Why so much hate against boosters?

[NDH]

Of course it is a minority issue since only a minority of all players play tournaments. But if you do play tournaments regularly and have a habit of always checking your opponent's bat before playing them, you'd see signs of boosting more often than one would expect. Funnily enough, the mx-p users seem to be particularly fond of boosting in UK ...

I'm back on the computer so it's much easier to respond......

Appreciate there have been a few replies to my initial comment!

I fully appreciate people all over the world will do it - But as I said previously and as you've said here.... It's the minority of the minority in a lot of places (certainly in the UK).

It feels like the people who are very pro Boosting (at least on this forum) are coming from a point of view of:

• Stick it to the shitty ITTF who make terrible rules and shouldn't be in charge of anything.
• I'm a free man/woman, I can do what I want and if I want to boost my rubber and save some money, I will.
• The factories can do it, so why can't I?
• There is no regulation that makes it easy to monitor it.... So..... Good luck catching me.

On the rules front.... People like to argue it's a "grey area" - It really isn't.

I can 100% see the argument, and I'd make it myself if I was that way inclined - But..... I would bet a lot of money that *everyone* who boosts, knows they *shouldn't* and their arguments are typically one of:

• The Pro's do it
• Everyone else does it
• Factories do it
• They can't prove it

Not wrong.... But also, don't pretend you are playing within the intended rules!

Lastly, as this is already a long post......

Saying the manufacturer/factory does it, so you should be able to is never going to be a solid argument.

There are SO many examples across SO many hobbies/industries where it's the same.

I'm not saying it's "right", but there is more to it than "they did it, so I can too"

At this point, I would be in agreement that the easiest and best thing to do would be to legalise it and include it (clearly) in the rules - Just like they managed with Speed Glue (or not using Speed Glue).

It gets away from this "underground boosting culture" where the first rule of Boosting Club is.....

You don't talk about Boosting Club.

 

[lodro]

I'm back on the computer so it's much easier to respond......

Appreciate there have been a few replies to my initial comment!

I fully appreciate people all over the world will do it - But as I said previously and as you've said here.... It's the minority of the minority in a lot of places (certainly in the UK).

It feels like the people who are very pro Boosting (at least on this forum) are coming from a point of view of:

• Stick it to the shitty ITTF who make terrible rules and shouldn't be in charge of anything.
• I'm a free man/woman, I can do what I want and if I want to boost my rubber and save some money, I will.
• The factories can do it, so why can't I?
• There is no regulation that makes it easy to monitor it.... So..... Good luck catching me.

On the rules front.... People like to argue it's a "grey area" - It really isn't.

I can 100% see the argument, and I'd make it myself if I was that way inclined - But..... I would bet a lot of money that *everyone* who boosts, knows they *shouldn't* and their arguments are typically one of:

• The Pro's do it
• Everyone else does it
• Factories do it
• They can't prove it

Not wrong.... But also, don't pretend you are playing within the intended rules!

Lastly, as this is already a long post......

Saying the manufacturer/factory does it, so you should be able to is never going to be a solid argument.

There are SO many examples across SO many hobbies/industries where it's the same.

I'm not saying it's "right", but there is more to it than "they did it, so I can too"

At this point, I would be in agreement that the easiest and best thing to do would be to legalise it and include it (clearly) in the rules - Just like they managed with Speed Glue (or not using Speed Glue).

It gets away from this "underground boosting culture" where the first rule of Boosting Club is.....

You don't talk about Boosting Club.

Another aspect is of course that of "legal ownership". I mean, I bought the bleedin rubber, I legally therefore own the thing and can do with it what I want, right ?

Nobody can stop me and actually nobody cares, especially not IttF.
Summing up: It's a complete non-issue. 😁 😁 😁

 

[phillypong]

I only use a bit of "lamp oil" on the top sheet just to get the spin back. It saves me from buying a new rubber every 6 months. It only restores most of the grip of the rubber, doesn't do that much. I don't want to spend between 30 to 80 € on a new rubber just to play on a regional shitty amateur level. So i buy a cheap chinese rubber and use it for up to 3 years just restoring every 3 months.
Technically this is illegal but hey, lets be reasonable.

 

[Tyce]

Another aspect is of course that of "legal ownership". I mean, I bought the bleedin rubber, I legally therefore own the thing and can do with it what I want, right ?

Nobody can stop me and actually nobody cares, especially not IttF.
Summing up: It's a complete non-issue. 😁 😁 😁

Sure you can do whatever, but if you want to use it in any official setting, legally, you can't.
Or to put it differently, if someone files a complaint about your gear, you could have a problem.

It's like how custom roms are your own bleeding business to use on a phone, but don't expect your banking app to work, or the manufacturer to help you with it.

But you summed it up for the amateur crowd: pretty much nobody gives a hoot. You don't get a real advantage anyway.

 

[Dr Evil]

People like to argue it's a "grey area" - It really isn't.

..... I would bet a lot of money that *everyone* who boosts, knows they *shouldn't* ...

....don't pretend you are playing within the intended rules!

I get your point of view, and I think it's reasonable but wrong. There's no "intended" rule. There's only a poorly written rule that doesn't ban boosting, a spoken clarification by a former leader of the rules organization to that effect (boosting is legal; only "post-factory" boosting is against the rules), and a long public record of the clarified rule being ignored by the rules organization.

Imagine incorrectly painted crowd-control lines, and sign that says, "Please line up within the designated areas." Almost everyone ignores the painted lines because they're in the wrong place. They've been doing it that way since the lines were painted, and if you're competing to get to the front of the line in good time you have to ignore the rule. While it's true that some people are made uncomfortable by the sign on the wall, most don't feel they're doing anything wrong.

 

[NDH]

I get your point of view, and I think it's reasonable but wrong. There's no "intended" rule. There's only a poorly written rule that doesn't ban boosting, a spoken clarification by a former leader of the rules organization to that effect (boosting is legal; only "post-factory" boosting is against the rules), and a long public record of the clarified rule being ignored by the rules organization.

Imagine incorrectly painted crowd-control lines, and sign that says, "Please line up within the designated areas." Almost everyone ignores the painted lines because they're in the wrong place. They've been doing it that way since the lines were painted, and if you're competing to get to the front of the line in good time you have to ignore the rule. While it's true that some people are made uncomfortable by the sign on the wall, most don't feel they're doing anything wrong.

I’ll not keep going back and forth on this, because quite frankly…. I just don’t care! 😂

But your argument is exactly what I was saying. You are just trying to use the grey area to justify something that is intended to be against the rules.

Your own post states that this rules official said “post factory boosting is against the rules”….

I’m not absolving the ITTF for decades of terrible mismanagement of the sport.

And I don’t care if people boost or not…..

Clarity over the rule would be ideal…. It would help with threads like this! 😂

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

I have solution! Let say you are top 500 player. You want to compete in the top tournaments, Smash, Olympic etc. You play with viscaria 88g, h3 neo 41 deg, tenergy 05 2mm and 5 layers DHS glue. Tournament organizators assemble your racket on video record, put some protective stickers on the side and hide the racket in the safe. You go to the tournament and before each match you receive your unboostet racket. After the match you return the racket for cleaning and storage. Complex, expensive, but fair. And all rubbers becomes factory boosted with separated grades and expiration date.

the last person these pros will trust is the tournament organizers that handle the rackets
haha
now you want them to assemble your racket?

 

[John_]

Igor isn't everyone... Most on the forum boost or just don't mind. It's not like we really care, most times we do it for fun, or practical reasons, like getting a bit more out of a dead rubber or expanding it a bit to fit on different blades. People that have problems with it have problems with everything and usually can't play to save their lives. So don't pay attention to them, Igor for example, how could anyone take that guy seriously? So chill and boost to your heart's content.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

The rule is silly, because it's badly constructed. At any point in the past 25 years could the ITTF have made them better, but they didn't.

This, as well as so many parts of the laws of table tennis, where it is so vague and requires some changes.... left untouch.

yet they okay to come up with color rubbers and change rules to match that of color rubbers and does remember to update it correctly, example below:

 

[Dr Evil]

I’ll not keep going back and forth on this, because quite frankly…. I just don’t care! 😂

But your argument is exactly what I was saying. You are just trying to use the grey area to justify something that is intended to be against the rules.

Your own post states that this rules official said “post factory boosting is against the rules”….

I’m not absolving the ITTF for decades of terrible mismanagement of the sport.

And I don’t care if people boost or not…..

Clarity over the rule would be ideal…. It would help with threads like this! 😂

I think we agree it's not worth going back and forth, not because you just don't care (you care a little -- as you should, because this is an interesting question of ethics -- or you wouldn't bother posting), but because we disagree about whether a booster ban is actually intended. You think it is based on what I think are demonstrably empty words that would be unfair even if they could be enforced. Like yours, my opinion is personally disinterested; it just makes sense to me.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

I think we agree it's not worth going back and forth, not because you just don't care (you care a little -- as you should, because this is an interesting question of ethics -- or you wouldn't bother posting), but because we disagree about whether a booster ban is actually intended. You think it is based on what I think are demonstrably empty words that would be unfair even if they could be enforced. Like yours, my opinion is personally disinterested; it just makes sense to me.

How about we think of the reasons of the true purpose of banning boosters but its okay for manufacturers to do so

 

[Dr Evil]

How about we think of the reasons of the true purpose of banning boosters but its okay for manufacturers to do so

I'm not sure what it could be. If only factory boosting were allowed, then only sponsored players would have access to properly boosted rubber which would be grossly unfair. Could that really be the intention? Seems highly unlikely.

 

[golden_son]

This, as well as so many parts of the laws of table tennis, where it is so vague and requires some changes.... left untouch.

yet they okay to come up with color rubbers and change rules to match that of color rubbers and does remember to update it correctly, example below:

View attachment 37662

Of course. The rubber manufacturers stood to gain a lot more financially from loosening the rules on rubber color than they would a clarification of boosting rules.

 

[lodro]

I'm not sure what it could be. If only factory boosting were allowed, then only sponsored players would have access to properly boosted rubber which would be grossly unfair. Could that really be the intention? Seems highly unlikely.

Very good point.
Of course nothing will change unless ITTF grows a pair and admits that the wording of the boosting rule is a fuck -up and then go ahead and change it to something like :
""Boosting with solvent-free media is permitted".

 

[NextLevel]

Very good point.
Of course nothing will change unless ITTF grows a pair and admits that the wording of the boosting rule is a fuck -up and then go ahead and change it to something like :
""Boosting with solvent-free media is permitted".

That might hurt the sales of ESN even more...

Nothing to see here, gotta go...

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

That might hurt the sales of ESN even more...

Nothing to see here, gotta go...

Esn rubbers get boosted too….

 

[Tyce]

I have solution! Let say you are top 500 player. You want to compete in the top tournaments, Smash, Olympic etc. You play with viscaria 88g, h3 neo 41 deg, tenergy 05 2mm and 5 layers DHS glue. Tournament organizators assemble your racket on video record, put some protective stickers on the side and hide the racket in the safe. You go to the tournament and before each match you receive your unboostet racket. After the match you return the racket for cleaning and storage. Complex, expensive, but fair. And all rubbers becomes factory boosted with separated grades and expiration date.

How about this: you bring your blades, glue and factory sealed, packaged rubbers and assemble your blade (or if someone in your staff does that, they do it) in a video surveilled assembly room.
Any rubber that's in a damaged package gets discarded (and donated to charity).

All bats assembled under surveillance get put in a sealed bag, and you need to present your sealed bag to the officials before the match. Broken seal? Not approved.

After the match, you return the bat to the officials and they put it in a sealed bag again.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

How about this: you bring your blades, glue and factory sealed, packaged rubbers and assemble your blade (or if someone in your staff does that, they do it) in a video surveilled assembly room.
Any rubber that's in a damaged package gets discarded (and donated to charity).

All bats assembled under surveillance get put in a sealed bag, and you need to present your sealed bag to the officials before the match. Broken seal? Not approved.

After the match, you return the bat to the officials and they put it in a sealed bag again.

so you can't use the sealed racket during practice/warm ups?

i think it is just easier to rewrite the rules and make acception, lol

 

[Tyce]

so you can't use the sealed racket during practice/warm ups?

Yeah it's a flawed idea... Just an evolution of the previous one

i think it is just easier to rewrite the rules and make acception, lol

Completely agree. And to be honest, if a player insists on exposure to harmful chemicals, that's on them. As long as they don't expose others to it as was the case during the speed glue fume-fests.

 

[lightspin]

Personally I would rather play someone who boosted their racket by a team of CNT scientists over playing someone using illegal serves. Boosting just doesn't make that much of a difference whereas serving illegally can make a huge difference.