New way to detect boost 2013

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Hi all,

I just received an email from the ITTF, which many of you are well aware of I'm sure, Adham Sharara is standing again for president, but interestingly an important topic to mention is they seem to have found a way to detect boosting. After a few more tests, it could well be introduced later this year.

boostimg.jpg


What are your thoughts?

ITTF Executive Vice President Mr. Koji Kimura presented a revolutionary way to detect "boosters" in rackets without having to remove the racket coverings. "Boosters" are types of oils that some players use by coating the sponge in the racket covering, which expands and provides more speed and more spin for the user. The new method would be 'Non-invasive" and measures the rebound of a ball off the racket. If the rebound is beyond the normal standards for "non-boosted" rackets then it would mean that the racket has been manipulated and boosters introduced and the player would be disqualified. "Further tests will be conducted and we hope to introduce this method in the near future" said ITTF President Adham Sharara.
 
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Not sure how accurate it can be, as someone with a three foot thick balsa wood blade would have much more bounce that a slow blade. It isn't just the rubbers is it, how would they work that out. Are there even lists of approved blades like there is with rubbers as the options would be too great for them to cope with?
 
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I still think people are too into this "factory boosted" thing being the same things as post-factory boosting. Yes, Butterfly and other companies tune your rubbers some in the factory, but that boosting is IRRELEVANT when compared with post-factory boosting. The players that use actual boosters in the post-factory stage induce a much greater change to their rubbers, and they can manipulate how much of the effect they want to have. Post-factory boosting has an indeterminably greater effect than the simple factory tuning that rubbers such as Tenergy produce. In any case, almost all players can immediately tell someone is boosting based on sound, rebound, etc. of the rubber. The problem has always been that it was subjective. Even if everyone knows they are boosting, there is no proof.
 
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and that is not even all, there will be differencies between a bounce of h3 and a bounce of h3 on some custom sponge ... so are they going to ban custom made rubbers ?

I believe they already have. Rubber must be ITTF approved. I could be wrong, but....
 
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I agree they should make boosting legal, I don't think players will be happy if they are not allowed to use boost any more. If it was legal everyone knows where they stand and players can choose to use it or not...

Yep. I agree with d3m0n14k and Tom. I think the ITTF are wasting their time worrying about boosting. If it is non-toxic they should not worry about it.
 
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As of now only topsheet needs to be aproved .. you can your own sponge ..

Do they actually sell Tenergy or Hurricane Topsheets or Sponge separate from the other. You also cannot alter the playing characteristics of the rubber you have and taking the topsheet off the sponge would probably be categorized as changing the characteristics. So, there are topsheets that come without sponge. But most of those are different forms of pips rubber. Right?
 
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Look, i really don't care what you think about it i know it s done cause i know players using custom rubbers, you can just steam most of topsheets down from the sponges and it s not really that hard. Even in world top TT WLQ is playing h3 on custom sponge but in his case we can actually say that the factory is probably making them specially for him but also Gao Ning plays h3 on custom sponge and in his case i really doubt that dhs would build a rubber for him as he is not chineese.
 
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Okay, it is done. Then the question is, would ITTF consider it legal when they say you cannot change the playing characteristics of the rubber after it leaves the factory. I personally think that all this stuff is an example of the ITTF being foolish. I think the stuff should be legal. I personally don't care about the speed glue ban either. But I could at least understand them banning substances that are dangerous. It makes no sense to me why they have banned any form of boosting whether the chemicals are dangerous or not. And here is the actual rule:

Law 2.04.07 - The covering material should be used as it has been authorised by the ITTF without any physical, chemical or other treatment, changing or modifying playing properties, friction, outlook, colour, structure, surface, etc.

Who knows, based on that, it might be okay to take the topsheet off and put it on something else. But, it sounds like they are saying, once a rubber/sponge combination has been approved and leaves the factory in its packaging, that an individual player should not alter it in any way.

Again, I don't agree with the rule. But that is what it looks like it says.
 
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In this point i totally agree with you but who are we to tell them what to do ?:) or not to do. I can just blame them for destroying the sport, cause ironically the sport was actually the most popular in it s fastest era full of speed glue and 38 mm ball, just look at those full halls on old videos people going crazy during the rally..
 
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Law 2.04.07 - The covering material should be used as it has been authorised by the ITTF without any physical, chemical or other treatment, changing or modifying playing properties, friction, outlook, colour, structure, surface, etc.

In that rule I quoted, the term covering is being used to refer to the topsheet and sponge as one unit. Only where the topsheet is sold separate from the sponge would they be considered separate. That is, at least, how I have been given to understand this particular rule.

Again, I think they are wasting there time and should not worry about this nonsense. Let them play the game. How would affect a regular club player? I just don't pay attention to any of it. All I do is use wood and rubber that work for me. I don't use Hurricane anymore so I don't feel like I have a need or a reason to boost. At least, the rubbers I am using now, do not feel like they need any help. But I see nothing wrong with boosting or modifying. The rules are foolish and short-sighted.

And I don't think they can stop what is going on.
 
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