Teqball players aiming high
Athletes of unique sport, blending football and table tennis, aim to attract more people to the game, Xing Wen reports.
With lightning-quick reactions and no small amount of dexterity, Zhang Junming whips his leg high above his shoulder in a pose reminiscent of Bruce Lee executing a roundhouse kick.
He connects his foot solidly with the oncoming football and volleys it powerfully downward. With a loud "thwump" it ricochets off the oddly-curved ping-pong table and whizzes past the ear of his opponent, who, unable to respond quickly enough, is left rooted to the spot. The point unequivocally goes to Zhang. Without breaking a sweat, he limbers up and prepares to serve once more.
This unique sport is called Teqball. The Hungarian-born fusion of football and table tennis has been around for a decade. It's played on a curved tabletop that measures 3 meters in length and 1.7 meters in width, with the highest point reaching 0.76 meters high, and it's bisected by a solid net.
Typically, the game is contested in three-set matches, with doubles competitions being more popular than singles.
Participants use a slightly underinflated football and, similar to football, are allowed to strike the ball with any part of their body except their hands.
