Why table tennis is the perfect sport for the ageing

Meet 77-year-old Alan Lee, proof that table tennis is a sport for all ages.

Alan is a member of the eBaTT club in London, which is one of many clubs that hold classes and practice sessions designed for elderly players. 

An ideal sport for all ages and all abilities

Having played table tennis as a younger man Alan recently took up the sport again after being diagnosed with Parkinson's.

Speaking to CGTN Alan said the sport was ideal for him.

"I think any form of exercise is good for Parkinson's," he said. "I think table tennis is very good because it improves reflexes and improves movement. 

"It's not like having to play tennis where you've got to chase around a large court while you're moving in a restricted space and it actually works very well. You've gotta keep the reflexes going which is really important I think for Parkinson's."

Sixty-four-year-old Yvonne Hellman is another regular member. She told CGTN that the social aspect of clubs like eBaTT  is almost as important as the health benefits.

She explained: "It's always fun, it's fast, people don't take it too seriously, there's always something you can learn and it's sociable as well. I can play against my son who's 30 or I can play against someone a lot older. So it's very inclusive."

Cognitive benefits

CGTN also spoke to Guy Ben-Aroya, the General Manager and Coach at eBaTT. We asked him why he thought so many elderly people were taking up the sport. 

According to Ben-Aroya: "I think it's something that anyone can do at any age. It's good for fitness and good for their brain and mental health. And they just love coming and they love competing even at this age.

"It's very tactical, it's very fast. You have very little time when you're playing so you need to think sometimes in 0.3 to 0.5 seconds there's a lot of spin involved, the ball rotates actually around 300 times per second so there's a lot of elements of dealing with such little time."

The famous Irish writer George Bernard Shaw once said: "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

The proof of that quote can certainly be found with the players from the eBaTT club, showing that the sport of table tennis is an ideal pastime for a healthy and more enjoyable old age.