Boosting in Desk Tennis is a controversial subject. Though ITTF rules prohibit it, we nonetheless see that the majority high gamers proceed to make use of boosters to enhance their rackets.
Some gamers see boosters as cheaters, whereas others suppose boosting is totally positive as a result of everybody does it, regardless that it’s unlawful.
I imagine that using boosters is detrimental to the game in many alternative methods, and that the ITTF should begin imposing the rule that prohibits boosting. In the event that they don’t, the principles of the game should hold altering continuously for the foreseeable future.
Let me clarify.
How boosting works
Desk Tennis boosters are chemical substances that make rubbers play loads higher than they do out of the bundle.
This chemical is utilized straight onto the sponge and it’s absorbed slowly, injecting rigidity into the rubber. On the finish of the method, the rubber has utterly totally different traits than in the beginning.
Boosted rubbers are a lot sooner, softer, spinnier, sound louder, hits are crisper and rubbers purchase a attribute shiny look.
Boosted rubbers retain their results for 4-12 weeks, after which you need to repeat the boosting course of or change the rubbers out for brand new ones. For extra element, try our article on how to boost your rubbers.
Anybody who is aware of about boosters can acknowledge a boosted rubber after they see one. Regardless of this, boosters are nonetheless used, regardless that it’s unlawful and it’s evident that the rackets of just about all of the skilled gamers are boosted.
The stance of the ITTF on boosting
Trendy boosters have been invented after the velocity glue ban in 2007. Velocity glue was one other chemical used to extend the velocity of rubber, but it surely was banned resulting from well being issues.
After this, the sport slowed down significantly, so high offensive gamers began on the lookout for a technique to velocity up their rubbers once more with out utilizing velocity glue, and the boosters we all know of at this time have been born.
Velocity glue was VOC-based. VOCs (Risky natural compounds) are chemical substances which have a excessive vapor strain at room temperature and are detectable utilizing a VOC sensor.
To detect velocity glued rubbers, the ITTF used this VOC sensor. To today, if a racket doesn’t emit VOCs, it’s authorized.
Thus boosters have been born, chemical substances that don’t comprise VOCs, however have an enormous impact on the efficiency of rubbers.
Boosters are unlawful in line with the ITTF:
“The racket overlaying shall be used with none bodily, chemical or different therapy”.
This rule makes boosters unlawful. Rubbers should be used with none further therapy.
Nevertheless, because the testing process appears to be like for VOCs, which boosters don’t have, boosters are undetectable by the ITTF, making them viable as an possibility for enhancing your rubbers.
Referees and gamers know that everybody boosts their rubbers, and though it’s unlawful, nobody can do something about it till the testing strategies are modified.
5 explanation why boosting hurts the game
I’ve already defined that boosting is prohibited in line with the principles, however authorized in follow.
My opinion is that boosters ought to be utterly banned, however no matter what I believe, it’s apparent that the ITTF ought to take a stronger stance on the matter. Boosting in Desk Tennis at this time is a loophole.
The ITTF may say they’re authorized and decontrol all the things or proceed to take the place that they’re unlawful and really implement the principles.
I’ll now clarify the explanation why boosters ought to be banned.
1) Boosting accelerates the sport
The primary motive why boosters ought to be banned is that it accelerates the game to very excessive ranges.
Boosters are nonetheless being developed, and they’re getting higher and higher.
Within the yr 2021, the Falco Tempo Platinium was launched, an much more highly effective model of the most well-liked booster, the Falco Tempo Lengthy.
These developments in booster applied sciences are making rubbers even sooner and spinnier, and the sport is getting an increasing number of distorted because of this.
The elevated velocity of the game makes it extra boring to look at, as most factors are selected third ball assaults or pressured errors as a result of very excessive taking part in velocity.
Spectacular rallies are actually largely current in girls’s matches, the place we are able to see for much longer and extra fascinating factors because the velocity of play is considerably slower.
Lately, Desk Tennis has rewarded bodily gamers akin to Ma Lengthy, greater than tactical gamers akin to Jan-Ove Waldner.
At this time, matches at a excessive stage are largely outlined by which participant can hit sooner than the opponent, or which participant can react in time to counter the quickest pictures. There are just about no allround gamers on the ITTF circuit.
It’s far more a sport of energy and response than of spin, ways, and method because it was in Jan-Ove Waldner’s time, for instance.
At this time, Waldner’s fashion wouldn’t be practically as efficient because it as soon as was, as he thrived in an period by which the ball traveled loads slower, which gave him sufficient time to drag off his clever ways and sumptuous blocks.
2) Boosting kills fashion variety
Due to the added velocity, boosters kill fashion variety.
If rackets are getting sooner and sooner, to the purpose that sure counter topspins and third ball assaults are just about unreturnable, then the sport at excessive ranges goes to gravitate in direction of rewarding these methods.
On the time of writing, there are solely 2 defenders who can compete on the world stage, Ruwen Filus and Hou Yingchao.
If the sport is accelerated to very excessive ranges, attackers will profit vastly in comparison with defensive gamers and all-around gamers.
This additionally impacts how the game is taught in golf equipment. Membership gamers are going to be taught the fashion that works the most effective.
Many instances I heard gamers complain that Desk Tennis golf equipment solely train offensive types, and never everybody desires to be an attacking participant! There are many individuals who get pleasure from defending or taking part in away from the desk much more than attacking.
Should you be a part of a Desk Tennis membership, they’ll almost definitely train you the shakehand grip (hyperlink the totally different grips of desk tennis), topspin strokes from each side, and let you know to not go backwards, to remain close to to the desk.
It is because attacking is the predominant fashion. Prior to now you might discover many extra viable playstyles, these days all golf equipment simply need to train the attacking fashion at shut vary.
Boosters and newer gear have loads to do with this, as what’s efficient on the larger ranges is taught at golf equipment.
On high of that, all the brand new rubbers that come out are manufacturing facility boosted, so even when you don’t enhance them your self, any participant who buys one of many newest rubbers goes to have a really quick boosted rubber.
This makes it very tough for gamers with different types to compete towards offensive gamers with these rubbers.
If boosters didn’t exist and gamers’ rackets have been slower, defensive and allround gamers would have a significantly better probability of beating their offensive counterparts.
However because the velocity of the sport will increase, the number of types ceases to exist, as all non-offensive types are more and more deprived with each improve in velocity.
Defensive play is often solely taught to girls as a result of they play at a slower tempo and it’s a lot simpler for defenders to return topspins.
Being a male defender these days isn’t efficient in any respect at larger ranges, which is truthfully fairly unhappy, because the most fascinating matches are between offensive gamers and defensive gamers.
One of many reasons why I love playing Table Tennis is fashion variety. Desk Tennis can be very boring if everybody performed the identical, and sadly, it appears to be like like that’s the place the game’s heading in direction of.
3) Boosting makes gear a deciding issue
The third motive why boosters ought to be banned is that they make gear take a extra essential place within the sport.
Till about 2000, the overwhelming majority of European gamers used Yasaka Mark V rubbers or the Butterfly Sriver, whereas the Chinese language used their very own rubbers.
Again then, gear didn’t have as a lot place within the sport because it does at this time. Now we’ve got tons of of various fashions to select from, and if we add the booster, then there’s much more variability.
It’s plain {that a} high-level participant who boosts their rubbers has a bonus over somebody who doesn’t. Most gamers of that stage enhance their rubbers and are continuously on the lookout for higher rubbers and higher boosters.
If boosters are banned, gamers will be capable of select between totally different rubber fashions, and that’s it. I believe that’s sufficient to customise every participant’s rackets however to not the purpose that they’re utilizing unlawful chemical substances to make them higher.
For my part, a participant who chemically treats his rubbers with the most effective booster and utilizing the most effective course of shouldn’t have a bonus over somebody who doesn’t. Benefits within the sport ought to be purely as a result of one is a greater participant than the opposite.
4) Boosting causes instability in Desk Tennis.
Boosting causes instability in Desk Tennis as the principles should adapt to the circumstances it creates.
When the sport accelerates, the ITTF is at all times pressured to take motion to gradual it down, though these adjustments typically take years to occur. It’s not good for the game when the sport accelerates as third ball assaults find yourself dominating the sport. It’s not entertaining for spectators.
We are able to see this impact with the adjustments of the ball to a much bigger ball, after which with the change to the plastic ball, or with the velocity glue ban in 2007.
It’s not good for the game that the principles should be altering on a regular basis simply because the gear, together with boosters, is getting higher and higher.
5) Boosting makes the game extra reliant on money and time
The method of boosting takes quite a lot of effort in phrases of time and cash. As we defined in our boosting information, the method wants the chemical, 3-5 days and plenty of desk tennis rubbers.
Should you enhance your rubber, then the impact will often put on off in 1 to 2 months, at which level you’d have to reboost your rubber to get the identical efficiency.
However it’s not that straightforward.
Should you boosted your rubber with 2 layers or extra, then your rubber will begin to turn into delicate and unresponsive when you re-boost it, doubtlessly making the rubber unusable.
Should you boosted your rubber with 1 layer, then you definitely’d be shedding efficiency towards those that are in a position to enhance their rubbers with 2 layers and change their rubbers each month or two.
Gamers who’ve extra time and cash to spice up their rubbers shouldn’t have an edge over those that don’t. Particularly as a result of these gamers aren’t even abiding by the ITTF guidelines of not boosting.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I believe boosters should be banned as a result of they make the game extra unstable, dearer, extra boring, and in the end, extra unfair.
The ITTF ought to take steps to replace its testing strategies and implement the principles.
Because the boosters’ principal benefit is the rise in velocity, the ITTF may conduct bounce assessments over the gamers’ rackets.
Say, for instance, Lin Gaoyuan is taking part in with ITTF-approved blade Lin Gaoyuan ALC and two Tenergy rubbers. The ITTF may assemble a model new racket and examine the bounce between Lin’s racket and the supposed Lin’s racket out of the field (unboosted).
They might additionally assemble the rackets for gamers throughout main tournaments, gamers may current their blade of option to the ITTF, inform them what rubbers they need and the ITTF employees can assemble their rackets with model new, unboosted rubbers.
It’s going to be tough to finish boosting, there’s little doubt about that. The ITTF might want to hold discovering measures to check for unlawful tampering, as they did with velocity glue. Even then, gamers and producers will hold looking for loopholes to discover a small quantity of additional efficiency.
It’s evident that nearly each high participant boosts their rubbers as a result of they acquire a bonus, however the sport as a complete would enhance in numerous totally different elements if boosting didn’t exist.
High Advantages of Stopping Booster Use
- The game would cease being a lot about gear, which might enhance the probabilities of talent expression with a good subject of unboosted rackets.
- Model variety would enhance as a result of the offensive third ball assault fashion would cease being so favored over all the opposite playstyles.
- The game would cease being so unstable, needing rule adjustments each few years to maintain it balanced.
- Desk tennis can be simpler for everybody to play at a excessive stage since boosting now’s nearly necessary and really pricey.
- The velocity of Desk Tennis at excessive ranges would lower, making it extra pleasant for viewers, producing many extra of the spectacular lengthy rallies all of us love. There wouldn’t be as many errors resulting from velocity.
Alvaro’s been taking part in Desk Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked throughout the high 100 in his native Argentina. He likes to compete in provincial tournaments and is at all times on the lookout for methods to enhance. Alvaro made his favorite recollections with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight staff to share his ardour with different gamers!
Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 05 | Backhand: Butterfly Rozena
Playstyle: The Controller
