Do you need some good ideas on great alternatives to wasting your time on the couch on a rainy day? How about finding something that combines exercise and fun at the same time?

All you need is two paddles, a ball and a table. That’s it. Let the fun begin! Table Tennis is a great way to get you moving. I know what I am talking about. I started playing table tennis when I was fifteen.

Soon thereafter I joined my first club and I’ve been playing ever since. My current rating is about 2150 and I am registered at USATT.

By now you must have noticed, that I am not talking about ping-pong but ‘table-tennis’. Because there is in fact a difference, even though they are both based on the same concept. Check out Youtube for instance and punch in the term ‘table tennis’ – you will get tons of links to videos where professional players are competing with each other. And I am sure you will notice a difference to what people commonly refer to as ping-pong.

If you didn’t focus too hard on the ball, but rather the footwork, you will have noticed that playing table-tennis seriously requires you to move around a lot and quickly. That little ball can pick up speeds up to 100 mph and believe me, that is FAST.

And that’s the difference between ping-pong and table-tennis. The good news is: you can start at any age to turn this fun sport into a serious work-out regime. You will have to take it easy though, especially in the beginning.

Okay, to get you started, try the following with your partner: 20 shots without any miss-hits back and forth. Focus on consistency, try to avoid mistakes. Pros and advanced hobby players do the exact same thing, however, just more like a 100 shots and obviously at a much higher frequency, in order to get warmed up before a match.

And that’s it. As I said, everybody follows the same warm-up routine. But in order to get there, hitting the ball at that pace without making any mistakes, it requires a lot of regular practice. Ideally, every day for a few hours. But anyway, everybody has to start slowly, there’s no way around. Try to do 20 hits in a row with your partner, that’s your first milestone before you move on to the next step.

Forget about the speed. Do as slowly as you can, but with the best possible precision. Speed comes automatically as you get more consistent and confident. Once you can do 20 times, step it up to 50 times. That will take you some time to get there and that’s normal. And then the next milestone would be a hundred times. I will talk about exercise variations a little later to give you some ideas.

So that’s it for now. Try it out, give it a shot. Indoor table-tennis is a perfect example of a cool sport that combines fun and serious work-out exercises at the same time.

Tony Ulrich writes articles about how to Workout with Table Tennis as fun and healthy activity and features a mini-series about Table Tennis Service Rules on his website.

If you are an avid tennis player you may want to have your own backyard tennis court. Even if you do not want to incur the expense of a complete tennis court, it is advisable to have your own tennis net in case the one at your local court is damaged or missing.

The greatest benefit of buying your own tennis net is that you will have one available to play whenever you want! Tennis supplies, including nets, can be found for sale online or in local sporting good stores; look for moneysaving discounts. As for your buying options, the selection of nets will vary from store to store.

If you play often on hard surfaces you will need a net that is durable and long lasting. This is typically one made from braided cord with double mesh at the top and reinforced coated cables. These can be a bit pricey though so if you do not play often, you may want to consider a less expensive option.

If you only play tennis on occasion, have an indoor tennis court that is not exposed to varying weather elements, or if playing on a softer surface, you can cut a few corners and avoid spending as much. By opting for twisted cord, instead of braided cord, you get a quality tennis net that you can use and one that costs a lot less.

If you are only getting a tennis net to make do now and intend to replace it later on, you can opt for cheaper materials. High-grade netting has its benefits; it looks more attractive and will holdup better to normal wear and tear. This is an important benefit if your tennis net will be used outside and exposed to extreme weather conditions.

You should also look at the quality of the dowels, grommets and cables that help keep the apparatus taut and attached to the posts. If you have substandard attachments you may find that the housing becomes loose and it starts to sag.

There is also the option to buy a portable net that is easy to install and remove. While they are light and easy to carry, they are not designed for long-term use. However, this option is ideal if your local court has damaged or missing nets. With an affordable price, you can also have a portable net as a backup incase your permanent net is damaged.

A tennis net is required to play tennis correctly. Without it you can not play properly or distinguish when a ball clears the required height. You can purchase a net at sporting goods stores but ensure you have one that will be durable and last a long time.

Check out our great tennis net deals today.