It’s Not Ping-Pong, It’s 2Pong: Father and Son Reinvent Traditional Table Tennis

Father and son duo Darrick and Ben Battaglia have taken ping-pong to a new level; and they hope their practical invention, 2Pong, will appeal to events, traditional tennis enthusiasts.

2Pong was originally a way to pass the time during the pandemic, but has now developed into a family business. The Battaglias’ shared love of racket sports inspired the pair to take their idea to the next level.

“My dad and my family were always involved in so many different sports, from volleyball to hockey to dancing, and that extended to racquet sports and canoeing,” Ben told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo.

“We had a ping-pong table in the basement for many years, and it wasn’t until the first COVID lockdown in Ontario that we started using our table.”

From then on, the family started having table tennis competitions every night, Ben explained, and that’s when the idea was born to try different objects instead of a paddle.

“We have karate focus gloves in our basement, we had dumbbells … balance boards,” Darrick said.

Finally they landed on two paddle-like gauntlets. Instead of grabbing the paddle with one hand, 2Pong players hit the ball with both hands.

“We’re different from the standard Ping-Pong paddle, instead of rubber on the front of the hitting surface we use synthetic vinyl,” said Ben.

“It’s more punching, more pushing than slicing and you’re using two hands. It’s almost like boxing with ping pong,” added Darrick.

The gloves also have ball chambers so that players can quickly access the ball during the match. The rules are a bit different too, Ben said.

“The special rule we added to differentiate ourselves and get the other person involved more is that each player gets two serves. Their first serve has to come from any of their better hands, but their second serve has to come from the opposite hand,” he said. said.

Players also have more flexibility and the ability to extend their arms deeper, Darrick said, and if the ball hits the net, “you have two bounces to get it back,” he said.

“It’s pretty special to me”

For Ben and Darrick, cooperation in the company has been special.

“My father has had more than 20 years as a businessman and the experience I’ve had under his wing, just listening and learning from him, is priceless,” he said. “It’s pretty special to me.”

What he has learned at school has also helped him build the business from the ground up, Ben adds.

“It’s pretty cool to be able to combine what I’ve learned in school in my recreation and sports business program at the University of Waterloo with what we do here,” he said.

Ben’s siblings also help with the company’s marketing and social media.

Darrick said they are currently seeking an international patent for their idea.

They are also exploring ways to make 2Pong an accessible sport in partnership with Easter Seals Ontario, an organization that advocates and empowers children and youth with disabilities.

“We try to make the game as easy to use as possible so that everyone can play it, so we’re proud to partner with Easter Seals,” said Ben.