1966

(Courtesy of USATT Historian Tim Boggan)

...[Because the ] racket is covered with sandwich...[this] causes (a) an undeniable loss of precision. Formerly, an American player whose name I have forgotten [Reisman?], used to train by placing a line of six pegs [cigarettes?] along the far end of the table, and he would fell them all, without one error, with six hits. One could never see a sandwich player do that today. [Sandwich covering also causes] (b) an important loss of evaluation, which harms one's precision. The player of former times judged by the ear the intensity of the hit, listening to the noise of the ball on his racket and on his opponent's. He could then, if necessary, take remedial steps immediately.

On this subject I recall the following statement of one of my colleagues on the French team: 'I have a cold today, and cannot hear well, which is why I cannot play well.' This point is at the heart of many of our problems today. The spectator is the loser also in this matter, for the same reason--he cannot evaluate what is going on. Is it unreasonable for him to lose interest?

In conclusion, despite today's publicity, which we did not have years ago, and despite the devotion of our officials, it must be admitted that table tennis today cannot pretend to have the audience that it had when it was the sport that it used to be.

One can well understand that the spectator, knowing that he might have to sit quite away from the table, and that in that case he will not be able to hear the ball as he used to do, will think of his precious time and not bother to turn out. One benefit, of course, has come out of all this; because of the shortness of the games, the spectator can be certain that he will not miss his last bus home. Before the war, he often had to get home on foot. What a consolation!..."

Classic Hard Bat Table Tennis