Vitality Pong Neuro Active Clinic — A New Chapter in Table Tennis & Brain Health
We are excited to introduce Vitality Pong Neuro Active Clinic — a world-first, neuroscience-informed functional and performance clinic powered by the movement, connection, and challenge of Table Tennis. This innovative program bridges sport and brain health, offering tailored sessions designed to enhance cognitive function, physical coordination, emotional well-being, and everyday vitality.
Founders
What We Do
At Vitality Pong, we use structured table tennis-based activity as a therapeutic tool to:
Stimulate brain function and cognitive agility
Improve hand-eye coordination and reaction time
Support balance, movement, and physical resilience
Boost mood, confidence, and social engagement
Slow cognitive decline and support neurological wellness (Table Tennis offers unique neurological and physical benefits for players of all ages — including those with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, stroke recovery needs, and other neuro-motor challenges.)
This is not just sport — it’s neuro-active therapy made joyful, adaptive, and accessible to everyone. Whether you’re a competitive player, someone looking to stay sharp, or living with neurological conditions, our clinic combines fun, evidence-informed coaching, and purposeful movement to put “fun back into function.”
We work with 3 main groups
NEURODEGENERATION – people with Parkinson’s, early Alzheimer’s disease, early Dementia, sensory processing challenges, anyone noticing early balance or mobility changes linked to neurodegeneration
NEURO A TYPICAL – people of all ages on spectrum disorders (ADHD, ADD, ASD, dyspraxia, sensory or learning differences..), children, teens, adults with unique neurodevelopmental challenges who benefit with guided movement and focus activities
NEURO EXCELLENCE – athletes, executives, performers, anyone seeking peak brain-body optimization. Those training for advanced cognitive-motor demands or wanting to unlock elite performance (Table Tennis specific or cross training for other Sports)
Programs & Services
Personalized Neuro-Active Table Tennis Sessions – tailored one-on-one or small group clinical programs
Adaptive & Inclusive Movement Training – for participants at all functional levels
Brain Health Focus Workshops – drills designed to improve cognition, focus, and decision-making
Community & Social Sessions – connect with others while moving and learning
Screenshot
Where & How to Join
Vitality Pong sessions are held at 205 Lonsdale Ave, North Vancouver, BC. 📍 Visit the official clinic site for program details, session descriptions, and booking: https://vitalitypong.ca
Train your Body with every Serve – Transform your Brain – Thrive in Life with Vitality PONG
Major League Table Tennis (MLTT) was founded in 2023 and is one of the most exciting sports leagues to enter the US. MLTT features 8 teams in cities across the country competing in an innovative team based format including singles, doubles, and our unique Golden Game.
MLTT is committed to advancing the sport of table tennis by providing the ultimate table tennis experience for all involved. MLTT is dedicated to growing our league and supporting our athletes as they compete at the highest levels of the sport. With a focus on growing the league and supporting athletes at the highest levels, MLTT is committed to delivering thrilling matches and fostering a vibrant table tennis community. (MLTT)
What is so exciting is that our Head Coach Luba Sadovska is MLTT coach for SEATTLE SPINNERS and you can read more about Luba’s journey with MLTT: https://mltt.com/league/teams/seattle-spinners/
Scientific evidence and medical experts around the world acknowledge that even recreational Table Tennis increases concentration and alertness, stimulates brain function, helps with the development of tactical thinking skills, hand/eye coordination, provides aerobic exercise and social and recreational interaction. In summary, Table Tennis can induce neuroplastic alterations in multiple brain networks including motor-related areas, visual cortex (in particular, visual motion area), and frontal regions, ultimately leading to improved sensorimotor and executive functions. This fast-paced game is challenging and equally rewarding. Clinical Neuroscientist and Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen calls table tennis “The Best Brain Sport” and he explains how the body’s main organ can benefit from a friendly game of table tennis. Regular exercise boosts hormones in the body that keep your brain young. Physical activities increase circulation to the brain and promotes cell health. So, what set’s Table Tennis apart from other sports in terms of mental health? Table Tennis is a game of strategy, focus, coordination, reflexes and concentration. Table tennis requires a developed sense of strategy and the game starts well before the serve. You study your opponent and learn their tendencies so that your next move becomes a calculated reaction. Noting potential weaknesses, you plan your game accordingly.
Wendy Suzuki, a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at New York University, explains that Table Tennis stimulates parts of the brain that control fine motor skills. The list below explains which specific activities influence each part of the brain.
Hippocampus – This part of the brain allows you to formulate and retain long-term information. When heart rate increases, so does stimulation of the hippocampus.
Prefrontal Cortex – Stimulated through strategic game plans and matches require focus.
Primary Motor Cortex & Cerebellum – Control hand-eye coordination.
Basal Ganglia – Ability to maintain composure.
Temporal Lobes – Associated with focus and concentration.
Family-practice physician Danine Fruge, MD, medical director at Pritikin Longetivity Center says racket sports (like tennis, badminton, pickleball, squash) have been proven to be one of the top categories of sport for increasing lifespan. But playing Table Tennis, involves many of the same motions and thought processes as other racket sports and then some, given it can be fast-paced at certain level, requires no training or particular level of fitness to start playing. And you can even play it on practically any table with an extendable net. The barrier to entry drops even further when you consider that Table Tennis is generally thought of as a leisure activity or game, and not as exercise.
It’s really a surprise to people when we share with them that Table Tennis can support their longevity, because they think, how could something so fun be so healthy? Interestingly, that enjoyment is actually part of Table Tennis’ activity’s benefits. Table Tennis is also a brain- and body-supportive game. It involves doing multiple actions at the same time, quickly and in succession. For example, moving your leg is activating one part of the brain, using your wrist is another; judging the distance of the ball coming toward you is yet another. And doing all of that practices integrating several different brain circuits at once, which we know is tied to longevity.
Here are 3 ways that playing table tennis can boost your longevity, according to science:
1. It works out out your brain
Scientists have known since the early 90s that table tennis is linked with greater mental ability , at any age, and playing Table Tennis regularly may be able to help preserve your mental capacities. In comparing table tennis to other forms of exercise like dancing, walking, and resistance training, a study in 2014 found that it had a stronger effect on cognitive function. That mental benefit is likely due to the sport’s use of multiple brain regions at once, as described above.
Prefrontal cortex—the strategy and thinking part of the brain—which is involved in memory retention and recall, in a game of table tennis, you’re tapping this area of the brain every time you plan your next strike or anticipate your opponent’s move, even if your execution isn’t as great as you planned. Where the ball goes doesn’t matter as much as the fact that you had the thought about where you wanted it to go,” says Dr. Fruge. “That’s key to how the brain works. By activating the prefrontal cortex with table tennis, you may actually boost memory retention and cognition.
The more you focus on fielding your partner’s hits throughout the game, the more you’re “flexing” that prefrontal cortex, which can strengthen with time kind of like a muscle.
There is evidence of something called neuroplasticity, where the brain actually gets used to and gets good at whatever you repeatedly do. By activating the prefrontal cortex with table tennis, then, you may actually boost memory retention and cognition. That’s why there are now table tennis programs made specifically for people with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, dementia…
That’s still not all the brain activity involved in a Table Tennis game. While playing, your brain is also firing up large and fine motor skills (aka moving your extremities and hand), as well as your visual and hearing systems. Hearing the ball contact on the racket and table activates the part of your brain that processes sound, while watching the ball fly toward and away from you is challenging your depth perception. Utilizing all these sensory inputs at once in order to hit the ball (aka hand-eye coordination) requires these various brain processes to happen in sync.
At the same time, your brain may also be engaging in non-direct communication. You don’t actually have to be looking at someone or concentrating on what they’re saying during a match, but you’re likely hearing them say, ‘Good shot,’ or ‘You missed’ which is allowing for socialization and connection. The more you’re laughing and enjoying the back-and-forth, the more you’re supporting your brain health and longevity, too.
2. It improves your agility
Scientists say Table Tennis makes major use of fast twitch muscle fibers — fibers in your muscle that provide lots of force for short bursts — in a way that walking or lifting weights does not. Why? During game play, you only have a few seconds to react and move your body in the direction of an in-coming ball. Every time you’re lunging to one side or throwing an arm to hit a high ball, you’re putting these quick-responding fibers to work.
Once you’ve practiced those movements enough times and strengthened those fast-twitch fibers along the way, there’s a higher likelihood that you’ll avoid bad slips and falls, further safeguarding your longevity. Anytime you’re on an uneven surface, if you have strong fast-twitch muscles, you’ll automatically navigate pushes and shoves more effectively. The same goes for stepping over a curb or over a threshold, or catching yourself if you misstep. The more responsive your fast-twitch muscles, the less likely you are to fall.”
3. You’ll get your heart rate going
Sure, it’s not exactly a five-mile run, but that doesn’t mean Table Tennis can’t be an aerobic activity. In fact, research conducted by the Mayo Clinic in 2012 found that Table Tennis can support brain health not just because it involves all that juicy brain coordination noted above, but also because it gets your blood pumping. And any time you’re elevating your heart rate with physical movement, you’re also boosting your longevity.
Table Tennis has proven benefits to mental health and has been used to rehabilitate individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, dementia, after stroke patients and it proved to be an excellent sport for ADD (attention deficit disorder) & ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). This racket-sport intervention improves behavioral and cognitive performance in these disorders. Why?
Looking at the kids that play in our table tennis club www.nsttc.ca , I came to conclusion that regular practise, and competition improves not only their smashes but their attention, concentration, and ability to focus better and for longer. They focus on the ball in a way, that some of them never have during the day. As well, i have noticed that they are concerned in the positive way in this sport because of their perseverance and compromise. So are their teachers and educators saying at schools. This demanding sport increases blood flow to the brain along with oxygen, nutrients, vitamins, and other essential chemicals that keep the brain healthy. High levels of concentration and attention to detail create a challenging mental exercise for those suffering from these conditions.
As a Table Tennis sport club, table tennis is much easier to reach compared to other sports. It is built on skills that require long-term attention and focus, and these skills develop as people continue to play. 6-week regular table tennis training has been found to have a positive effect on primary school children’s attention levels.
Table Tennis allows people to exercise the body while simultaneously enhancing thought processes and mental function. In fact, a study was conducted in Japan to explore the effects of Table Tennis on brain activity. Results showed that just 15 minutes of table tennis play had demonstrated benefits on the brain. Table tennis has also been shown to enhance reflexes and develop fast twitch muscles in the body that are controlled by the Parietal lobes of the brain. Many Table Tennis players learn to train with their primary hand and their weak hand to help develop the brains’ ability to control muscle function. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and vice versa. When you train both hands, you develop the other side of the brain.
Hand eye-coordination, aerobic exercise, and the mental capacity required to play Table Tennis – all have play a role in improving cognitive function of the brain. As the ball speeds across the table, players must focus on the tiniest details in order to come out victorious. You can miss a return shot in the blink of an eye. Being able to control your nerves with the adrenaline pumping through your veins is key to surviving an intense match. This ability to maintain composure is directly related to the basal ganglia. Furthermore, the brains temporal lobes help you keep your head in the game when stakes are high.
Get in touch with us, go get a coach
Please select a valid form
Table Tennis takes an Aerobic turn and heads to school
Rosalind Duane / North Shore News
AUGUST 23, 2016 02:55 PM
Aerobic Table Tennis involves learning skills of the game set to music. photo supplied
Starting this September, North Shore school kids will be learning table tennis without the tables.
A unique program known as Aerobic Table Tennis will be bringing the sport to students starting in Grade K-12. The goal is to teach them technique and get them moving even if they’re too small to see over a typical table tennis top.
The Table Tennis In Schools Program stems from an initiative started last school year by Claudine Gunn and Luba Sadovska, co-owners of the North Shore Table Tennis Club. Already offering a variety of programs at their club, the duo decided to expand their instruction into local schools.
They visited a number of elementary schools in both North and West Vancouver, offering free classes and follow-up paid sessions if there was enough interest.
Sadovska, who has played table tennis professionally and at the national level for Czechoslovakia, says they were invited back to every school they visited. During this time, the duo had become aware of a program developed by U.K.’s Steve Rowe, that incorporated basic table tennis training with music and fitness. It is called Aerobic Table Tennis.
The North Shore club has now incorporated Aerobic Table Tennis into their regular programming, and so far classes have been very popular. “A benefit of the program is you burn calories, strengthen the muscles; it also can help with weight loss and improve motor skills and balance,” explains Sadovska.
She says the Aerobic Table Tennis program involves teaching basic table tennis technique along with aerobic exercise to music. It is considered low-impact aerobics, and Sadovska says their classes have attracted whole families, including parents, kids, and grandparents. This fall, Gunn and Sadovska will once again bring their table tennis program into both elementary and high schools across the North Shore, along with Aerobic Table Tennis program.
“It’s simple, and it’s Fun!” says Gunn of the routine, which she says is particularly appealing to the younger kids. “The music does helps the kids move, focus, and brings the class together as a group. And they connect with it.”
As well as getting kids to move, the program is also considered as an introduction to the sport of table tennis because participants learn how to hold the racket, how to move with the racket, all the footwork, and other main components of the game before they even stand in front of a table.
“Table tennis in North Vancouver is getting bigger,” says Sadovska, adding their general programs have really taken off. Gunn notes that Aerobic Table Tennis is adaptable and can be modified for students with special needs as well. The program will be introduced into all West Vancouver elementary schools this coming school year, as well as four North Vancouver elementary schools, and a number of high schools.
– See more at: http://www.nsnews.com/living/parenting/table-tennis-takes-an-aerobic-turn-and-heads-to-school-1.2329051#sthash.KYAtJmYC.aX5I7X4q.dpuf
