OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Some of our players are wanting to make our club into a sandpaper league, getting rid of sponge/rubber bats altogether.

This would be a gigantic change, and I’m not sure how this would affect the league.

For example, if a player is 1500 and another player is 1200, would it make a difference in the 1500 player almost always beating the 1200 guy? Would it make play more even for players all the way around?

Almost none of our players play in USATT tournaments.

I guess we would also have to play to 21 as well.

Any and all feedback appreciated. Also, are there any pure sandpaper clubs out there?

What %



Yes I know of couple of planets few galaxies away where all clubs are sandpaper or hardbat, because all players have exactly identical forehand & backhand playing styles, exactly same level consistency in executing each of the strokes etc (and therefore they completely banned sponge tabletennis there)

BTW I am just curious , how do your players feel about hardbat

Haha. I’d say 50% would be ok with Hardbat. We have about 10 players in their 60s and early 70s that favor sandpaper.

I meant what % of your total number of players in your entire club want sandpaper . Are these 10 players 50% or 60% or 70% or 80% etc of your total number of players in your entire club

There's actually a fair amount of sandpaper table tennis being played out there. There's even international tournaments with huge prize money, and the top players are easily in the 2500 level (search YouTube, you'll find videos). The top players are, not surprisingly, Chinese. Yinhe was even selling sandpaper bats, and Marty Reisman started up a national sandpaper tournament in the US. Not sure what the rules were (they probably vary from place to place), 21 points sounds right, they might even be using a 38mm ball (where they get them, I've no idea).

My guess is, after everyone adapts, the better players will still beat the not-so-good players. One thing I can say though - switching back and forth between sponge and sandpaper won't be easy, trying to learn to play with sandpaper will probably ruin your sponge game.

Oh.. here's one.



Note that it looks just like a sponge game, with counter-looping rallies...

Iskandar

I went to the final day live in 2020. Same finalists, same result. Frankly, most of the matches were uninteresting, but the final was exciting, not least because one of our party was a friend of Baggaley.

A few days later, lockdown.

_________________
Other setups:
SDC Custom Blade/Butterfly Dignics 80/Butterfly Glayzer
BTY Viscaria/Tibhar K3/Tibhar K3

Forgot to mention "Liha" - it's a variation of sandpaper table tennis played in the Philippines. Played at a pretty high level, too, from what I understand. Some weird rules in use as well, mainly designed to reduce the advantage of the serve.

Iskandar

A liha match (first time I've ever watched one). Looks more like "classic" 1930s hardbat table tennis, chop vs. drive, unlike the modern European/Chinese sandpaper rules table tennis. Note the lack of complicated serves, and players catching the ball - not sure the rules involved there, I think the players are allowed to catch the ball after a serve or a return of serve - perhaps the idea is to promote rallies rather than second/third ball kills.

Iskandar

Can someone please conforim that Marty Reisman started a national sandpaper tournament ?

As far as I know Marty only had the hardbat association started (by Scott Gordon)

After viewing this some more, I now think it's the opposite. The one who catches the ball is always the server, who catches the return. So I think the rules are meant to PROMOTE third ball attacks - if the return is not favorable to starting an attack, the server is allowed to catch the ball.



Can't give you any specific links but I came across quite a bit some years back. Can't remember if it was a tournament (or series of tournaments), or a league, or an organization. He was even selling sandpaper bats online with graphics (logos, faces, cartoon characters, etc.) on the sandpaper at the time. I did find this video (I seem to recall there was also another one where he was playing doubles with sandpaper in the same venue).



Iskandar