*** Welcome to piglix ***

Headis


HEADIS (Header Table Tennis) is a hybrid of soccer and table tennis. This sport uses a table very similar to that of table tennis, but with the players striking a 16 cm rubber ball with their head. The tactics of tennis and table tennis are involved, as well as soccer element, the header. In February 2010 HEADIS was one of the finalists of the world's largest start-up competition in the sporting goods industry, the ISPO brandnew Award from Munich.

The rules are similar to those of table tennis, with a few exceptions. The HEADIS ball is 16 cm in diameter, weighs about 100 grams, and is made out of rubber. Volleys (striking the ball before it hits the player's own side) are allowed, as well as touching the table with any part of the body. Each game is played to 11 points and up to 2 sets, although a player must be ahead by two points to win each set.

HEADIS can be seen as a hybrid of two sports. The rules and the table lead to the obvious relation to table tennis. The bigger ball, volley and touching of the table differ from table tennis. Physically, HEADIS is more comparable to badminton than to table tennis. The University of Saarland tested lactate values of HEADIS and compared them to common sports. The first measures showed that HEADIS values are way higher than in table tennis and can be compared to badminton. With more than 8 mmol/l lactic acid HEADIS leads to complete exhaustion. Soccer is the other sport HEADIS uses elements of, the header to be precise. This is why soccer players think it's easy to start HEADIS. HEADIS can be a training tool for youth soccer players to introduce the header.

HEADIS is a hybrid of head and tennis and was invented in 2006 by René Wegner, a Saarbrücken sports science student at the time, at the "Wesch", a swimming pool in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The soccer field was occupied, and they started heading the ball back and forth at the table tennis table. During his studies he developed the idea with his fellow student and friend Felix Weins. In 2008 HEADIS became part of the sports program at the University of Saarbrücken. HEADIS then started to spread throughout Germany. HEADIS is easy to start, fun to play and simple. Participation is growing quickly. There is media interest (both print and TV) in HEADIS, and it was awarded as one of the finalist at the 2010 "ISPO brandnew Award" in Munich, the world's largest start-up competition in the sporting goods industry.


...
Wikipedia

...