An embarrassing article in our table tennis rules (ITTF)

[ajtatosmano2]

Agree but also if all banned long pips frictionless & high aspect-ratio are also allowed.

The reason frisctionless and extremely long pips are banned is the appeal of the sport. ITTF want to see long topspin to topspin rallies.
And my honest take: Playing against a good inverted player is fun. Playing against a good chopper is fun. Playing against a frictionless pip player is not fun. Just period. Because the spin reversal + the bending of the pips makes it unreasonably hard to read the incoming spin. Often even the player doesn't know how much spin is coming from his rubber (important distinction: Frictionless pip! ittf approved pips are actually not easy to play with, albeit some of them are pretty nasty as well).
I hope manufacturers will cook up some new rubber which supports choppers without going frictionless. Maybe even loosen the regulations a little. But don't go frictionless with pips. Antis are okay, With an anti it's predictable, even if it's frictionless.

 

[John_]

Nice, also can include all high aspect-ratio long pips & frictionless banned without any reason.

From what I heard these were banned because a guy from ittf was butthurt that he was getting his ass kicked by one. I wouldn't believe it, but it honestly sounds so pathetic that I believe it. Of course the ittf would do something like that.

 

[John_]

I know the differences perfectly: both of them are not allowed to play in tournaments.

From what I can see, if you add a booster, you also change the inverted rubber, like the long pips treated with sun or other methods.

You see, that's different. It's one thing to increase the ability of a rubber linearly, and a whole other to alter its purpose. It's like allowing more boost in naskar vs using an other type of car with them, like an indy. The one just enhances, the other changes the very purpose of the rubber.

 

[alain61]

They've written a rule with no way to enforce it consistently (1) . It's embarrassing to have made absolutely no progress in over 15 years since the glue ban and sudden booster enforcement. A rule you cannot enforce imo should simply be dissolved until you can consistently enforce it (2)

(1) It's obvious ...
(2) "dissolved" or rather "updated" ...

 

[Tyce]

I completely agree it's a silly rule. It's like you're publishing for a road to be closed, but you don't put up any barriers and you also let cars from factories still drive on it as they please.
Oh, and there's no way to distinguish those cars from your own car.

So... we're not saying "do as you please, we can't catch you anyway" but...

 

[alain61]

if it was for me I would liberalize also frictionless pimples.

Yes, why not ? I'm in favor of bringing back this kind of long pimples, but only if objective and realistic rules are put in place. Furthermore, technical compliance checks must also be carried out.

 

[thisisit]

rule 2.4.7(the racket covering shall be used without any physical, chemical or other treatment) makes it illegal for you to prefer one racket covering over another and using it since this - preferential treatment - would qualify as "other treatment".

 

[alain61]

rule 2.4.7(the racket covering shall be used without any physical, chemical or other treatment) makes it illegal for you to prefer one racket covering over another and using it since this - preferential treatment - would qualify as "other treatment".

Can you give me a concrete example ?

 

[thisisit]

Can you give me a concrete example ?

of what?

 

[merlin el mago]

The reason frisctionless and extremely long pips are banned is the appeal of the sport. ITTF want to see long topspin to topspin rallies.
And my honest take: Playing against a good inverted player is fun. Playing against a good chopper is fun. Playing against a frictionless pip player is not fun. Just period. Because the spin reversal + the bending of the pips makes it unreasonably hard to read the incoming spin. Often even the player doesn't know how much spin is coming from his rubber (important distinction: Frictionless pip! ittf approved pips are actually not easy to play with, albeit some of them are pretty nasty as well).
I hope manufacturers will cook up some new rubber which supports choppers without going frictionless. Maybe even loosen the regulations a little. But don't go frictionless with pips. Antis are okay, With an anti it's predictable, even if it's frictionless.

You argue appeal of the sport & you haven't fun playing against them, for the second you need to improve your skills and about the appeal for me isn't a valid argument.

I argue: why antis flanti or glanti both frictionless are approved and frictionless long pips not?

Look for better reasons to argue.

 

[merlin el mago]

From what I heard these were banned because an ittf was butthurt that he was getting his ass kicked by one. I wouldn't believe it, but it honestly sounds so pathetic that I believe it. Of course the ittf would do something like that.

Yeah is true, to put names on the table: Scholer (ITTF member when banned) & Neubauer, Scholer always losing against Neubauer so when was in ITTF banned all frictionless long pips and high aspect-ratio to ruin the business of selling long pips of Dr. Neubauer.

 

[merlin el mago]

You see, that's different. It's one thing to increase the ability of a rubber linearly, and a whole other to alter its purpose. It's like allowing more boost in naskar vs using an other type of car with them, like an indy. The one just enhances, the other changes the very purpose of the rubber.

It's very comic like inverted rubber player for you oil enhances, for long pips player also enhances.😂🤣🤣

 

[zeio]

The article 2.4.7 is very clear : "the racket covering shall be used without any physical, chemical or other treatment".
We all know that this article is not respected for various reasons. I don't intend to discuss these reasons, good or bad. The only real question that interests me is this: is this article still realistic ? Should it be adapted according to certain conditions, or perhaps even removed ?

That article is there to kiss the, ahem, satisfy the IOC. It was all part of an effort for table tennis to move up the ladder.

IOC Guide on Sport, Environment and Sustainable Development
Chapter 4: Environmental and sustainable development conditions specific to the various Olympic disciplines
https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/...nt-Sustainable-Development/en_report_1117.pdf

4.6.8.4 Special waste, toxic products and sources of pollution linked to table tennis

Table tennis bats are made of a wooden blade covered in a layer of foam and a rubber surface. These different components are stuck together with glue containing solvents that can sometimes be toxic, such as aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, xylene), organochlorates (trichloroethylene) or hexane. These volatile compounds can damage the respiratory tract and are also carcinogenic. It is therefore advisable to use only glues containing mineral solvents.

In official competitions, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) prohibits their use inside competition venues from 1 September 2006 and will ban them completely from 1 September 2007.

Summary of discussions
https://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=69793#p69793

A (Adham):
...
2. There is no such thing as "Speed Glue Ban". Wjta we have is a ban on harmful Volatile Compounds found in glue. Some solvents were already banned for many years, now we have banned ALL VOCs. This is inline with the IOC's Agenda 21 and with all similar bans on VOcs in industry. Did you know that players were not allowed to take their VOC glues with them on board an airplane, and those that did were contravening the law?
3. Tuners and Boosters were NEVER legal under any of the ITTF rules ever. The ITTF rule on the Racket is clear. But to make it clearer rule 2.4.7 was passed by the AGM. This reinforces the exisiting rule. No additives of any kind are allowed according to the ITTF rules. This is not new. It is just a question of enforcing an existing rule.

 

[merlin el mago]

Could I ask where are the health issues with treated long pips or high aspect-ratio?

 

[Tyce]

Could I ask where are the health issues with treated long pips or high aspect-ratio?

Opponents breaking their ankles on the completely impredictable balls. Users getting hurt by opponents out of sheer rage. And the kicker: players aren't actually required to move anymore, killing the health benefits of playing a sport.

 

[merlin el mago]

OK I understand your health issues Dr.

You need to improve your skills!

 

[nablaz]

OK I understand your health issues Dr.

You need to improve your skills!

You don't have any sense of humour, do you? 😜

 

[merlin el mago]

I have a lot of humor sense read careful all my posts and you can discover. 🤣