Table Tennis is a game of speed, spin and control, demanding the quickest reactions of any sport. However, as well as being a dynamic and athletic Olympic and Paralympic Sport, it is also a popular recreational activity played indoors and outdoors. Tables are appearing everywhere from sports halls to parks, shopping centres, railway stations and even museums!

A social table tennis or ping pong craze in England is currently helping drive up participation and the sport is becoming a cool and fun activity combining well with music, culture and fashion. Compelling by nature, it is easy to pick up and play instantly.

A game is up to 11 points and players win points by hitting a lightweight plastic ball over a net so that their opponents either cannot return it or are forced into an error.

Skilled players can add spin on the ball, which makes its bounce difficult to predict, and makes it harder to return with confidence. With speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, the sport is a fast-paced and exciting game to watch and play.

Did you know...?

Table tennis is claimed to be the world's largest participation sport, with a global spread of more than 300 million players. 220 countries are affiliated to the International Table Tennis Federation, making it the joint largest sport in this respect, alongside volleyball. Players from Asia, particularly China, have had a stranglehold on most world and Olympic titles over recent years.

The world record for the longest non-stop rally was broken by English father-and-son combination Peter and Dan Ives in 2014 - they played for 8 hours, 40 minutes 10 seconds without a break!

The world record for the most shots in one minute is 180, held by Japanese players Mima Ito and Tacshow Arai.

Fred Perry was a world table tennis champion in 1929 before taking up lawn tennis and going on to fame and fortune by winning Wimbledon three times.

Meet the Mentor

The Sainsbury's 2015 School Games table tennis mentor, Nicola Deaton-Perry, will be available to meet and ask questions.