10,000 Different Ways To Play Ping-Pong and Ping-Pong Cooking Analogies (OMG, two posts in one)

This post title is rivaling Alexandra's in length. Now, for the first part.

Ok, so that might have been a slight hyperbole. I lied. Oh well. At least you're interested in the post now.

Caleb and I have been playing way too much ping-pong and losing way too many ping-pong balls , so we've developed some very interesting adaptations on the game. Let me walk you through our 5 most common playing styles.

1) Traditional - the long-withstanding rules of table tennis apply, and we tend to be a little overaggressive; I have been known to hit ping-pong balls into the pool or directly at Caleb's face. This is great for improving the reflexes.

2) Left-Handed - You'd be surprised how much strength and coordination you lack on your weaker side, especially on the backhanded shots. This, to say the least, is very eye-opening. I won't comment on the number of open-palm slaps that occur in these matches to avoid using the "bad" hand.

3) Two Paddles - With one paddle in each hand, it can be interesting to see how much you defer to your dominant hand. With relatively-equally skilled hands, you can be very tough to beat like this. After a while, the paddle starts to feel heavier in one hand. Eliminates many backhanded shots.

4) Two Balls - Very tricky, the object of this game is to keep the rally going as long as possible. Both players have to be a bit in-sync and not screw up. This can be difficult if one ball is bouncier than the other, or one player really sucks. Lots of blame-laying happens in these rounds.

5) Serve-Volley ~ By far the hardest against a skilled opponent, a quick reaction time is mandated for this style. If successful, it can prove very tough to beat. This can involve an awful lot of leaning against the table, which may or may not be legal.

6) Oh, who noticed there were only supposed to be 5 styles. This is a bonus.
    Ricochet - shots, bounce off the wall and onto the opponent's side of the table. Requires good walls and incredible strength, plus a speedy adjustment time by the players.

Watch this completely crazy 41 shot ping-pong rally at the 2014 commonwealth games (former british colonies): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahOnhEvMgq0

Part Two: when you're at home with your brother all day, you start talking crazy. Here's some vocabulary for you.

Roasting: When Caleb hits an amazing forehand winner.
Baking, Broiling, Microwaving, Sautéing : Anytime Rebecca wins a point
Undercooked: A shot that falls short
Overcooked: A shot that goes long
Rare/Raw: Completely unskilled shot