Are you curious about an average session? They are about 90 minutes long and they are designed to help you to connect with your body and other pongers!
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​Weekly Session Program

​I. Introductions – 5 minutes
A: Welcome new people; indicate the session number
B: Formal introductions; in a circle, everyone projecting his/her voice
C: Announcements
D: Optional: Parkinson medical news updates

II. Exercises 8-10 minutes
1. Yoga related

• Deep, relaxing breaths with hands slowly carried overhead (inhale), and down (exhale); Repeat 3-5 times
• Neck exercises: Turn left, right, circular rotations; chin tuck (touching chest)
• “Pistol of Love” – weight on heels, hands forming pistol carried overhead, stretching toward ceiling while looking up at ceiling, done while leaning backwards. Repeat 2 times.
• “Pistol of Love” – formed this time behind back; arms down, stretching down. Repeat 2 times.

2. Wrist/arms/hands/fingers

• Shake out hands; arms thrust forward
• Finger grips – with arms extended horizontally, fingers flexed
• Finger taps – thumb touching each finger, both hands simultaneously.
• Wrist rotation – with arms thrust forward in horizontal position, rotate wrists back and forth (abduction/adduction).

3. Lunges

• Dual tasking; leader calls out lunges by the clock (e.g., 2 o’clock = right leg lunge forward at 45 degrees).

4. Torso twist (with or without ping pong paddles)

• Lateral and medial rotations, 180 degrees, five times

 
5. “Ping Pong Pick-up”

• Modified deep knee bends with support of one hand on one knee (alternating) as the opposite hand touches floor; reverse hands; 2 times

6. Balancing

• Standing tree, airplane, Romberg – one foot lined up behind the other; eyes open, eyes closed; hold position (stance) for 3-5 seconds.

7. Aerobic 

• Jumping jacks, knee lifts in place (touching elbow to knee while raising leg); straddles (back and forth laterally

8   Ping Pong Coordination exercises

• Bounce ball off racket 10 times, dominant and non-dominant hands.
• Reverse hits – 10 times while alternating hits on both sides of the racket
• Big bounce (high bounce) off racket and then allowing ball to stop bouncing while controlling racket.
• Walking while bouncing ball on racket.

9. Muscle Movements

• Wrinkle forehead (Raise eye brows) x 5 seconds
• Open eyes wide – than close eyes tight  x 5 seconds
• Flair nostrils
• Mouth wide open
• Purse lips (kissing)
• Make an “o” with lips
• Grin and show teeth together (stretch cheeks)
• Stick tongue out and up
• Inside mouth – rotate tongue in circle
• Blow out cheeks
• Move jaw: up, down, and laterally (both sides, L and R)

10. Facial/Emotional expressions

• Exaggerated broad smile
• Surprise Expression
• Angry expression
• Frown
• Happiness
• Contempt
• Sadness
• Fear
• Disgust

III.  Ping Pong Demonstration
An instructional block, 3-5 minutes a different facet of table tennis demonstrated each week (e.g., forehand push, backhand topspin)

IV.  Main Ping Pong Session
Approximately 45 minutes consisting of 3 or 4 rotations

• Singles tables, doubles, robot table, instructional table (one on one instruction for those Pongers starting out)
• Boxing bag – instructor calls out jab, cross or uppercut with left or right hand (a dual task activity)
• Juggling (with an instructor), light weight lifting (with an instructor).

III.  Singing
A short session of singing to lift spirits and help maintain facial control.