OOAK Table Tennis Forum

It is important to be informed before making comments. Here are the facts:

- There is no change to the ITTF rules. Plastic balls and celluloid balls have been legal for many years now.
- There is no change in the size of the ball of 40mm. The change is in the tolerance level which has been reduced will be implemented only upwards (40mm + tolerance). This way we will be sure to have 40 mm balls, instead of the larger tolerance being implemented both + and -, which somehow resulted only in sizes less than 40mm.
- The ITTF decided that for its own events (ITTF events) it will use the new Poly balls as of 1 July 2014. The original date was 1 July 2013. Both these dates were decided with full consultation with the Athletes Commission and the manufacturers. The decision to make it 1 July 2014 is because many national associations wish to follow the ITTF and, therefore, we have to ensure sufficient stock to be available to everyone and not just to the ITTF
- Celluloid balls will be available as long as the celluloid sheets used to make the balls will continue to be available. However, there are now only 2 factories in the world that produce these celluloid sheets, both in China, and they will be closing within the next 24 months.
- The ITTF has nothing against the use of celluloid balls by any club or national association or league, these balls remain legal, but they will not be used by the ITTF for ITTF events as of 1 July 2014.
- When the current two factories in China stop the production of celluloid sheets, like the rest of the world has already, then there will be no more celluloid balls, hence our game would have been in jeopardy. The ITTF and the manufacturers had the foresight to find a solution, which was relatively easy from a rules point of view, due to the fact that these new Poly balls are legal for a long time; but the challenge of course is to get the new Poly balls to act and feel like the current celluloid balls. This will never be 100% achieved, but we are working hard to get as close as possible, and the remaining difference would be subject to adaptation by the users.
- Please note that the film industry faces the same problem, but they are now moving towards using digital technology and abandoning the old celluloid film technology. Also all other users using celluloid material are now finding alternatives (guitar picks, etc.).

I hope that this clarifies matters.

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Adham Sharara

More smoke and mirrors. We will NOT have a 40mm ball now. We will have a ball that is ALWAYS BIGGER than 40mm. I know this was such a huge problem, not having a true 40mm ball. It was the talk of the forums for years right? Wrong. I NEVER heard anyone complain the ball was always smaller than 40mm.
The only reason I can see for going to all the trouble of changing the size of the ball is to slow the game. The physics of a small change in diameter causes a large change in surface area. This also makes the ball much thinner than before. This was known BEFORE the change and results predictable, (less spin, break more often). Changing the ball BEFORE a final product has been produced goes against normal manufacturing process.

Digital photography is taking over because it is cheaper and better than film. The only shortage I ever heard about with film was silver.

True
True True
The ITTF can decide whatever it likes regarding ITTF events.
Can anyone here prove this is not true? People can conjecture all they like, but can they provide concrete evidence for their conspiracy theories? No? I thought not. Conspiracy theories are the real "smoke and mirrors" in this debate.
True
True True Which seems to me to be no different from every single time FIFA approves a new ball for each World Cup, every time FINA approves a new swimsuit, or IAAF changes the javelin.
True
Well, it does for people who have not already prejudged the issue.

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"So long, and thanks for all the fish
So sad that it should come to this" Sung by the dolphins in The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

For me i think it is just fantastic that a president of a International sport can just jump on line and have a chat on Table tennis forums such as OOKT and to speak directly to social table tennis players around the World,
Thanks Adam
For me as long as the new ball bounces OK, doesn't crack easily and can fit existing robot's then it's all good.
My own opinion is we should have more table tennis events at the Olympics as in Teams, Doubles, Mixed doubles and 3 players per Country can qualify for individuals etc , personally I don't care if China win every thing. It should just make other Counties try harder/ share information and tap into the Chinese systems and develop their own new system to improve themselves

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Blade Ulmo Duality| FH Tibhar mx-p Black, Dawei 388D-1 red OX
NZ table tennis selector, ask a question
My Blog here..How table tennis objects are made
Table Tennis abbreviations, and acronyms

No, the "40mm + tolerance" is not a change in the tolerance level, it is a change in the size of the ball of 40mm.

The tolerance level must be within 40+X and 40-X.

Note, that the board of directors who passed this decision has no right to change the size of the ball.

The have, however, the right to pass a purely technical tolerance.

What is so "fantastic" about Adham dropping in once a while to "clarify" his actions to us mere mortals? I find it ridiculous. It's the least he could do. Every decision he's made so far has been conducted in one-way street: His way. I am not ok with the new ball, and I am not ok that he's staying in power seemly forever.

Regardless of how "good" a job he's doing as our President, by staying in power this long he's effectively denying other talented individuals to lead the ITTF. By this logic alone he "shall" be doing a better job than anyone. It's the truth and we all know it.

who's we? please don't assume you speak for everyone, I might even agree with half your posts but If I want to say thanks then I can

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Blade Ulmo Duality| FH Tibhar mx-p Black, Dawei 388D-1 red OX
NZ table tennis selector, ask a question
My Blog here..How table tennis objects are made
Table Tennis abbreviations, and acronyms

"We" are the people that I know personally... And I do know quite a few influential people in this sport in China and U.S. as personal friends. I certainly don't speak for you or Tassie, because I don't know either of you.

"We" don't support "leaders" who make decisions unilaterally.

I suggest you start a celluloid factory, and the ITTF approved manufacturers will be your first customers. You need to realize that the celluloid material used to make our TT balls will no longer exist (it is already on a gradual declining quota). Would you rather wait for that to happen or be prepared for it in advance. Also you must realize that this change is due to the fact the the current producers of the current balls, 95% of the market, will no longer produce these celluloid balls, this is their decision based on the fact that they will no longer have access to the celluloid sheets, so should they just roll over and die and go out of business, or try their best to find a solution that is within our rules? As for the size of the ball, with the new process they will be 40mm, and very few will be over that size if any. It is a different process and the inside of the mold itself is 40mm, so not very likely to get balls bigger that 40mm. However, with the previous process (two discs shaped into semi-spheres), it was almost impossible to get the ball at 40mm. In any case, this is NOT the issue, the real issue is the availability of celluloid sheets.

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Adham Sharara

I'm not Tassie and I don't always agree with him and you don't speak for anyone but yourself

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Blade Ulmo Duality| FH Tibhar mx-p Black, Dawei 388D-1 red OX
NZ table tennis selector, ask a question
My Blog here..How table tennis objects are made
Table Tennis abbreviations, and acronyms

are you done, lol, lol, lol, not. Plenty of people give me their absolute consent to speak on table tennis issues on this forum on their behalf... A completely foreign concept to you, perhaps, hence your usual reply.

Nothing in industrial production is in absolute terms, you know as well as I do. If the "39.75mm" ball was officially called the "40mm Ball" and accepted as such since its introduction, it is the defacto OFFICIAL 40mm size. If the new poly ball will be 40.25mm (as samples are shown), then its a substantial change that needs everyone's consent. Why can't you go through official channels to request a size change, instead of sneaking it under the radar and jam it down players' throats, Adham? Great leaders shouldn't make such questionable decisions.

Adham, I will be honest with you. A lot of people on forums believe, that 1.5 years ago the ITTF lied 1) about a celluloid ban almost everywhere in the world and 2) about a coming celluloid ban, and that the decision of the BoD to use plastic balls was based on that lie.

You are welcome to present real proofs for your claims, but at the moment it looks like you are trying to put things upside down, because it is the decision of the BoD based on a lie that will make celluloid balls obsolete, and not the other way round.

I agree and I also appreciate the time he takes to do this as well!

Others may not always like or agree with what Adham says, and of course you can voice your opinion just like everyone else, but I do expect everyone to treat Adham with respect and remain civil in your discussions, just like Adham does when he talks to us.
I would also encourage everyone to search if their questions have already been answered (you can search just within a thread at the bottom left of the screen), so that he does not have to repeat himself.

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The reason for the skeptisism is that we cannot find details or articles on this subject apart from that from the ITTF. If you could point us in the right direction of any article that illustrates this, you would be able to silence all the sceptics.


I've measured a variety if the current balls which average around 39.65mm, and some of new balls (which were handed out after the latest AGM) average around 40.25mm. So it seems that the news balls will be bigger. A bigger ball will result in less spin and speed. This was my own experience in playing with the ball too. Is this what we want for our game?

If there is indeed a need to go to plastic balls, then research should be done (and I'm not saying it hasn't) to ensure the impact to our game is minimum, so that the decision is purely based on the need to move to new materials.

If we DO want to change the game, either by going to plastic balls and/or increasing the size, then this should be a seperate issue and a vote should be carried out seperately to discuss why we need to change and how it will impact the game. Sure the size increase might have been within the rules, but I think if the change has an significant impact on our game, we deserve an explanation of why it was neccesary, and why it could simply not be left at the old dimension. In the end it's just a number with a tolerance...it does not really matter what the number is, but if we want to change it I'd like to hear a good reasons why...

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide