Teqball players aiming high

With lightning-quick 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 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.

On Aug 19, the 2023 Beijing Teqball Challenge, held by the Beijing Olympic City Development Association and the International Teqball Federation, wrapped up at the Juyongguan Great Wall area in Beijing.

Chen emerged as the champion in the men's singles category and, alongside his partner Sun Zhixu, clinched the men's doubles title.

Gao Yunchao, the vice-director of BODA, says that through high-level competition, they aim to pique the interest of the general public in Teqball, enrich the cultural lives of citizens and foster a strong atmosphere of sports participation.

On the following day, at the same site, a Teqball sports carnival took place, promoting the sport through interactive games and activities, engaging participants in the sport.

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 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 says.

After months of practicing Teqball, he went to Budapest to compete in the 2019 Teqball World Championships, enabling him to play with mature foreign Teqball players.

Since then, he has been honing his skills in a suitable venue in Xiamen, Fujian province, the city in which he lives.

Serving as a financial executive in a local company, Chen devotes his spare time to Teqball training, typically doing three training sessions per week, each lasting more than three hours.

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.

"Our primary difficulty at the moment is the absence of skilled opponents within the country who can provide us with challenging competition, enabling us to progress rapidly in our skills," says Chen.

When speaking at the 2023 Beijing Teqball Challenge, he highlighted how such domestic competitions can help them evaluate their progress at different stages of training and serve as a source of motivation.

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 senior student at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, is one of the football enthusiasts who received encouragement from Chen to give Teqball a try.

Gao, a member of her university's female football team, frequently shares video clips of her playing football and showcasing her skills on various social media platforms, including TikTok and Bilibili.

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, which kicked off on Aug 4.

Gao found herself hooked after her initial experience with Teqball. "Every time I play Teqball, it feels like time flies by," she says.

As a female player, she noticed that Teqball requires participants to cover a smaller playing area, requires less intense physical contact and a relatively shorter match duration.

Both men and women can compete on an equal footing.

"Most of the time, I feel like I'm competing against myself. Ensuring I don't make mistakes and successfully volleying the ball onto the opponent's table feels like winning half the battle.

"Achieving beautiful teamwork with my teammates also gives me a great sense of accomplishment," she says.

The 22-year-old has applied for free Teqball tables from BODA to be installed at her university. She hopes to inspire more of her teammates to enjoy this unique variation of football.

She also sees significant potential for Teqball's growth in China. "It offers an easy entry point for football enthusiasts," she says. "Unlike full-sized football fields, Teqball tables require minimal space and can be conveniently placed in settings like residential communities and parks."

Gao hopes that she can vie for the opportunity to compete in the Teqball World Championships 2023 which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand in November.

As a footballer, she used to play in domestic competitions. But as a Teqballer, she sees in herself greater potential to step onto the international stage.

Li Bowen, 35, director of a junior football training base in Haidian district, Beijing, agrees.

He also participated in the 2023 Beijing Teqball Challenge and 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 says.