Rules on Modifying LP Rubber?

One beacon of hope...

The covering material shall extend up to but not beyond the limits of the blade, except that the part nearest the handle and gripped by the fingers may be left uncovered or covered with any material.

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The INTENT of the laws of TT regarding racket coverings is to ensure all players use a covering that is consistent all the way across the striking surface used. Although it IS legal to strike the ball with a crazy grip and have the ball impact the ITTF logo (that has a raised surface) that area is not normally used for striking the ball and is the selected location for the logo and manufacturer's stamp.

The quoted part of the laws of TT describes a situation of a penholder player who can apply cork or whatever to the back side of the blade (and apply the rubber just above it) to make for comfy finger rest. NONE of that area is used for striking the ball. ITTF is clear in its intent to allow players to do this to an area of the blade not used for striking the ball. Obviously NOT to add stuff on top of the rubber. There is no rule and how far down the pips must be, only that they be evenly spaced within a density spec.

As an umpire, I would NOT disallow the use of the bat in the pic if the pips are removed in the area where the finger rests on the rubber during the grip. I would allow a player to use that bat if it otherwise meets the descriptions in CH2 of the Laws of TT.