One 37 PM speaks on Teqball and its Rising Popularity
What is Teqball? A Look At The Sport's Rising Popularity
You have probably seen some of the videos online. But you may not have known what it was or how serious it is taken.
Think volleyball, using only your feet, knees, chest, and head. And now think about it on a table—with a table tennis-style net. Games go to 12 points and are played in a best of three series.
The year was 2014. And an engineer was playing an early version of Teqball on a ping pong table. He realized that if he adjusted the shape of the table, the game would be more user-friendly.
So he went to work.
The popularity of Teqball grew in Eastern Europe and fast. And then, social media got its hands on the sport. From there, it grew around the world.
When you watch a clip or an entire match of Teqball, of course, it is easy to see the overlap that is shared with soccer. Being a good soccer player certainly gives you some of the basics of Teqball. It requires a lot of mental endurance and can be a great tool in developing their first touch on the soccer field.But some of the best players have not come from soccer. Teqball has a very diverse talent pool that includes athletes from all sports, including volleyball and karate.
The Sport's Potential For the Future
The goal for Teqball is to be an Olympic sport by 2028, and with the Olympics being hosted in Los Angeles, the Teqball brass is really hoping to capitalize.
The LA Teqqers are the first pro team in the US, and they have put in a lot of effort to promote the sport across town. When in Los Angeles, you might see the team in highly populated parts of town, like the boardwalk, having random people try the sport.
Teqball organizations have been running tournaments for the last year and a half in different states and cities. Teqball has placed emphasis on diversifying its audience, and its tournaments prove that. The sport has an abundance of co-ed and female-only tournaments.
Like Los Angeles, New Jersey is another part of the United States that has become a hub for the sport. The New Jersey pro team, the NJ Teqballers have made their mark on the area.
Outside of the United States, there have been tons of countries to adopt the sport with open arms.
It should come as no surprise, but Brazil has been one of the countries that have embraced Teqball the most. In addition to Brazil, Eastern Europe, parts of Africa, and Thailand have shown a lot of interest.
Over the last year, Teqball has added 105 clubs in the US. Each team uses an Instagram account as a way to connect eager newcomers and bring them to the nearest table. And like it was said earlier, contrary to popular belief, you don't need years and years of soccer training.
The support for the sport has been overwhelming. When you think about other sports, it can be really hard to continue playing at an advanced age. Teqball is unique in that sense. The youngest player competing is 16 years old, while some of the oldest players are in their 50s. There is no discrimination when it comes to who can and cannot play.
When it comes to what stands in the way of the sport, the biggest obstacle is time. To become admitted into the Olympics, the sport needs to be adopted by every country. That is why grassroots initiatives are so important and are the focus of the sport's leadership groups.
The Teqball World Cup was last in Budapest, Hungary. There are tentative plans for a world cup in 2021, but like everything else in this covid life, it is flexible.
If you want to see some high-level play, check out this match. Many people consider this to be one of the best games ever played.
On April 10th and 11th, Teqball will be hosting the Challenger's Cup in Los Angeles. There, fans will get to see some very high-level play.