Zen Of Ping Pong

Todd A often writes about his ping pong matches at his site and that has inspired me to write a little about ping pong here. I play approximately 100 minutes of pong every week where I work. That's two ten minute breaks a day if my math if correct. We play all out too. It's not a case of a couple of people just pinging the ball back and forth. Many people start playing the game here, but very few stick with it. There is no grace period for newbies. The ball will get slammed in your face every time until you step up your own skills. I began like many here do. I was just sitting in the cafeteria one day and another player was needed. Luckily, I was gifted with excellent hand-eye coordination and soon I was holding my own against the ping pong monsters here. I had a long way to go as far as learning about true paddle control, different kinds of spin, and the science of angles but I've come a long way. I'm not the best one here, but I'm easily in the top ten percent. The game itself never gets old. I'm constantly learning new techniques and shots. I also try out new strategies. When one is good enough at the game you can even give your opponent points early just to see what they've got. Twenty minutes a day I'm free from my desk and the only thing that matters is a small orange ball. My mind is at rest and I am one with the pong cosmos. It's a beautiful thing. Now I just need to arrange some matches between Todd A, his friends, and myself.