It doesn't matter if you start when you're six or 46, ping pong is a game you can pick up any time.
The table is barely larger than an office cubicle, and the ball is barely heavier than a feather.
"A lot of people feel like because the ball is so light, the table is so small, you can't really put a lot of power into it," said Don Wang, a member of the AustinTableTennis.com.
Ping pong becomes table tennis when you start to take it seriously.
"The difference between ping pong and table tennis is the competitive nature of it. If you really start playing the sport as a sport, you're a little more forceful and you have to be very quick," said Joe Burkhart, president of the Austin Table Tennis Club.
Real competitors will tell you that table tennis requires speed, strategy and stamina.
"This is the only exercise I ever get, otherwise I'm sitting in a chair," said Rick Mueller, a regular at the ATTC.
"Attack is to hit the ball real hard. You need, again, your legs and waist and wrist together to get good angles, good low level," said Susan Song, an ATTC member.
Table tennis veterans would tell you that it's all about speed, angle, spin and, most of all, control.
"It's really about controlling that power. If you can get that amount of power to land on the table," Wang said.
The Club is very beginner-friendly, and a good place to go, if you've played for years.
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Ping pong
Amy Hadley talks to table tennis pros at Austin's Table Tennis Club.
 
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Mueller started playing ping pong like most people in America, with some friends in a garage. However, the club also welcomes many internationally trained competitors from places such as Asia and Europe.
"In China, it's the biggest sport. Everybody plays. [In Germany] they actually make their living playing table tennis," said Wang.
The Club's regular competitors say it's the best kept secret in Austin.
The club's next tournament is Spin Factor and will be here next Sunday, Aug. 20. The Club encourages players and fans alike.
