Should ittf take additional measures to slow the game down?

Ittf did some measures to slow the game down in the last years, namely the ban of speed glue, bigger ball and ban of celluloid ball. The goal was having longer rallies and a more attractive game for viewers?

Do you think that this was a success and is enough already?

Or has the development of faster rubbers and athleticism of the players outrun those changes so that the game is as fast or faster? Are there stats if rallies are longer in the world class than 15 years ago?

Should ittf do additional stuff like higher net, slower surface tables, even bigger ball or just leave the game alone?

NO MORE CHANGES!!!!!
Table tennis is for the players, not the ITTF!

The goal was to be on television more. Are we on television more? No. Just stop already.

Chinese total domination is the problem. Exclusive h3 edition is even worse problem.

Originally Posted by Tinykin

Apparently, Celluloid balls are still legal.

Taken from: ITTF Handbook 2021 version 2. Including the changes made by the ITTF Board of Directors online, effective on 1st August 2021.

2.3 THE BALL
2.3.1 The ball shall be spherical, with a diameter of 40mm.
2.3.2 The ball shall weigh 2.7g.
2.3.3 The ball shall be made of celluloid or similar plastics material and shall be white or orange, and matt.

They recently update this?

Originally Posted by igorponger

Chinese total domination is the problem. Exclusive h3 edition is even worse problem.

Are you saying that if players outside of China got their hands on those H3 rubbers, they can be at the same level as Chinese players? You’re so wrong.

Originally Posted by igorponger

Chinese total domination is the problem. Exclusive h3 edition is even worse problem.

I agree! But it isn't the Chinese TT players that are the problem. It is the fact the ITTF is controlled by the CCP.
It was in the beginning and has been ever since. The ITTF is a dictatorship. Did anybody here vote for body or anything the ITTF does?
https://populous.com/the-godfather-o...e-table-tennis

Table tennis is for the players! Not the ITTF! The ITTF is not necessary.

The ball doesn't need to be slowed down if all one is interested in is TV. There are instant replay cameras now that can play a wining point in slow motion if desired.

Chinese domination is a problem that causes a decline of TV ratings and western money in the sport but the reason for Chinese domination is certainly not exclusive h3 versions but better and more training and especially selection of better talent.

Table tennis for example is quite popular in Germany (like 6th or 7th biggest sport by participation) but it typically attracts lesser athletes. In Germany it works like that: every kid starts with football when they are 4 or 5 and after a couple years the not so good kicking kids try out other sports like handball, basketball, tennis or table tennis.

That means in germany with a few exceptions (when dad is a table tennis fanatic who makes his kid play) the kids who are playing table tennis are not the very top talented athletes.

I guess in China that is different and the most athletic kids get channeled into table tennis.

Also the Chinese kids train a lot more (usually in Europe it is like 2-3 times a week for 2 hours after school for most kids) and their coaches have more knowledge (in Europe bigger clubs have good coaches too but the small village club where you start usually doesn't).

It's generally hard to compete under those circumstances, especially since in Europe most players can't make a living from table tennis and thus need to get an education when they are like 18-19. The Chinese kids don't have to worry about that when they have a certain level which means they will further improve after 18-19 while at that age many European kids are lowering their training a little because they start in university.

Originally Posted by Dominikk85

Chinese domination is a problem that causes a decline of TV ratings and western money in the sport but the reason for Chinese domination is certainly not exclusive h3 versions but better and more training and especially selection of better talent.

Table tennis for example is quite popular in Germany (like 6th or 7th biggest sport by participation) but it typically attracts lesser athletes. In Germany it works like that: every kid starts with football when they are 4 or 5 and after a couple years the not so good kicking kids try out other sports like handball, basketball, tennis or table tennis.

That means in germany with a few exceptions (when dad is a table tennis fanatic who makes his kid play) the kids who are playing table tennis are not the very top talented athletes.

I guess in China that is different and the most athletic kids get channeled into table tennis.

Also the Chinese kids train a lot more (usually in Europe it is like 2-3 times a week for 2 hours after school for most kids) and their coaches have more knowledge (in Europe bigger clubs have good coaches too but the small village club where you start usually doesn't).

It's generally hard to compete under those circumstances, especially since in Europe most players can't make a living from table tennis and thus need to get an education when they are like 18-19. The Chinese kids don't have to worry about that when they have a certain level which means they will further improve after 18-19 while at that age many European kids are lowering their training a little because they start in university.

In China kids with natural athletics were picked first for soccer, basketball and field sport. Table tennis is not a priority.

In contrast to many, TT isn’t as popular in China as you might think. The government is more concerned about basketball and soccer as the Chinese has done poorly.

Salary, allowance and fame are less for a TT player than a soccer player at the equivalent ranking level.

For example, when the table tennis CNT went overseas for tournaments, they either brought their instant noodles or got Ma Lin to cook. They went on economic class.

In contrast, the soccer team got to have their private jet with a chef cooking for them.

There is a joke in China that says Chinese soccer players are so well fed that’s why they never win any significant match. That’s referring to their lower level of physiques.

They don't need to slow the game down, they need to focus on marketing and creating table tennis culture.

I don't think there are less players these days because of any ball or rule change, it's because the culture around the sport has changed and because everyone's attention is being torn between thousands of different activities. The changes are more likely to affect those already playing at a higher level than any new player being introduced to the sport. So we have to turn to things that grab people's attention, that make it easy for people to get started and to keep playing. Put table tennis tables in more offices, schools, anywhere were people are around so they get the chance to just play a bit.

For me, there are 2 factors here which are slightly different.

China’s dominance of the World Table Tennis scene, and TV viewing.

With China, I just don’t see how anything will change whilst Table Tennis is the main sport in the country with the most people, and it’s a secondary sport in the majority of the rest of the world.

Even if the UK had the world champion, the popularity would barely increase, if it even did at all. It’ll simply never be as accessible as the other “main sports” here (and I imagine it’s the same in most other countries).

As for the TV thing….. Unfortunately, it’s just a really bad TV sport. 99% of the people don’t understand the levels of spin involved, so watching “world class” players push one in the net, or push one long, just looks really poor.

The rallies are over quickly, and there are just too many nuances in the game that are impossible to explain to the uneducated.

What’s probably worse, is that most people have picked up a bat at some point, and probably think it’s not that hard!

I don’t know how many people have heard of the World Championships of Ping Pong? But that’s shown on Sky Sports in the UK, which is about as “big” as it gets.

To put it into perspective, table tennis is rarely, if ever, shown on Sky Sports, or any other UK channel.

The Ping Pong is significantly better for TV, as the rallies are long, the crowd get into it, and it’s much easier to follow for the everyday person.

If anyone doesn’t know, they use sandpaper bats!

To me, this highlights the fact that table tennis as it is, just is never going to be a popular TV sport.

Oh, and I agree with others. Dear God, please, no more changes.

Just switch to TTX!


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Originally Posted by NDH

For me, there are 2 factors here which are slightly different.

China’s dominance of the World Table Tennis scene, and TV viewing.

With China, I just don’t see how anything will change whilst Table Tennis is the main sport in the country with the most people, and it’s a secondary sport in the majority of the rest of the world.

Even if the UK had the world champion, the popularity would barely increase, if it even did at all. It’ll simply never be as accessible as the other “main sports” here (and I imagine it’s the same in most other countries).

As for the TV thing….. Unfortunately, it’s just a really bad TV sport. 99% of the people don’t understand the levels of spin involved, so watching “world class” players push one in the net, or push one long, just looks really poor.

The rallies are over quickly, and there are just too many nuances in the game that are impossible to explain to the uneducated.

What’s probably worse, is that most people have picked up a bat at some point, and probably think it’s not that hard!

I don’t know how many people have heard of the World Championships of Ping Pong? But that’s shown on Sky Sports in the UK, which is about as “big” as it gets.

To put it into perspective, table tennis is rarely, if ever, shown on Sky Sports, or any other UK channel.

The Ping Pong is significantly better for TV, as the rallies are long, the crowd get into it, and it’s much easier to follow for the everyday person.

If anyone doesn’t know, they use sandpaper bats!

To me, this highlights the fact that table tennis as it is, just is never going to be a popular TV sport.

Oh, and I agree with others. Dear God, please, no more changes.

Table Tennis is actually the second most watched sport on TV in the world.


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