OOAK Table Tennis Forum

This is what everyone seems to be missing - that the ITTF President does NOT need to come here and explain anything and that it's a favor to us.

I disagree with a lot of changes the ITTF has made:
- I would reinstate frictionless long pips because it allows players to alter currently legal pips and portray them as 'used outdoors' or 'aged in a garage' and provide a advantage against players who have not played against them.
- I would reinstate the hiding the service rule because serves are already being hidden and nothing is being done about it - so give everyone the opportunity to do it on a level field.
- Speed glue and boosters should be legal if they are found not to be dangerous to health because the price of tenergy is outrageous.
- I don't see any reason to change to a different ball.

That said, every sport has changes in the rules throughout time. Changes get made, and if the change really is as bad as some of the extremists on this forum seem to think it will be, then players around the world will call for a change back. If every professional player hates the new ball, it won't stick around. I'd love to see a China Open where 95 of the top 100 players boycott because they refuse to play with the new ball since it's sooo different - that would cause an immediate change back to the old ball. But it probably won't happen because it probably won't be that different. Besides, have you even tested the ball yet for yourself, or are you just assuming you won't like it because you can't handle a little change?

Also, you don't need to play with the new ball if you don't want to. Go out and buy a bunch of currently legal celluloid balls and have a field day - host celluloid tournaments until you die.

No, I do not think so, it is not a favor to us.

Good news have came to me regarding the next future of the table tennis sport.
Poly Balls are going to be 40.1-40.3mm diameter and with a lower rotation rate by around 5%.
The reduction of ball spin would be a great benefit for the sport, just for the reason that a slower spin on the ball would provide a better overall control of play and, ultimalely, some fewer missed balls by players and longer rallies are strongly expected.

This is a comment I have now got in my privat communication from an -ITTF person in charge of testing/approval of table tennis balls.
That is all for now.

Let us apply your logic to Sharara. He should go and take his rule changes with him, and then, if players around the world will call for him coming back he may come back.

My personal choice is that: I prefer celluloid ball without Sharara to Sharara without celluloid ball.

Great benefit according to? One of the challenges of table tennis is the spin and speed factor. If players want fewer missed balls and longer rallies they should do what's called "training" or "practice". I've also seen plenty of new players and social players have long rallies and really enjoy themselves with the existing size of ball. Take this logic to the end and we might as well play on a court 27 feet by 78 feet so there's more playing surface to aim for, raise the net to 3.5 feet at the net posts and 3 feet in the middle to slow the game down and play with a ball with a diameter of 2.575 inches to 2.700 inches to make it easier to see. While we're at it let's get rid of the silly name table tennis or ping pong and call it something else where millions of people willl watch it in person or on TV so lot's of money can be made from it. Oh hold on, there's already a game like that, it's called tennis.

Adham tells us the ball change is because celluloid will cease to be produced so "we" need an alternative and that alternative is plastic. He tells us the size of the ball can be more accurately made hence the tollerance change (although I find it strange a ball can have a tolerance above 40mm but not below it - surely it should be so the ball is a maximum of 40mm not a minumum of 40mm?

Igorponger are you suggesting your ITTF source is saying the change in ball is being brought in to "dumb" down the sport, or to put a politically/corporate response to it "to encourge longer rallies and make the game easier" or that these are considered by the ITTF to be "beneficial side affects" not originally considered by the ITTF when developing the requirements for the new ball?

Noted table tennis coach Carl Danner's take on the plastic balls from About.com...

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That makes no sense, "smart guy".

Adham, congratulations on a great job with the Olympics. I was thinking that since volleyball managed to get the derivative of "beach volleyball" into the Olympics, maybe the ITTF should consider adding a derivative such as "classic table tennis" (a.k.a. hardbat).

If rowing can have 14 different gold medals on offer and kayaking can have 16 gold medals available, sailing has ten golds up for grabs, shooting has 15 golds, etc., I think table tennis, which is much more popular, deserves to have more than just four golds.

This would add even more interest and exposure for the sport, and maybe even partially solve "the China problem."

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The MNNB Blog has had some pretty amazing stuff lately. Just click this text to check it out. | My OOAK Interview
Table Tennis Video Links: itTV | laola1.tv | ttbl | fftt | Challenger Series | mnnb-tv

My whole set-up costs less than a sheet of Butterfly Dignics

This is a great idea - but I think you first need to show that numerous countries have an interest in competing in such a tourney. Maybe the ITTF could add a hardbat event to the pro tour for a year as an experiment.

I'm more surprised that there isn't a doubles competition. Isn't that a glaring omission ?

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Timo Boll ALC ST
FH Tibhar Evolution MX-P Max
BH Tibhar Evolution FX-S 1.8
185g

Men's and Women's doubles were always included in the Olympics since table tennis was introduced in 1988:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Olympic_medalists_in_table_tennis

...Doubles were replaced by team events in 2008... It was done to further reduce the number of table tennis medals that could be won by a single country (guess which one ).

i ve seen that the REIN bUTTERFLY RUBBER is listed in the aproved list but is not sold anymore many years ago i find this odd, would butterfly pay fees for a rubber no one sells/uses anymore or butterfly doesnt pay fees

i have a russian friend that hates everything about china well if igorponger cant stand chinese play the finals you can pick another sport as taek kwan do or equestrian sports and soccer

the right to earn a medal should be won why they dont train harder as the chinese i m sure the world want to watch the best table tennis players no matter where they come from

Hi Adham,

Lots of rumors out there so I thought I'd go to an official source. Is it true that now we're now going to a two-piece poly ball?

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The MNNB Blog has had some pretty amazing stuff lately. Just click this text to check it out. | My OOAK Interview
Table Tennis Video Links: itTV | laola1.tv | ttbl | fftt | Challenger Series | mnnb-tv

My whole set-up costs less than a sheet of Butterfly Dignics