Olympic Table Tennis: The Metronome of Sports
by Laura Portera, 2025-2026 Student Executive Committee Member
January 2nd, 2026
If you think that baseball players have other worldly reaction times, then you probably only watch the Olympics for gymnastics. Although in truth I didn’t realize that Table tennis was an event in the olympics until I was sitting in a waiting room one summer. But it is mesmerizing.
Have you ever tried to look up at the ceiling and follow the fanblades? Or tried to follow a specific spoke of a wheel with your eyes? Whether you have or not I propose a challenge for you: watch the gold medal match of the olympics and try to keep your eye on the ball. Chances are you’ll either fail or get so dizzy that you…well you still fail.
Now when I first realized this was a genuine sport I was shocked. Table tennis, or as I knew it, Ping Pong, was what you played in the summer against your surprisingly agile grandpa who’s not agile enough to find the ball when you miss his serve. Far more frustrating than you imagine.
Shortly after I saw this first match I went home and watched Forest Gump. If you haven’t seen it then that’s just sad and you need to google it because it won two Oscars, and not for hair and makeup, I'm talking best leading actor and best picture. Anyway, one of his many sidequests in his crazy awesome life is competing with the All-American Ping Pong team….and winning. This brought my interest further because as the movie progressed I still had the sound of him hitting the ball in my head; as steady as a metronome.
Five to seven games per match, eleven points per game, Deuces, and minimum height of serves. Who knew this was taken so seriously? Well these players take it so seriously that they hit the ball with a force and speed similar to that of record holding pitcher Androlis Chapman.
Alright I’ve already covered a fictional player but now let me mention the G.O.A.T: Ma Long, who has won 6 gold medals- I repeat- Six Gold Medals. Famous for his backhand… whatever that means… and starting this sport in order to increase physical health.
Now you may be thinking: Laura, how does this game improve your strength so much that this champion used it at therapy? Well Long took up this sport at 5 because of how frail and small he was. With table tennis being a big part of his family, this sport was the obvious choice. As his physic improved, so did his ability to fight off illness. Overall, the outcomes of this sport and his obvious talent were life changing.
But you may wonder how this is a sport. If you look at not only the ball but at their faces, then you have your answer. You can usually tell when someone is working hard physically by their expressions and the amount of sweat coming off their hairline. And believe me, you can tell. They are in constant motion just like the ball.
Now whilst they sweat more than most musicians, and just to make me feel better, have worse locked in playing faces I do, we are shockingly similar. They must maintain different distances based on their opponent, we must maintain proper bow length based on our music. They not only practice, but pray to god their opponent doesn’t beat them… we practice, but when we sightread we are usually praying that whatever line comes next doesn’t have a random ritardando in it. When they play doubles, they have to rely on each other, when we play in a group setting we hope our stand partner doesnt do the wrong bowing cause wrong notes aren't the only unpleasant sound that can happen on stage. When we play, we use a metronome to stay on beat. Table Tennis players must listen to the sound of each hit and bounce of the ball in order to keep themselves steady and create their own metronome.
The steady beat that keeps the table tennis match alive as well as our music on point helps me in my practice when tying rhythm and not values together to create the composer's intended melody. The constant fight that these athletes show is inspirational to me to not quit when I can't bring rhythms together. With continued effort and yes, the use of a metronome, the music we play becomes far more clear and full of far less stress.