How to Play Ping Pong By Yourself

Have you ever wondered how to play ping pong by yourself? I know it’s kind of a silly question but if you think about it, when your friends are all busy and you are bored and happen to have a ping pong table lying around, surely you would ask the same question.

Ping pong is a great pastime because even though you’re not outside playing ordinary tennis, you are still being active and, while some would disagree, it can actually be considered a sport because it’s played at the Olympic Games.

Now, to answer the question of how to play ping pong by yourself; first, we must see what you will need to pull this off and how to use the things you’ve already got for this purpose. So let us begin by finding the best replacement for a ping pong partner everyone has at their home.

Related: Beginner’s Guide to Ping Pong

Playing Ping Pong By Yourself: The Wall is Your Best Friend

It’s quite simple if you think about it. Just find an empty wall and push the table at it and you’re good to go. The ball will bounce back and you’re going to have a game of ping pong all by yourself.

Be sure to remove any paintings or mirrors if you can’t find an empty wall because even though the Ping-Pong ball is soft and made out of plastic – better safe than sorry.

Also, I would advise you not to do this at night as your neighbors might not like all the tapping and hitting noises and you don’t want them knocking on your door and seeing that you are playing ping pong by yourself, they’ll think you’re weird or that you don’t have friends 🙂 .

Jokes aside, this is maybe the best way to play ping pong by yourself and is quite good practice if you want to beat your friends later when they come over. But what if you don’t have a ping pong table?

Another option, some ping pong tables (see our reviews of the best ping pong tables and reviews of the best mini ping pong tables) will allow you to fold one end up at a 90-degree angle. If you have one of these tables, you can do this instead of putting it against the wall. You’ll hit the ball off of the other side of the table that is folded up, and it will return to you.

No Table? No Problem.

Ping pong tables aren’t that expensive but if you don’t want to waste your money or don’t even have a place to put it, you shouldn’t worry too much. Any big table should work just fine.

It doesn’t matter if it’s round, rectangular or even triangular (if those even exist, I don’t work at IKEA), you should be just fine as long as it isn’t short and narrow because it is going to be very difficult for the ball to land on the table and I assume you aren’t Jan-Ove Waldner.

I would suggest that you stay clear of glass tables because they can get scratched or you might accidentally hit it with a paddle and possibly break it, and also thin plastic tables aren’t a good choice either as the ball won’t bounce as high as you expect.

Instead, go for a wooden table as it is resistant to scratches and gives the ball a nice bounce. Ideally, you can use your work desk if it’s close to a wall and start playing.

Related: Reviews of the Best Outdoor Ping Pong Tables

No Paddle? No Problem.

Paddles are inexpensive and you can find them at most supermarkets or shops that sell sports equipment (see our reviews of the best ping pong paddles) but if you don’t have one and you don’t want to go out and buy it you can make your own.

• Use a small book – Sure it’s not going to be the same as holding a paddle but it will get the job done. Go for a hardcover rather than a paperback as it will make the ball bounce better.
• Get a stick and a piece of hard cardboard – Glue them together and Voilà.
• Woodwork – If you have some wood lying around and know how to do some woodwork you can even make your own paddle from scratch, it’s not that hard.

You can always DIY with other materials or use an item which you think is suitable, anything sturdy which can fit your hand can do the trick, but don’t use your phone because you can scratch it (a slipper is always an option).

Friends are Busy? No Problem.

If you are still asking how to play ping pong by yourself you can buy a ping pong robot which dispenses balls for you to hit. It’s great practice if you’re already playing ping pong in your free time so you’re ready for those friendly competitions when you get your friends at a house party.

It’s by far the best way to play ping pong by yourself but you should know that they aren’t so cheap costing from 50 to even 500 dollars and up.

Anyways scientists have developed a robotic arm designed to play ping pong with humans but I assume this is way out of your budget because they aren’t even for sale and if they were it would cost you thousands of dollars which will make you ask yourself is it worth it rather than how to play ping pong by yourself.

But I guess the robotic arm will be a better player than your friends because it is programmed not to miss a hit, so if you’re up to the challenge then go for it, maybe you will be lucky to be allowed by the scientists who made it, to play with it, it sounds fun.

Related: Reviews of the Best Ping Pong Balls

Conclusion

To summarize, it is possible to play ping pong alone, you just have to utilize the things you have and go for it.

See what works best and what doesn’t and soon you’ll become a ping pong solo master, and then when you play with our friends they will be amazed by your skills just try not to be too hard on them otherwise they won’t play with you anymore so you’ll really need to play by yourself.

I hope that this article was helpful in answering this question, if not I advise you to wait for your friends to make some free time for a ping pong session or play darts instead, both are fun but I agree that ping pong is way more enjoyable.