OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Yikes, that sounds terrible. There's a guy at my club sometimes who, when he sees me, comes and holds out his hand to take my paddle and look at it. He then proceeds to hit the blade surface with his knuckles (presumably to hear the sound of no sponge underneath) and wrap his sweaty mitts around the handle and play a few points with it while laughing about how he could never actually use it. I'm not the kind of person who says no easily, but it annoys me to no end.

What you're describing is on another level though. Stick up for yourself. If he wants to "inspect" your paddle and starts to reach out his hand, pull back and say "look, but don't touch." And keep your paddle with you at all times; don't leave it in the open at the table so he can bury his fingernail into it. Fortunately, Neptune is a cheap rubber, but don't let him get away with it again!

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That is incorrect. During a pre-match inspection, it's not OK to touch another player's racket at all without their permission.

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although etiquettes should be observed, they are not rules. And there will be people who are not as courteous or newcomers who are not aware of such etiquettes.

Isn't there a published rule regarding inspection of rubbers? I believe there is a published rule regarding an umpire inspecting both players paddles; but I do not recall seeing one where opposing players inspecting each other paddle when an umpire is absent.

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the inspection/ question asked, should be prior to the warmup commencing. When someone asks what I have, I hold out the bat, and tell them - if they put out their hand, I put the bat behind my back, and say "don't touch!" They don't normally think I am joking....

The official ITTF rule is vague and badly written, as are many of their rules.

Per Wendell Dillon of the USATT Officials and Rules Advisory Committee: Inspection by the opponent should be limited to looking at both sides of the racket to see what rubber you have. If they want to do anything else they can do that only with your permission. The umpire’s inspection is to see that the racket is legal. This normally includes checking that the rubber is approved and measuring the thickness, flatness and gloss of the rubber.

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Without reference to any rules I was taught that you had to SHOW your bat to another player IF ASKED. I'm happy to be shown the bat if I can see the markings on the rubber to identify what they are. Often i will just ask across the table during the warm up (eg. Is the black lp?) To confirm what the warm up is telling me. Isn't this meant to be a game with good sportsmanship? That should be enough.

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This is how it goes down 99% of the time in Sweden as well, I have only once met a player that actually wanted to touch my LP to make sure they weren't treated, this was within a year after the ban.

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Thank you for the advice. Yes I will never allow him even to touch my blade/rubbers again. It actually boils down to his personal weirdness All of us in our club have long tolerated his much nonsense. There are occasions whereby he lost in the match to 1 - 3. On commencing the fifth game he insisted it was 1-2. Things like this keeps making us very annoy. As a result, many members have left the club, as he is one of the club administrators.

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Spin Lord First Strike: FH G Dtec ox, BH Golden Arch 8, 2.15mm

I guess it boils down to the meaning of 'examine'. The dictionary defines it as:

Examine - inspect (someone or something) in detail to determine their nature or condition; investigate thoroughly.

Although it's always been my opinion as well, that they can look but not touch, the meaning of the word examine does not define whether it includes touching or not, so the interpretation will be up to the umpire or referee.

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I think it boils down to the word "show."

Show - To cause or allow to be seen, display

Showing something to someone in no way implies they are allowed to touch it without permission. They can visually examine it. That's it.

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I agree with that bit, but it also clearly says "and shall allow them to examine it", implying that in addition to showing, they (both the player and the umpire) can examine.

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If I was you I would not let this one player examine my racket. It would not leave my hands. That is bizarre. I would look for another club too if that was an option.

i don't mind if anyone inspects of even touches my racket . i really don't .
why ?
cause i think that table tennis is not played BY THE RACKET but BY THE PLAYER .
sure , he knows what guns i'm using in the fight , but i get to know his ones as well .
he touches my rubber ? i can touch his as well . there's really nothing that can force me not to apply the same methods that he's using against me .
quid pro quo !

so don't bother guys . the ball spins in both directions ! well , to be fair , on all 3 axes

as for what someone said in some posts earlier regarding some guy that wants to have a few balls with the opponent's racket , i would tell him or any other person that does the same thing , the following : " can i touch your wife's/girlfriend's b**bs ? cause i want to try them as much as you want to try my racket . .... NO ? well , then keep the b**bs and i keep the racket " . and no more explications .
another smart answer would be if he asks to try your racket , and you can simply say " write a letter to my lawyer ! if he agrees with you , then sure , no problem . but i sense he won't agree . so let's move on to table tennis ! " . simple , no other explications required from you to him , plus , in both cases he should be pissed by the answer and you should have a bit of edge in that match !

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@vanjr, that is precisely what I plan to do. I am not alone of getting tired of his unruly behavior. Soon, this place will be left with only the administrators and visitors who come once a while.

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Spin Lord First Strike: FH G Dtec ox, BH Golden Arch 8, 2.15mm

A lot of this should be about good sportsmanship. We have to accept that table tennis is partly defined by the number of differences in equipment used by players. I certainly think it's quite foolish not to be prepared before a match by making sure you understand the conditions of play. I mean, how many of us make sure that the ball offered up is three stars and of good quality? I know I do. There have been a few occasions when I've suggested replacing the offered ball with one I have more 'trust' in, e.g. opposing team offers up a three star Stiga and I suggest a three star Butterfly. This has never caused an issue. In fact, they're happy to save their ball. For me, this is a minuscule change I take advantage of. Silly? Maybe, but this sport, like any other, is about being in control. But I will never compromise fair play and good sportsmanship.

It's the same thing with a player's bat. It takes so little time and effort to make sure you know what you'll be up against. If I'm up against a new player I will always ask to see their bat. Perhaps, most of the time it won't make any difference, but why risk any disadvantage by not inspecting it?

I've come across certain players that hope their opposition won't ask to see their LP rubbers. I can sort of understand where they're coming from, especially if their game depends on the deceptive qualities of the rubber. However, I do think a player that thinks this way is already at a disadvantage. I mean, rubbers are (or should be) just a small part of a player's winning strategy.

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