diff --git a/src/main/java/electrosphere/net/client/ClientNetworking.java b/src/main/java/electrosphere/net/client/ClientNetworking.java
index 86600f2e..3cade1cb 100644
--- a/src/main/java/electrosphere/net/client/ClientNetworking.java
+++ b/src/main/java/electrosphere/net/client/ClientNetworking.java
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ import electrosphere.net.parser.net.message.EntityMessage;
 import electrosphere.net.parser.net.message.NetworkMessage;
 import electrosphere.net.parser.net.message.PlayerMessage;
 import electrosphere.net.parser.net.message.ServerMessage;
+import electrosphere.net.parser.net.message.NetworkMessage.MessageType;
+import electrosphere.net.parser.net.message.ServerMessage.ServerMessageType;
 import electrosphere.net.parser.net.raw.NetworkParser;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
@@ -49,8 +51,13 @@ public class ClientNetworking implements Runnable{
 
     static final int MAX_CONNECTION_ATTEMPTS = 10;
 
+    //set to true to also get ping and pong messages in debug logging
+    boolean echoPings = false;
+
+    //thresholds for when to send pings and to determine when we've disconnected
     static final long SEND_PING_THRESHOLD = 3000;
     static final long PING_DISCONNECT_THRESHOLD = 20000;
+    //times for calculating ping-pong
     long lastPingTime = 0;
     long lastPongTime = 0;
     
@@ -151,12 +158,33 @@ public class ClientNetworking implements Runnable{
         if(initialized){
             while(parser.hasIncomingMessaage()){
                 NetworkMessage message = parser.popIncomingMessage();
-                LoggerInterface.loggerNetworking.DEBUG("[Client] New message " + message.getType());
+                //print network message
+                printMessage(message);
                 //do something
                 clientProtocol.handleMessage(message);
             }
         }
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Print out the network message type, this only prints ping and pong if echoPings is true
+     */
+    void printMessage(NetworkMessage message){
+        //only print ping and pong if echoPings is true
+        if(message.getType() == MessageType.SERVER_MESSAGE){
+            if((((ServerMessage)message).getMessageSubtype()) == ServerMessageType.PING ||
+               (((ServerMessage)message).getMessageSubtype()) == ServerMessageType.PONG
+                ){
+                        if(this.echoPings == true){
+                    LoggerInterface.loggerNetworking.DEBUG("[Server] New message " + message.getType());
+                }
+            } else {
+                LoggerInterface.loggerNetworking.DEBUG("[Server] New message " + message.getType());
+            }
+        } else {
+            LoggerInterface.loggerNetworking.DEBUG("[Server] New message " + message.getType());
+        }
+    }
     
     
     public void queueOutgoingMessage(NetworkMessage message){
diff --git a/src/main/java/electrosphere/net/server/protocol/ServerProtocol.java b/src/main/java/electrosphere/net/server/protocol/ServerProtocol.java
index c391c8f9..8f4e3c72 100644
--- a/src/main/java/electrosphere/net/server/protocol/ServerProtocol.java
+++ b/src/main/java/electrosphere/net/server/protocol/ServerProtocol.java
@@ -23,19 +23,24 @@ import electrosphere.net.parser.net.message.NetworkMessage;
 import electrosphere.net.parser.net.message.PlayerMessage;
 import electrosphere.net.parser.net.message.ServerMessage;
 import electrosphere.net.parser.net.message.TerrainMessage;
+import electrosphere.net.parser.net.message.NetworkMessage.MessageType;
+import electrosphere.net.parser.net.message.ServerMessage.ServerMessageType;
 import electrosphere.net.server.ServerConnectionHandler;
 import electrosphere.net.server.player.Player;
 
 public class ServerProtocol {
     
     ServerConnectionHandler connectionHandler;
+    boolean echoPings = false;
     
     public ServerProtocol(ServerConnectionHandler connectionHandler){
         this.connectionHandler = connectionHandler;
     }
     
     public void handleMessage(NetworkMessage message){
-        LoggerInterface.loggerNetworking.DEBUG("[Server] New message " + message.getType());
+        //print out message
+        printMessage(message);
+        //actually handle message
         switch(message.getType()){
             case ENTITY_MESSAGE:
                 EntityProtocol.handleEntityMessage(connectionHandler, (EntityMessage)message);
@@ -74,4 +79,24 @@ public class ServerProtocol {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Print out the network message type, this only prints ping and pong if echoPings is true
+     */
+    void printMessage(NetworkMessage message){
+        //only print ping and pong if echoPings is true
+        if(message.getType() == MessageType.SERVER_MESSAGE){
+            if((((ServerMessage)message).getMessageSubtype()) == ServerMessageType.PING ||
+               (((ServerMessage)message).getMessageSubtype()) == ServerMessageType.PONG
+                ){
+                        if(this.echoPings == true){
+                    LoggerInterface.loggerNetworking.DEBUG("[Server] New message " + message.getType());
+                }
+            } else {
+                LoggerInterface.loggerNetworking.DEBUG("[Server] New message " + message.getType());
+            }
+        } else {
+            LoggerInterface.loggerNetworking.DEBUG("[Server] New message " + message.getType());
+        }
+    }
+
 }