Robo Pong at Melville's Pickle N Par Club pins you against a robot

Those looking to sharpen their Ping-Pong skills but don’t have a playing partner, fear not. The Sameh Awadalla Table Tennis Academy (SATTA), located inside Pickle N Par in Melville, offers Robo Pong daily. Here players can work out against a machine.

"The robot throws balls at you in lieu of a practice partner," owner Sam Awadalla says. "You get a different ball every time. This allows you to focus on your moves."

The robot stands like a video camera on the other side of the table with a pipeline of balls feeding from below and a collection net behind it. Over 60 drills are provided at different level settings: beginner, intermediate or advanced.

"You can choose which one you like, forehand, backhand, short and long, it all depends on what you want to work on," Awadalla notes. "At first, it might seem hard, but you get into the rhythm of it. The machine can shoot out three balls per second for advanced, or you can choose one ball every second and a half for intermediate or one ball every two seconds if you are a beginner."

Players can also take turns during a robo session and the machine even collects the balls. The room is private and has a lounge where friends can watch. All paddles and balls are provided.

"This is open to people of all ages," says Adawalla, who was a top-ranking player and coach in the USATT (USA Table Tennis). "We have 4-year-olds playing with the robot up to folks 86 years old. Anyone can do it."