Several equalizing factors for skilled table tennis players

Abstract

    Recently, many people have begun participating in sports to maintain physical fitness and health. When they completely lose all games during the early phase, it causes a disinclination to play the game further. This problem should be considered further, seeking ways to encourage the novice to continue the sport. When investigated handicapping methods, we examined the traditional Japanese games “SHOGI" and “GO." In our previous reports, we found both miniaturized courts and miniaturized rackets were beneficial in equalizing a skilled player's abilities with an extremely weak player's abilities.

    In this paper, we discuss the practical values of the 50% miniaturized court and the 40% or 50% miniaturized racket as handicaps for skilled players. Subjects; eight skilled players ranging in age from 18 to 20 years old, who were all university students belonging to the university's table tennis club. Measuring items; scores, game-time, playing-time per point, rally strokes.

    In control games without handicaps, the handicapped player (HP) scored 19.8±3.3, and the advantaged player (AP) scored 15.1±4.6. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) between scores.  In handicapped games, HP scores decreased from 19.8 to 16.0 (50% court, ns), to 11.8 (50% racket, p< 0.01) and to 8.0 (40% racket p<0.001). AP scores were increased from 15.1, to 21.1 (50% court, p<0.01), immediately. Regarding game-time and playing-time, comparing these values between control games and handicapped games, there was no significant differences. Differences in rate of rally stroke (RRS) in the control game between HP and AP were significant (p<0.001) on chi-square test. The 50% court extingished the differences in RRS between HP and AP. Use of the 50% racket and 40% racket both had an over-balancing effect on the differences shown in the control game between HP and AP.