PINGPONGPARKINSON CLASSIFICATION

Each player carries out a self-assessment. He chooses the one of the five categories that best fits his morbus Parkinson symptoms, even if not all criteria apply 100 %.

PD CATEGORY

Category A
  • No tremor in rest at hitting hand.
  • Freezing absent. No rigidity. Normal gait.
  • Posture stability normal.
  • Can stand up from a chair with arms folded across chest without problems.
  • No medic mentation offs.
Category B
  • Tremor in rest at hitting hand with small amplitude < 1 cm.
  • Freezing occasionally present. Mild rigidity.
  • Gait with mild slowing and/or reduction of step height or length.
  • Stability of posture slightly limited.
  • Can stand up from a chair with arms folded across chest without problems slowly but without using arms to stand up.
  • Medic mentation offs can be planned in accordance to schedule.
Category C
  • Tremor in rest at hitting hand with small amplitude between 1 and 3 cm.
  • Freezing temporarily present. Mild rigidity.
  • Gait with moderate slowing and/or reduction of step height or length.
  • Stability of posture moderate limited.
  • Getting up from a chair with arms folded across chest is increasingly difficult.
  • Planning of Medic mentation offs gets difficult.
Category D
  • Tremor in rest at hitting hand with moderate amplitude between 3 and 5 cm.
  • Freezing frequently present, even when walking.
  • Moderate rigidity.
  • Gait severe slowing, or shuffles or has festination.
  • Stability of posture moderately limited.
  • Needs arms to stand up from a chair, but stands up without help.
  • Medic mentation offs cannot be planned.
Category E
  • Tremor in rest at hitting hand with large amplitude > 5 cm.
  • Severe freezing when walking.
  • Severe rigidity.
  • Unable to stand up from a chair without help.
  • Nearly unable to walk.
  • Stability of posture severely restricted
  • Medic mentation, mostly off.

PING PONG SKILL

Category A
  • Players with at least 20 years of current continuous active competitive experience at intermediate or higher level.
  • Currently or formerly an advanced regional or national level table tennis player (not: in Parkinson’s table tennis)
  • Has received performance-oriented training at times during his/her career
  • In Germany: current playing class at district level or higher, current TTR value of 1400 and higher.
Category B
  • Players with at least 10 years of current continuous active competitive experience at low or intermediate level.
  • Has never or never been a regional top level table tennis player (not: in Parkinson’s table tennis)
  • Has been playing in a team in a club for a long time and occasionally in tournaments
  • Participants in a Parkinson World Championships or PPP-German Open belong to this category if they have achieved success in higher competitions in singles.
  • In Germany: current playing class at district level, current TTR value below 1400.
Category C
  • Player with no more than 10 years of current continuous active competitive experience at a low level.
  • Has never currently or previously been a top level regional table tennis player (not: in Parkinson’s table tennis).
  • Advanced player at a low club level. Is able to keep the ball safely in play and actively score points.
  • Has definitely acquired technical skills (attacking or defensive play clearly visible).
  • Has played table tennis in a club or hobby for a maximum of 15 years in his life.
  • Does not currently play table tennis competitively in a club, or at most at the lowest level.
  • Has received guided table tennis training for a maximum of five years.
  • Plays table tennis mainly as a hobby, possibly also in a group or a club (e.g. in a PPP base).
  • Participants in a Parkinson World Championships or PPP-German Open belong to this category if they have achieved success in singles in lower competitions.
  • in Germany: current playing class at the lowest district level, current TTR value below 1200.
Category D
  • Players with at least a ten-year break after any previous competitive participation in organised TT sport.
  • Is no longer a beginner.
  • Is able to keep the ball safely in play and also to form offensive or defensive moves (attacking or defensive play is present in the basics).
  • Has played table tennis in a club or as a hobby for a maximum of ten years in his/her life.
  • Does not currently play competitive table tennis in a club.
  • Has received guided table tennis training for a maximum of three years.
  • Plays table tennis as a hobby, possibly also in a group (e.g. in a PPP base).
  • Participants in a Parkinson World Championships or PPP-German Open only belong to this category if they have not acquired any major individual successes there (e.g. victory in their competition).
Category E
  • Advanced beginner without any competitive experience in organised TT sport/TT club.
  • Player with a maximum of five years playing experience.
  • Is able to keep the ball in play reasonably safely, but is not yet able to create structured moves.
  • Has never played in a table tennis club.
  • Has received guided table tennis training for a maximum of one year (e.g. in a PPP group).
  • Plays table tennis as a hobby, possibly also in a group (e.g. in a PPP base).
  • Participants in a Parkinson World Championships or PPP-German Open only belong to this class if they have participated there in the lowest classes in the singles very unsuccessfully.
Category F
  • Beginners without any competitive experience in organised TT sport/TT club.
  • Player with very little table tennis playing experience.
  • Has difficulty keeping the ball in play. Has never played in a table tennis club.
  • Has never received instructed table tennis training.
  • Has only been playing table tennis as a hobby for a maximum of one year, but only at home/ in the park/ garage or similar. Does not play table tennis in a group.
  • Participants in a Parkinson World Championships or PPP-German
  • Open (even without any success) do not belong in this category

To download/print the prospectus click here.