An embarrassing article in our table tennis rules (ITTF)

[merlin el mago]

What about no rules guys!!

I dislike a lot people complaining about long pips treated when everybody boost!!

But after no complain about frictionless long pips and the likes!

 

[merlin el mago]

The forum's favourite anti-boosting member posted a video recently about haveing a reactive chemical on the sponge which gets discolored when contacted by booster and the video claimed ITTF will try to implement it in 2027. I don't like the idea to having to pay more for top performing rubbers instead of jsut boosting a hard chinese rubber.
I haven't really tried tried the ones which work well without booster, but they are usually still morer expensive.

What about to follow the rules & train more in place of cheating using booster to play tournaments?

 

[Matteones]

What about to follow the rules & train more in place of cheating using booster to play tournaments?

To train more you need to use more rubbers which you then conveniently have to buy at double/triple the price. A snake that bites its own tail.
By the way, if it was for me I would liberalize also frictionless pimples.

 

[W3R]

I disagree, rules are to everybody, if you don't like the rules play ping pong in place of table tennis sanctioned tournaments!!

I follow the rules merlin el mago - I started my comment saying I've never boosted. The discussion here is if this rule is fair or not. If the rule is just an "anti-Chinese rubber usage - and - buing more expensive European rubbers" rule, then it's not really fair, is it? What else is gained out of this rule?

 

[beeray1]

My argument/stance is the same now as it was in 2009/2010. They've written a rule with no way to enforce it consistently. 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. You put all the stress on the players and introduce the potential for resentment and bad sportsmanship if you have someone that's "clean" out there having to play against boosted material that doesn't get detected. They aren't playing for fun, it's their livelihood. So their decision is to stay clean but impact their livelihood, or to "cheat" to minimize the advantage. It's garbage.

While I don't boost in the normal sense, I keep booster because of how easily rubbers shrink nowadays, even if you don't stretch them on when you first glue them. It's basically a must-have if you like to switch rubbers around trying different combos sometimes. I don't think the spirit of the rule is met when you're trying to restore a rubber that was boosted to the gills in the factory to its previous performance/tension. It's dumb to have a dividing line of whether it was boosted by a factory or boosted by the player to determine legality also.

 

[Creek]

I think the main problem is, that a rubber already is a chemical product and ittf can not forbid, how the process of producing it is done. This means, that it is absolutely fine, if the producing Company boosts the rubber, as it could be part of their production process.
If a company is allowed to do so, how should they disallow it for players? Or better said: how should they control and judge whether it was the player or the producer?!?
As long as the rubbers are below 4mm total it will probably not be possible to judge this. Therefore I vote for getting rid or this rule, even though i never boosted myself

 

[Creek]

By the way: even a slightly stretched rubber (by force when glueing) is physically changed and has different characteristics. Also impossible to track…

 

[merlin el mago]

To train more you need to use more rubbers which you then conveniently have to buy at double/triple the price. A snake that bites its own tail.
By the way, if it was for me I would liberalize also frictionless pimples.

Believe rubbers & blades are only 10-15% the rest it's only your skills no matter if the equipment is inverted, anti, long pips, short pips, etc.

I agree oil booster could be used because not health issues involved but also frictionless or long pips with high aspect-ratio no health problems so could I ask what's the reason no freedom to choose the equipment everyone wants?

So the same for both: inverted & long pips!!!

 

[merlin el mago]

I follow the rules merlin el mago - I started my comment saying I've never boosted. The discussion here is if this rule is fair or not. If the rule is just an "anti-Chinese rubber usage - and - buing more expensive European rubbers" rule, then it's not really fair, is it? What else is gained out of this rule?

It's a rule, you can agree or disagree just all. The rules aren't only for long pips, nows oil booster isn't allowed also.

Make no sense the rules can't be enforced damaging our sport, for LP or inverted, is the same.

My point of view is the same like J.O. Waldner, lets everybody to play with the equipment people want, that enriches the variety of our sport.

 

[merlin el mago]

My argument/stance is the same now as it was in 2009/2010. They've written a rule with no way to enforce it consistently. 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. You put all the stress on the players and introduce the potential for resentment and bad sportsmanship if you have someone that's "clean" out there having to play against boosted material that doesn't get detected. They aren't playing for fun, it's their livelihood. So their decision is to stay clean but impact their livelihood, or to "cheat" to minimize the advantage. It's garbage.

While I don't boost in the normal sense, I keep booster because of how easily rubbers shrink nowadays, even if you don't stretch them on when you first glue them. It's basically a must-have if you like to switch rubbers around trying different combos sometimes. I don't think the spirit of the rule is met when you're trying to restore a rubber that was boosted to the gills in the factory to its previous performance/tension. It's dumb to have a dividing line of whether it was boosted by a factory or boosted by the player to determine legality also.

For me it's the same, when you boost a rubber and play a tournament you are cheating.

The same if you use treated long pips or banned long pips, you are cheating.

 

[merlin el mago]

By the way: even a slightly stretched rubber (by force when glueing) is physically changed and has different characteristics. Also impossible to track…

WBG is allowed, you can put the layers you want....and you aren't cheating.

 

[thisisit]

WBG is allowed, you can put the layers you want....and you aren't cheating.

you clearly don't understand the argument

 

[John_]

Yes, I agree with you : AS LONG AS ... Isn't that already a condition ?
In fact, I would prefer to keep article 2.4.7 but with realistic accommodations included.

Currently any form of chemical treatment is prohibited, voc or not. I think voc should stay banned but safe oil based tuners to be allowed and registered in the larc for legal use. Just like other equipment like rubbers and balls. It would be hard to monitor all kinds of boosters, but if they have a handful that are registered, it'd be much better for both racket control and player choice.

 

[John_]

@John_ So you accept oil booster and not sun treatment pips...

Do you really aren't honest, rules are rules so both is treated rubbers/sponges so not ITTF approved for tournaments!!

One alters the sponge, which only affects rebound, the other changes the very grip characteristics of the top sheet. One is altered/tuned, the other is damaged. That's the difference.

 

[John_]

The forum's favourite anti-boosting member posted a video recently about haveing a reactive chemical on the sponge which gets discolored when contacted by booster and the video claimed ITTF will try to implement it in 2027. I don't like the idea to having to pay more for top performing rubbers instead of jsut boosting a hard chinese rubber.
I haven't really tried tried the ones which work well without booster, but they are usually still morer expensive.

Russian propaganda

 

[merlin el mago]

you clearly don't understand the argument

I understand perfectly the argument, and you?

 

[merlin el mago]

Currently any form of chemical treatment is prohibited, voc or not. I think voc should stay banned but safe oil based tuners to be allowed and registered in the larc for legal use. Just like other equipment like rubbers and balls. It would be hard to monitor all kinds of boosters, but if they have a handful that are registered, it'd be much better for both racket control and player choice.

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

 

[merlin el mago]

One modifies the sponge, which only affects the bounce; the other modifies the grip characteristics of the top sheet. One is modified/adjusted, the other is damaged. That's the difference.

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.

 

[merlin el mago]

I think the main problem is, that a rubber already is a chemical product and ittf can not forbid, how the process of producing it is done. This means, that it is absolutely fine, if the producing Company boosts the rubber, as it could be part of their production process.
If a company is allowed to do so, how should they disallow it for players? Or better said: how should they control and judge whether it was the player or the producer?!?
As long as the rubbers are below 4mm total it will probably not be possible to judge this. Therefore I vote for getting rid or this rule, even though i never boosted myself

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

 

[igorponger]

BATHING SPONGE SHEET IN HOT OIL IS A NASTY TRICK BY A MANUFACTURER.

Hi, friends
You seem to miss out the core idea implanted by ITTF so that manufacturers to get their products admitted in the LARC.
--- So now, ITTF explicitly disallowed to apply factory boosting on THOSE rubbers that already passed ITTF test, for the obvious reason that any oil additives, other than those inherent in original rubber composition, would change original quality of rubber. by far. Hence, ITTF ought to view such a "bathing procedure" as post-approval alterations to the product, No further alterations allowed after a rubber got formal allowance by ITTF.
Bathing a sponge sheet in oil is an illicit action by a manufacturer, anyway.