by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

However, Table Tennis Aerobics should not be regarded just as a concept to persuade those of more senior years to take part in physical activity; it is for everyone and has been particularly successful encouraging girls to take part in sport.

It is yet another example of the far reaching nature of table tennis; the universality of the sport being the underlying theme for the forthcoming World Table Tennis Day on Thursday 6th April.

Steve Rowe hails from Wigan, a suburb of Greater Manchester; Steve Rowe started to play table tennis when 15 years old and like many started at the local youth club, for him it was the Comet Youth Club.

“In those days it was not easy to find someone to teach you how to play, it was almost impossible to find a table tennis coach; so I had to teach myself. I do believe that if you get involved with table tennis as a youngster, chances are you will still be playing the game even in your golden years”, Steve Rowe

Equally, there is the social aspect and like many, lifelong friends are made; also with the need for accuracy, consistency and anticipation, table tennis can help young people develop their skills in other sports.

Meet Steve Rowe from Wigan in north west England
A sport for all and for Steve Rowe it is a sport for life; he sees table tennis as fast and furious. Certainly in the career of Steve Rowe, I would suggest the sport has become increasingly fast and furious.

Table tennis is a contest between two people; just be careful if you compare it with boxing! However, I would suggest there are some similarities!

“Table tennis is very infectious; once you start you can’t stop. It’s just a natural thing that happens. One of the benefits of table tennis is, it can also be a social event so you will meet new friends; table tennis complements many other sports, sports like football, rugby, basketball and netball to name a few. Table tennis is a fast paced game, where you need to have fast footwork with sidestepping movements to get into position to retrieve the ball, playing table tennis will certainly help all of the other mentioned sports”, Steve Rowe

So, play table tennis, in the view of Steve Rowe it is never too late and a decision you will never regret.

Now how about Steve Rowe’s Aerobic Table Tennis to the sound of Kevin Fogarty’s Live Long Play Ping Pong?

Memories of the 2014 World Veteran Championships in Auckland, New Zealand