Teqball players aiming high
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With lightning-fast reactions and no small amount of dexterity, Chen 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 Chen. 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 9.8 feet in length and 5.6 feet in width, with the highest point reaching 2.5 feet, 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.
Chen emerged as the champion in the men’s singles category in the 2023 Beijing Teqball Challenge in August, and, alongside his partner Sun Zhixu, clinched the men’s doubles title.
As a top Teqball player in China, 39-year-old Chen began his journey in this niche sport four years ago. He had nurtured a passion for playing football since his childhood, but as he got older, he found that the demands of competitive football games were becoming challenging.
“In contrast, Teqball’s requirements for age and physical fitness are more forgiving, which allows me to extend the enjoyment of competitive sports well into my middle age,” he said.
Last summer, Chen, along with a group of like-minded Teqball enthusiasts, founded a Teqball club with the goal of better promoting this emerging sport in China and discovering more talented players.
To enlarge the domestic population of Teqball players, Chen closely examines videos of football enthusiasts demonstrating their ball-juggling skills to determine if they possess the technical abilities that can translate into success in Teqball.
When he identifies promising individuals, he reaches out to them privately, extending an invitation to join the Teqball community and get involved in competitions.
Gao Hui, a member of a female football team at a Chinese university, frequently shares video clips of herself playing football and showcasing her skills on various social media platforms. Her online presence has garnered more than 200,000 followers.
It was her juggling skills that caught Chen’s attention. He extended her an invitation to join his team and participate in the Qingdao Teqball Tour in August. Gao found herself hooked after her initial experience with Teqball. “Every time I play Teqball, it feels like time flies by,” she said.
Gao sees significant potential for Teqball’s growth in China. “It offers an easy entry point for football enthusiasts,” she said. “Unlike full-sized football fields, Teqball tables require minimal space and can be conveniently placed in settings like residential communities and parks.”
Li Bowen, 35, director of a junior football training base in Haidian district, Beijing, has put a Teqball table in his training base for youngsters to play on.
“I believe introducing Teqball into junior football training can enrich children’s approach to football and ignite their passion for sports,” he said.