Greg --
I stumbled across your website from watching the live streaming of the Beijing Olympic table tennis matches on the internet. I noticed that a lot of the players will rub or touch the table either near the back or near the net on the sides before each point. Is there a particular reason for this or is it just ritual? Any background or info would be appreciated!
Thanks.
Eric
Physically, the player is wiping the sweat from his hand onto the table in a spot that is not likely to be used during play (when wiping his hand near the net). This allows him to 'towel off' his hand without actually having to wait for the allowed 6 point towel off interval. When wiping his hand near the endline, the player is usually wiping off drops of sweat (or occasionally, small fragments of rubber from the bat) that have fallen on to the table.
Mentally, the time it takes to wipe his hand gives the player a chance to take a few extra seconds to compose himself if he needs it. Plus there is always the chance that it will aggravate and distract his opponent who has to wait for him to get back to behind the endline before the next point can begin.
Ritual wise - some players just get in the habit of doing it, and keep doing it whether they really need to or not. Just like how some players bounce the ball on the table or on their racket before serving - it's just part of the player's routine and he would feel strange without doing it.
Regards,
Greg
