OOAK Table Tennis Forum

i dont want to upset anyone and i especially dont want to cause an uproar..so kindly take the following as a mere question / topic to debate:

a rumour is spreading that the ittf is planning to ban the tt-master rubbers "insider" and "swing backIF "--
lets get this straight: if that were true, they first implemented the new friction-regulations and approved both rubbers, only to take them off the list a couple of months later..

what happened in the mean time?! apparantly other companies see a threat in tt-master and are increasing pressure and it seems to bother some that many former frictionless pimple player really can cope well with these new rubbers.

if this turns out to be true this would be more than outrageous. you cant take a rubber off the list during a season (october) especially after you have just approved it! this would be turning the whole issue into a serious witch hunt..

again: so far its only rumours, but i think its appropriate for us to go on our hindlegs to give the ittf and mr. gustavsen a very clear signal not even to think about anything of that nature..

the hallmark frustration too, according to the same source, will get banned which is even more absurd because it has one of the highest levels of friction, the problem here seems to be the sticky surface.

anyone else heard anything similar?

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Blade: Barna Original Triumph Forehand Yasaka Razka Po Backhand Der-Materialspezialist Störkraft 0.8
http://www.instagram.com/dragontattooguy

Frustration ban? Unlikely.

It would take out a whole load of pips with it if you tried to get it via a friction coefficient. Its simply too similar to 955 to a lesser extent Leggy (these rubbers have roughened tops and sticky 'stems'. You might just catch it because it has more spin reversal but not a great deal more (its still a soft pip). You would need a sticky/frictionless coefficient such that the ratio couldn't be greater than x%. Ok it would be doable, but why? It would be loads of complicated work and it hardly seems worth the effort.

Phoenix ban (ID topsheet to Frustration). Phoenix gives alot of reverse spin however this is due to the sponge and you would then have to include the sponge with the friction test. That is not beyond the wit of the ITTF - but it has never regulated sponges before so it would be a first (basically ban the anti-sponge). Again its not enough of a threat IMO.

You can trap Insider and Swingback by raising the frictionless coefficient, it would be crazy, irrational and reflect poorly on their current coefficient - but that wouldn't stop them.

It would be alot harder to target Frustration/ Phoenix even it they really wanted to.

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Tibhar Grass D.techs OX | Donic BigSlam 2.0mm .
Re-Impact Medusa (balsa / 1-ply cherry wood)
Frictionless strokes | Attacking pip strokes | Greggy's advice | Bollsbrother | Sebastian Sauer . . . . . .

This kind of possibility is exactly why i never bothered trying the new stuff from tt-master/hallmark/dr neubauer. Remember, the ittf stated it themselves when they established their friction standard: they tested existing equipment first, and then they made the standard, implying that it was specifically targeted at a set of rubbers.

I have heard a different but possibly related rumor, but i'm trying to track down the source before i say more.

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Equipment: Matsushita PowerDefence, Spin Art 1.9 black, Xiying 979 ox red
Style: American | US Rating: barely 2000

It would be outrageous! Haven't they damaged our sport enough already???

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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

folks, kindly send mr.odd gustavsen an email and tell him how you feel about this before its too late, this is outrageous! [email protected]

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Blade: Barna Original Triumph Forehand Yasaka Razka Po Backhand Der-Materialspezialist Störkraft 0.8
http://www.instagram.com/dragontattooguy

This is where the problem lies... without any facts or official announcement, how can we dispute it?

Just the rumour alone can be enough to destroy TTMaster...their LP rubber is surely their biggest part of their business... makes you wonder where the rumour originated from, and who stands to benefit...

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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

This idea of a further ban is just crazy - so it will probably happen.

Speedplay is right - it's not about frictionless or treated rubbers but about the style of those using them. And the ITTF seem to hate it.

Speaking from the bitter experiences in England, this kind of ruling would be met by the majority with warmth as us LP players are not popular opponents. But the depth of players the sport would lose would be tragic, particularly the older ones.

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Tango Ultra 2mm black, DMS Storkraft 1.6mm red, DMS Invictus
Well done bat!

This rumor can also be a hoax...

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Hardbat France, the first French association to promote hardbat
http://www.hardbat-france.fr/

Yes absolutely! I sure hope it is!

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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

I emailed TTmasters and asked about this rumor and this is their reply

"We don’t know for what purpose some people are running this rumor.
We can confirm that we have not received official news on this rumor.
Best regards"

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Blade Render Taichi
FH BTY Flarestorm
BH Tibhar Grass D Tecs ox
USATT Rating 2105

i received the same email. i replied tt-master and informed them that the biggest tt-distributor in my country is spreading this information to customers and provided them with his name.

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Blade: Barna Original Triumph Forehand Yasaka Razka Po Backhand Der-Materialspezialist Störkraft 0.8
http://www.instagram.com/dragontattooguy

It's very good to make TTMaster aware of this issue, so hopefully THEY can sort it out once and for all!

Does this distributor sells rubbers of a competitor? Even if it's true, I think it's pretty poor form for a competitor to spread this information without an ITTF decision being made...

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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

How many rumors in the last year have been false? Rubber, glue, tuners? Not many.
Still like to know about that anti with the clear stuff. Don't look like it is sponge to me.
If the ITTF cared, they could verify or squash this type of rumor when asked.

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Shakehand, left handed.
Blade, Yinhe, W-1
Forhand, H-3 National
Backhand, Sriver FX Max

Lets get one thing straight. The Frustration rumour is bogus.

Frustration is neither the stickest pip out there - anything Chinese or the Yasaka pips are way stickier, nor does it have tremendous spin reversal. It might have the greatest ratio between sticky and smooth (but it might not).

Measuring the frictionless coefficient is more complex than what I said originally - the idea is a topsheet and sponge could be checked at a tournament for a frictionless coefficient. Thus its not just the topsheet which is approved (by ITTF) but the topsheet and sponge I presume. The anti-sponge does bring a rubber pretty close to the frictionless threshold so shifting the frictionless coefficient might expose Phoenix - but it wouldn't ban the topsheet.

ITTF could raise the frictionless threshold but it would be very hard to knock out Frustration. It doesn't stand out except possibly on an odd statistic.

Therefore I question whether the whole rumour has any real validity because part of the rumour is clearly wrong.

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Tibhar Grass D.techs OX | Donic BigSlam 2.0mm .
Re-Impact Medusa (balsa / 1-ply cherry wood)
Frictionless strokes | Attacking pip strokes | Greggy's advice | Bollsbrother | Sebastian Sauer . . . . . .

odd gustavsen has responded with this email, making it CLEAR that the ittf lacks principles, its simply up to their mood as it seems:

"Dear Sir, No immediate plans for doing anything here, but things can always change.
Best regards
Odd Gustavsen Oksval Terrasse 30 A
NO - 1450 Nesoddtangen
Norway"

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Blade: Barna Original Triumph Forehand Yasaka Razka Po Backhand Der-Materialspezialist Störkraft 0.8
http://www.instagram.com/dragontattooguy