OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Can someone direct me to the rule or regulation that deals with what the procedure is for a ball that is wet from a player or players build up of sweat on it? I have looked through the ITTF rules and the officials handbook and I can't find the reference I am looking for...if it exists.

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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!
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I have not seen anything specific on this. We usually allow the point (whichever way it goes), and then dry the ball and continue.

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I understand some people perspire a lot so I always ask them to try and dry the ball and hand before serving and be polite. It is generally ok with most players, although, if it is becoming a problem I wont receive the ball on the serve unless they dry off before hand. Specially as its quite difficult to return a slick ball and some players take advantage of it in game or are just inconsiderate and rude.

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CORNILLEAU Hugo Calderano FOCO OFF+
FH: ANDRO Hexer Powergrip 2.1
BH: ANDRO Hexer Powergrip 2.1

I have had players try to say the point was a let, but as far as I can tell the point counts as played and we dry to ball and go forward from there.

The reason I raised this was because I made a really good pip serve in doubles the other night and the ball dove down off the opponents bat (which is not unusual off my pip serve) and he did the "look at my bat" kinda thing. Except where most people would shrug it off he spied a wet spot on his bat and said it was a let as the ball must be wet. Now it was a humid night, sweaty hands are all over the ball in doubles, so its likely the ball was damp a lot of the time throughout the game (and the entire night as it was humid). I'd never had someone try this claim before, although I recalled reading it on the forum a while back (and have now found the thread which was a poll). We took the "suck it up" princess we've all had to deal with it approach, but he had none of it and got the match ref who said we should play a let. So I pip served with a dry ball and his shot drove down off his bat and into the net!

I was just curious to find what really supports the let call and as far as I can figure its the "outside disturbance" rule is the best that can be mustered.

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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 don't like it but humidity is part of life, the humidity alone changes the way the ball plays. My only problem is when there is abuse of the wet ball (someone deliberately getting sweat on it) or there is open hostility coming from asking politely to try and dry the ball.

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CORNILLEAU Hugo Calderano FOCO OFF+
FH: ANDRO Hexer Powergrip 2.1
BH: ANDRO Hexer Powergrip 2.1

There are players in our club who intentionally serve with a wet ball. If you don't complain and was not able to return, you lose the point. I call it cheating.

Anyway, I have not seen specific rule for this, but a trained umpire could decide a let if the result clearly shows that the receiver was not able to return it due to the condition of the ball.

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i just call out wet (you gota say it fast)

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I am quite sure there is no rule in regards to this, and whenever this has happened in my games the point is just awarded as normal. That being said I am of the opinion that is should be a let, if a ball coming on the court is enough of a distraction to be a let, surely a wet ball that gives someone a point for nothing should be too. It is potentially open to abuse for people to make the ball damp on purpose, and surely anything that can be exploited on purpose should be a let.

It is quite different to nets and edges, where even though they tend to award points for luck, it is not able to be exploited. I haven't met someone yet who has been able to practice enough to consistently hit them.

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Main: Butterfly Timo Boll Spirit ST | FH: Andro Hexer HD 2.1mm | BH: Donic Bluefire MAX

Rule 2.09.02.04: [Play may be interrupted] "because the conditions of play are disturbed in a way which could affect the outcome of the rally."
http://www.ittf.com/ittf_handbook/ittf_hb.html
The wording used to be that it would be a let "if the ball was fractured or imperfect in play," but at some point it was changed.
-Larry Hodges

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I wonder if an umpire would accept a wet mark on the rubber as proof that the ball was wet, as it could have been made earlier.

I can't say I've ever seen a let being called for a wet ball in international games...so perhaps it just doesn't happen often, or they simply award the point.

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I've heard people complain about wet balls before (in table tennis too) but never seen such a thing myself. Seen some big guys that sweat so much the table gets drops on it though, that's kinda gross.

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Foam, I am a sweat machine in any environment. In summer here where it is max humidity for months on end and the club uses the ir conditioning only sparsly, my sweat goes everywhere. I have to wipe the table every 4 points.

One towel is never enough. Two towels in summer is a minimum.

I carry 6 shirts with me in summer. It takes only two mathes for the shirt to be totally soaked and dripping.

In amature Korean TT, I have never seen a replay of a point from a wet ball. You just wipe dry and play on. We sometimes call a let before serve or right at teh start of it if we see big drop of sweat on the rubber.

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Wow, you'd have to bring lots of beer to replenish those fluids in your body then wouldn't you?

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this happened in a match today against the State Champ in WA - the table next door had just hit the ball back to our table, and it hit me on the chest - it was very humid in WA today, and I was drenched. The opponent did a kicker topspin serve, I played it back perfectly - but it went straight down, didn't even make the net. I looked at my bat, there was a big wet spot - and a big wet spot on his bat where he served. He offered a let - very gracious of him, he didn't have to - and I accepted, as I believed I would have returned it ok without the ball being wet.