OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Dear Mr. Sharara,

Welcome to the forum.

Here is an issue that has been troubling a lot of players on this forum. Since the pros don't use frictionless rubber there is no chance of the style appearing on TV matches and if there are no health issues, why the need for this minimum friction level that had caused so much unhappiness to players, manufacturers, associations and the ITTF itself?

If the rule was simply to eliminate "treated" rubber, then why doesn't the rule directly address that very issue?

You yourself have admitted on another forum that "it is better to learn how to play against a certain style than to ban the equipment that the users of that style employ."

And you are right!

So how do we get this fixed? Please don't suggest we go through our local associations. As you know but can't admit, most of these groups are 'yes men' who would rubber stamp almost anything they're lobbied to approve. The fact is there are certain activist associations that push the agenda and it's no secret that Eberhard Schöler and the German Association are behind this wrongheaded policy.

It can be argued that the minimum friction requirement will open up the ITTF to lawsuits such as that by TTMaster. And if TTMaster prevails and collects damages, legal problems with Dr. Neubauer, Hallmark and other companies are sure to follow.

Immediately rescinding this useless friction level policy that hurts the sport so much would make the issue go away.

I realize you can't criticize the powerful Schöler lobby on a public forum like this, but for the good of the sport perhaps something can be done behind the scenes.

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Excellent post NB. I think the ITTF needs to become much more transparent on the way they test this friction level too. It is ridiculous to make companies submit a rubber for testing in the "hope" that it passes. They should be able to "know" it will pass by having their own testing processes with the ITTF tests only there to catch anyone trying to cheat the process. This is a commercial necessity I would think. I am not familiar with the rubber sheet making process but I would have thought the company should be able to adjust their manufacturing line and still ensure they are producing the same product that was tested rather than having to have ITTF re-test, or risk that the product they are selling is not different to what was tested leaving them open to action against them.

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
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Another things needs to be added IMO - a fairly high percentage of the 'victims' of this ruling are vets or disabled players, who with pips, can continue enjoying the sport and playing against younger oponents. This kind of ageist discrimination is killing sport at the grass roots level, not increasing the sports uptake

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Yasaka Dynamix 17
Tibhar Q 50
Butterfly Raystorm

I couldn't agree with you more Julian. Older players deserve their TT every bit as much as youngsters, after all these older players have given to the sport for years and continue to keep TT afloat. Letting them have equipment that can keep them in the game longer is a sign of respect and loyalty to them. Taking that equipment away is dis-respect and dis-loyalty.

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

I want to support this too Julian. The loss of these rubbers, and potentially the new breed of replacements such as TT Master, threatens the existence of local league table tennis in England in my opinion. Although in the minority, there are still many players using this equipment, mostly in the older bracket (although I'm pleased to be relatively young myself) and if we lose these people, our leagues will suffer terrible damage.

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