United States Smash 2026, Los Angeles, 6/26-7/5

[NetProphet]

Sure, anyone can validate what I have said about PEDs because it is the traditional view of steroids. You can claim expertise all you want, but you should at least know that little if it is your professional domain.

Ah come on NL
First you say you don't have time for it when you realise you are in over your head with many holes to patch after some very loose comments.
Then it's call it cherry picking because he goes into detail where you are incorrect.
Then you deliberately misquote him to say "it's dangerous to say doping in TT in not remarkable".
That's not what he said!
He said it's not as remarkable as Swimming or Sprinting.
It's a comparative.
To half quote it and remove its comparative context is (how do you put it to others time and again?), oh yeah, bad faith.

Not remarkable vs swimming, cycling, sprinting is absolutely completely and totally correct.

For once will you just say your initial statement was a but messy and move on with it?

It's clear to anyone who has done a lot of sports that the advantages of doping in cycling and swimming (PURE ENDURANCE SPORTS) far outweigh the benefits in sports like TT, snooker, darts - technique and timing sports.
And no I'm not saying that technique isn't important in swimming but those with perfect form don't have to dope!

Anyway, if there was a mod to keep eye on you eh! 😉

 

[NextLevel]

Ah come on NL
First you say you don't have to for it when you realise you are in over your head with many holes to patch after some very loose comments.
Then it's call it cherry picking because he goes into detail where you are incorrect.
Then you deliberately misquote him to say "it's dangerous to say doping in TT in not remarkable".
That's not what he said!
He said it's not as remarkable as Swimming or Sprinting.
It's a comparative.
To half quote it and remove its comparative context is (how do you put it to others time and again?), oh yeah, bad faith.

Not remarkable vs swimming, cycling, sprinting is absolutely completely and totally correct.

For once will you just say your initial statement was a but messy and move on with it?

It's clear to anyone who has done a lot of sports that the advantages of doing in cycling as and swimming (PURE ENDURANCE SPORTS) far outweigh the benefits in sports like TT, snooker, darts - technique and timing sports.
And no I'm not saying that technique isn't important in swimming but those with perfect firm don't have to dope!

Anyway, if there was a mod to keep eye on you eh! 😉

Ah okay, I missed that part. Most complex sports like table tennis have PEDS impact training, not direct performance. I think I might have focused on the feeling that saying doping doesn't impact TT as much as swimming was downplaying the effects of doping, but now you point out my blindness, he is absolutely right. My main point is that most people who do try to make fun of the idea of doping being relevant to skills sports like to say things similar to what DrBean said. There was even a time when people used to point at the physiques of people as evidence they were not doping or getting any advantage from it. But obviously, that has no bearing on whether he is right and he is right.

My apologies, @DrBean , for misrepresenting you and your intent.

 

[lightspin]

I think either Mark McGuire or Sammy Sosa (or maybe both) said in interviews that when they took PEDs, it wasn't the extra strength and muscle mass that helped them hit home runs. They said their eyes tracked the ball much easier which allowed them to hit the ball further. If you could tell where the ball is going just .05 seconds earlier or judge its speed and spin earlier, you would have a massive advantage over how you would normally play. Everything would flow better and your level would skyrocket. I have no personal experience in the area but I would bet that PEDs would be of tremendous benefit for table tennis players.

 

[NetProphet]

I think either Mark McGuire or Sammy Sosa (or maybe both) said in interviews that when they took PEDs, it wasn't the extra strength and muscle mass that helped them hit home runs. They said their eyes tracked the ball much easier which allowed them to hit the ball further. If you could tell where the ball is going just .05 seconds earlier or judge its speed and spin earlier, you would have a massive advantage over how you would normally play. Everything would flow better and your level would skyrocket. I have no personal experience in the area but I would bet that PEDs would be of tremendous benefit for table tennis players.

Now that's interesting! 👍👍👍

 

[NextLevel]

I think either Mark McGuire or Sammy Sosa (or maybe both) said in interviews that when they took PEDs, it wasn't the extra strength and muscle mass that helped them hit home runs. They said their eyes tracked the ball much easier which allowed them to hit the ball further. If you could tell where the ball is going just .05 seconds earlier or judge its speed and spin earlier, you would have a massive advantage over how you would normally play. Everything would flow better and your level would skyrocket. I have no personal experience in the area but I would bet that PEDs would be of tremendous benefit for table tennis players.

This doesn't sound right, I can see an indirect impact on confidence given the enhanced abilities from improved training and injury recovery, but not an impact on something like eyesight. But maybe there is a reference in the literature that supports this.

In any case, I am sure Sidorenko is now at a level where he has to enter anti-doping protocols if he intends to compete in 2028.

 

[piligrim]

I think either Mark McGuire or Sammy Sosa (or maybe both) said in interviews that when they took PEDs, it wasn't the extra strength and muscle mass that helped them hit home runs. They said their eyes tracked the ball much easier which allowed them to hit the ball further. If you could tell where the ball is going just .05 seconds earlier or judge its speed and spin earlier, you would have a massive advantage over how you would normally play. Everything would flow better and your level would skyrocket. I have no personal experience in the area but I would bet that PEDs would be of tremendous benefit for table tennis players.

Where to buy?

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Not sure why, but ZYL's Zero Point Penalty that was originally set to expire on Nov 9, 2026 has been lifted. Maybe an appeal was made?

 

[vvk1]

Not sure why, but ZYL's Zero Point Penalty that was originally set to expire on Nov 9, 2026 has been lifted. Maybe an appeal was made?

What's a zero point penalty?

 

[NextLevel]

What's a zero point penalty?

It means you have fewer events contributing to your ranking points. Usually 8 events should contribute. If you have one zero point penalty, then only 7 can contributed. 2 ZPPs, only six can contribute and so on....

 

[temu_boll]

This doesn't sound right, I can see an indirect impact on confidence given the enhanced abilities from improved training and injury recovery, but not an impact on something like eyesight. But maybe there is a reference in the literature that supports this.

In any case, I am sure Sidorenko is now at a level where he has to enter anti-doping protocols if he intends to compete in 2028.

first post here for me but interesting topic and i loved watching baseball before all this stuff. its not only ability to train harder and recover, but the increase in fast-twitch muscle fibers that comes from anabolic steroid use. that would certainly be a massive benefit in table tennis, if you had the skill to take advantage of course.

 

[obsidian d]

As a former PEDs user myself i will tell you that it's not just the training that is enhanced or the competitiv games. It's everyday life. You think clearer you are more agile have more strenght more focus, think as you are upgraded. You wake up with more power regardles of how heavy treaning you have done the day before. So PEDs are enhacing pretty much everything in a positive way. Supplement don't do much in comparison to PEDs. And also the sex drive is bether.

 

[zeio]

Not sure why, but ZYL's Zero Point Penalty that was originally set to expire on Nov 9, 2026 has been lifted. Maybe an appeal was made?

USA GS 2026 was the 8th event she played after skipping WTT CS Frankfurt 2025.

https://www.ittf.com/wp-content/upl...Tennis-World-Ranking-Regulations-20260127.pdf

4.5 A penalty shall be waived for every eight (8) ITTF/WTT events the player or pair participates in after the
incident that caused the penalty.

https://www.ittf.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026_27_SEN_WS.html
https://www.ittf.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2026_28_SEN_WS.html

WTT Champions Frankfurt 2025
2026-Nov-09 DNP 0

-------------------------
WTT Finals Hong Kong 2025 
2026-Dec-14 R16 100

WTT Champions Doha 2026 
2027-Jan-18 W 1000

WTT Star Contender Doha 2026 
2027-Jan-25 W 600

Singapore Smash 2026 
2027-Mar-08 R16 380

WTT Champions Chongqing 2026 
2027-Mar-22 R16 140

WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2026 
2027-Jun-28 F 420

WTT Contender Zagreb 2026 
2027-Jun-21 F 280

United States Smash 2026 
2027-Jul-12 R16 380

What's a zero point penalty?

For skipping a mandatory WTT event without a valid reason as specified by WTT.

 

[Metaxa]

This time, he came from another planet!

 

[J-fed]

As a former PEDs user myself i will tell you that it's not just the training that is enhanced or the competitiv games. It's everyday life. You think clearer you are more agile have more strenght more focus, think as you are upgraded. You wake up with more power regardles of how heavy treaning you have done the day before. So PEDs are enhacing pretty much everything in a positive way. Supplement don't do much in comparison to PEDs. And also the sex drive is bether.

Yes. People have quite a blind spot regarding the secondary effects of PEDs. Particularly steroids.
The mental effects are huge and can be enhancing or devastating depending on the person.
Less fear is a big one. More willingness to take risks. That’s very beneficial in TT.
Coming back to watching TT for the first time in many years I see some signs of PED usage. It is just speculation and I haven’t followed the gossip or official cases.
I see a lot of very thick necks though.

 

[NextLevel]

Yes. People have quite a blind spot regarding the secondary effects of PEDs. Particularly steroids.
The mental effects are huge and can be enhancing or devastating depending on the person.
Less fear is a big one. More willingness to take risks. That’s very beneficial in TT.
Coming back to watching TT for the first time in many years I see some signs of PED usage. It is just speculation and I haven’t followed the gossip or official cases.
I see a lot of very thick necks though.

I know more willingness to take risks is a benefit of testosterone. What it means in terms of seeing a ball better, I don't know. Maybe increased blood flow? I guess ultimately the context and framing matters as well as the mechanism. Sometimes it is hard to separate the feeling of what happens from its impact on results (I might feel I am stronger and that might motivate me to take on heavier weights but whether I building more muscle is important.). How that would manifest in improved vision is anyone's guess.

What I do know is that I have played TT simulation games on apps. When I play them, the game feels much slower when I play then after having played a table tennis match than when I start them cold. What the mechanism is for that (blood flow, fight or flight etc) is anyone's guess.