Have you ever played a game of ping pong? Up until recently, I haven’t played ping pong since I was in high school. We had a ping pong table in school that was put out whenever we had “free gym days” – meaning there was no formal activity for the day, so we were allowed to do whatever we wanted (ping pong, basketball, climb the ropes…).
Admittedly, I’m not that good at ping pong. I can hit and serve the ball, I’m just not as fast as I used to be. To make matter worse, I had shoulder surgery that I am still covering from. Pivoting and moving my body around rapidly is just not in the cards right now.
I was sent to review a portable ping pong set. I knew I couldn’t play the game in our home (we live in a “shoebox” sized condo), but I knew exactly who would enjoy playing with it – my “work kids.”
We were doing hybrid learning in our school, but currently we’re doing a “holiday pause,” meaning there is only online/remote learning until January 19, 2021. I guess the district felt that due to the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah and New Years), it was best to keep kids at home to decrease any chances of passing COVID around to their classmates.
I try my best to keep the kids entertained and physically active when they are not online or doing classwork. Because the kids need to be at least six feet apart, and we are limited to the toys and games they can play (EVERYTHING needs to be wiped down and disinfected all the time). After all, it’s hard to play a board game when you need to be six feet apart.
ProSpin was kind enough to send me their 4-Player All-in-One Portable Table Tennis Set. I knew it would be ideal for my “work kids.” The funny thing is that most of my “work kids” had no clue what ping pong even was! None of them played ping pong before either.
The 4-Player All-in-One Portable Table Tennis Set (Ping Pong) features;
- Retractable net up to 72″ wide
- Fits any table up to 2″ thick
- Super fast one-click set up that won’t leave any marks
- Turns any table into a table tennis match in seconds
- Comes in a gift-ready box!
Set up is SUPER easy. The net can stretch as little as 20″, up to 72″ wide. I honestly don’t know how wide the cafeteria table is, but it can’t be more that 2.5″ – 3″ (I’m guessing).
This brief video provides you with an idea of how easy it is to set it up.
The ends of the net attach to the table (clip on). It’s so easy to do. The older kids can do it with no help.
Currently we only have a cafeteria table to work with. It’s a little too long if you ask me, but it’s all we have right now. I have all the cafeteria tables at my disposal since we’re the only kids in the cafeteria/gym this school year.
This set comes with two paddles and three balls. They all fit nicely in a case when not in use.
I LOVE that everything fits together nicely, and it takes up little room. We don’t have much storage space right now. This whole set sits on top of the fridge when not in use. I could also tuck it into one of the cabinet shelves. At home, this would fit nicely in a closet or under the bed.
Let me tell you, watching the kids learn how to play ping pong was funny. I wish I was allowed to video tape the kids. I could send the videos to America’s Funniest Home Videos.
** PLEASE NOTE *** For obvious reasons, I cannot take or share photos or videos of my “work kids.” Therefore I don’t have any photos/videos of them playing the game that I can share.
It took a bit for the older kids (my kids range from kindergarten to fifth grade) just a little bit to learn how to play. They took on to it rather quickly. A few of them are really good at it now, better than I could ever be. The funny thing is that we have two boys that are in competition with each other now. There are days they zip through their classwork just so they can get to the ping pong set before the other kids do. These two boys are always playing against each other. There are times I need to stop them from playing just so the other kids can have an opportunity to play.
Watching the little ones play is SO CUTE! They cannot hit the balls AT ALL. Bless their little hearts, they don’t let that stop them. They still have a lot of fun swinging the paddles in hopes of hitting the ball.
To serve the ball I have seen the little ones literally throw it at their opponent. NOT to be mean or hurt them, but that is their way to “serve” the ball.
The little ones don’t really have the eye/hand coordination to play the game yet, but I know they will learn to over time.
They also have fun watching the balls bouncing around the gym. These balls are very bouncy, and the kids love to bounce them and chase after them – which is mostly what they do when they play ping pong (chase after the balls – they have yet to hit one – LOL). Thank goodness we have plenty of balls, and ProSpin even sent us some extra balls. So far we haven’t lost any, but a few have gone missing for a few days.
Ping pong is easy enough to learn how to play. If I can teach five year olds how to play the game, anyone can learn. It’s one of those games that both young and old can play – and play together with.
Even the gym teacher thinks it’s a fabulous idea. That’s because ping pong keeps you moving. You don’t realize it when you are playing the game, but you are getting in a lot of physical activity. You can play a leisurely game, but when it gets “heated,” you can really get a great workout. It’s a fun way to get exercise in.
ProSpin has different ping pong (table tennis) sets, including a two-player set. They also have portable ping pong tables (they are portable, but they are large in size and about thirty pounds, give or take).
With it being winter time in the Northeast, and people not being able to go out and do the things we normally do for fun, we all need fun activities we can do at home with our family. Why not pick up a ping pong set for your home? You can play it for fun, or have friendly family competitions.
If we had more room in our condo I would have a set for my family. Unfortunately our dining room is very small, and there is hardly any room for the four of us to move around, let alone play ping pong.
Gifting a portable ping pong set would be a great idea too. It’s something no one would expect, and I bet it would be one of the best gifts they get this holiday season.
This is also something you can take with you when you travel, especially if you use a camper/RV.
If you would like to learn more about the ping pong (table tennis) sets and accessories available at ProSpin, visit ProSpin.net. The brand can also be found on Facebook and Instagram.
The also offer FREE shipping.
What do you think about the idea of a portable ping pong set that can turn any table into a ping pong table? Does it sound like something you would enjoy with your friends? Would you consider giving one as a gift?
Feel free to comment and share your thoughts. I always love to hear from readers.
Kimberly
*I received free product samples to review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
Lee says
My kids would have so much fun with this. Actually my husband would love it even more than the teens. Thanks for the suggestion!
Lee
Lynsey Kmetz says
This is so neat! My Dad and I had a ping pong table in our den for years. He was SO GOOD. I was absolutely terrible LOL but we played a million hours anyway. Such fun memories.
Dee says
I would have lived this when I was younger. Cousins had a ping pong table snd that’s all I wanted to do when we’d visit.
Gwen says
Now this is a great and fun way to get moving and exercise which I definitely need to do.
Carla Ives says
This looks like fun! I haven’t played ping pong in years but, as you say, with everyone being cooped up this would be a great game. I would have to check the size of our table, but it looks like it just might work. We definitely have been slacking on exercise, too.
Bobette Kyle says
It sounds like it would be a fun activity for kids over the winter … something to do when they can’t get outside because of weather.
Kat says
So cool! What a great gift idea!
Michelle says
I always liked ping pong, but when we had a ping pong table set up out in the garage, no one played (the garage is a walk up the hill from the house….not convenient). It would be great to have something like this that could be easily set up and taken down/stored. Love the idea!