Table Tennis Improves Decision Making 21 Percent in 8 Weeks

Table tennis does more than improve hand-eye coordination. A new randomized controlled trial found that eight weeks of table tennis training significantly boosted cognitive performance in university students, with careful decision-making improving by 21 percent and concentration by 13 percent.

The Study Design

Researchers at Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University in Turkey recruited 28 sports science students for a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest control group design. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group that took an eight-week table tennis course or a control group that did not.

The experimental group consisted of 14 students (mean age 19.79 ± 1.89 years), while the control group had 14 students (mean age 21.43 ± 1.16 years). Cognitive performance was measured using the D2 Attention Test for concentration and the Melbourne Decision Making Scale for careful decision-making skills.

Key Findings

The analysis using repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant time effects for both cognitive measures.

For concentration performance, the time effect was highly significant (F = 16.328, p < 0.001). The experimental group improved their concentration scores by 12.65 percent from pretest to posttest, while the control group showed a smaller improvement of 7.70 percent.

For careful decision-making, the time effect was also significant (F = 4.759, p = 0.038). The experimental group demonstrated a 21.43 percent increase in careful decision-making scores, compared to just a 0.96 percent increase in the control group.

While the group-by-time interaction was not statistically significant for either measure, the researchers noted that the greater improvement observed in the table tennis group suggests a potential positive effect of table tennis training on cognitive skills development.

Why Table Tennis Benefits the Brain

Table tennis is an open-skill sport, meaning it takes place in an unpredictable environment that requires constant adaptation. Players must track the ball’s trajectory, anticipate the opponent’s shot, and execute precise movements within milliseconds. This combination of physical and cognitive demands may explain the observed benefits.

A 2025 narrative review in Brain Sciences found that open-skill exercises like table tennis may be particularly effective for cognitive enhancement compared to closed-skill exercises like running on a treadmill. The review suggests that the cognitive demands of open-skill sports provide a form of dual-task training that engages executive functions while exercising the body.

Research has also shown that table tennis stimulates BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), a protein that supports the growth of new neurons and synapses. A 2024 study found that table tennis produced significantly greater BDNF increases than both chess and sedentary control conditions.

Evidence Across Populations

The cognitive benefits of table tennis extend beyond university students. A 2025 network meta-analysis comparing eight ball sports found that table tennis ranked first for Trail Making Test performance, a measure of cognitive flexibility and executive function. The study reported a SUCRA (surface under the cumulative ranking curve) score of 95.4 percent, indicating superior performance compared to other sports.

In clinical populations, table tennis has shown promise as a cognitive rehabilitation tool. Studies have documented improvements in executive function, attention, and processing speed in older adults and patients with neurological conditions who participate in table tennis training programs.

Practical Implications

The findings suggest that table tennis may be an effective, accessible intervention for cognitive enhancement. Unlike some forms of cognitive training that require specialized equipment or software, table tennis requires only a table, paddles, and a ball. The sport can be practiced across age groups and fitness levels, making it a scalable public health intervention for brain health.

For students and professionals seeking to improve cognitive performance, the study suggests that regular table tennis practice may provide meaningful benefits in areas like decision-making and concentration. The cognitive demands of the sport, including rapid visual processing, spatial awareness, and motor planning, may transfer to performance in academic and work settings.

Limitations and Future Research

The current study had a relatively small sample size (28 participants total), and the group-by-time interaction did not reach statistical significance for either cognitive measure. The researchers note that future studies with larger sample sizes and longer intervention periods are needed to confirm these findings and explore dose-response relationships.

The study did not include neuroimaging measures, so the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. Future research could combine behavioral cognitive measures with EEG or fMRI to examine how table tennis training affects brain structure and function.

Sources

Celik N, Bolat C, Donmez A. 2026. Table tennis and cognitive skills: A study on attention and decision making in sports science students. PLoS One 21(7): e0353175

Birinci YZ, et al. 2024. Sport Sciences for Health 20:347-357

Wang Y, Luo Z, et al. 2025. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 17(1):215

Kumagai S, et al. 2025. Brain Sciences 15(7):682