What is boosting table tennis rubber?

This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Aug 2017
1,069
505
2,458
it is meant that you apply special chemical (booster) to the sponge to improve it's properties (spin, speed... ). it penetrates the sponge and expands it (it becomes domed) and makes it more elastic (especially good for hard sponge Chinese rubbers).

Before applying the booster you should apply a layer of water based glue first and let it dry completely. Then apply a thin layer of booster on the sponge, wait for 24h, apply the second layer of booster, wait 24 hours and then apply glue to the rubber and the blade and glue the rubber.

Before boosters there was a speed glue era - a toxic VOC chemical which expanded the sponge and made it faster, spinnier and so on. I remember when I went to training, sometimes you could feel the smell in the corridor -and that's toxic. So ITTF banned speedglueing and as alternative, boosters with low amounts of VOC were made

Oh, by the way boosting is also illegal :)
 
Last edited:
says Fair Play first
says Fair Play first
Well-Known Member
Jan 2012
1,285
406
1,760
POSTAPPROVAL TREATMENTS ON THE SPONGE IS A GROSS ILLEGALITY.

Aside from manual rubber treatment by players, another illegal treatment of the sponge layer is the factory tuning. In fact, factory tuning is a 'postapproval alteration to the rubber' as now being done in large by Chinese DHS manufacturer, and it is now prohibited by the ITTF Rubber Regulations T4, effective of January 2018.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Simas
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Aug 2017
1,069
505
2,458
POSTAPPROVAL TREATMENTS ON THE SPONGE IS A GROSS ILLEGALITY.

Aside from manual rubber treatment by players, another illegal treatment of the sponge layer is the factory tuning. In fact, factory tuning is a 'postapproval alteration to the rubber' as now being done in large by Chinese DHS manufacturer, and it is now prohibited by the ITTF Rubber Regulations T4, effective of January 2018.

cool. didn't know that :) and considered factory boosting some kind of a shady and semi -legal well known workaround
 
Last edited:
Top