The coefficient of friction for pimpled rubbers is one of them. Of course expert players could easily detect treated pimpled rubbers from non-treated, but without proper tools and standards how can an umpire decide what is legal and what is not. Therefore, a clear regulation and testing of the rubber is necessary. But I also understand that those affected by such a regulation may lose their favourite equipment. I am very sorry about this. It is part of any change in regulation, there will always be some people affected negatively. I wish I could find a way to compensate you for this loss, but I hope that you yourself will find a way to adjust to the new regulation and that this new challenge will keep you active as a player.
Regarding your concerns for defensive players, as I said in other responses, I do share fully this concern. But I do not see the solution through equipment that could force an error, or even by equipment that may neutralize the forces of the attacker. Of course such equipment may help and is necessary as far as it is within our set regulations. Instead, I see the resurgence of the defensive player in another way as follows:
- better promotion of defensive play with young kids
- making the defensive style "cool" again
- better education to coaches to help them develop defensive players
- special rewards to associations and coaches that develop defensive players
As a defensive player myself, I dream of the time when defence will become prominent again and we can see many finals featuring the classic attach versus defense as we saw at the 2003 men's Singles final in Paris. It was a dream match.
Finally I would like to thank you for taking my defence against some of the rude attacks I have received by some of your colleagues, but believe me, I do understand their position and frustration and this is why I take the time to answer them and try to explain to them the ITTF position. Contrary to popular belief, we are not "all" stupid at the ITTF and we share your passion and love for our sport.
Please keep on playing and hopefully we will both see the success of future defensive players.
Sincerely,
Adham Sharara
ITTF President
Dear Mr. Sharara,
First of all I really want to thank You for the time You spend in answering all the mails You get concerning the new regulation for slippery long pimpled rubbers.
I'm not satisfied with the way some of Your opponents treat You, because it doesn`t help, if one doesn?t worship the work You and the other functionaires do.
The idea is to do something for our beloved sport, I deeply know this!
Nevertheless I as well come to other conclusions than You and the Board of Directors. I want to tell You about my thoughts concerning the new regulation mentioned above:
I obviously have to accept the decision, that the nowadays available slippery long pimpled rubbers will not be allowed in the future.
The reasons for this point of view brought to me by the published and accepted request to the Board of Directors doesn`t correspond with my opinion.
As some of the other users of this sort of rubbers as well as for example Manfred Grumbach (a very well known expert in long pimpled rubbers) on the homepage of Dr.Neubauer mention, it`s not a miracle to play either with or against this sort of rubbers.
I don`t want to repeat all the issues of this way of playing tabletennis once again, You can read them at several places all over the WWW and hopefully You have done this already.
In my opinion a lot of the reasons for the application brought to the Board of Directors are really wrong and no good reputation concerning the professional competence of the petitioners.
It`s really necessary to do something against by the user himself treated long pimpled rubbers. It`s not fair to use something like this and there has to be done anything against it, the ITTF can do.
It would be enough to put a new category into the list of approved rubbers with the differentation "slippery" -- "non-slippery". Any referree could prove, wether the long-limpled rubber of a player is used in its allowed form.
In national and international events the examination could be done by a tool, in normal cases the examination by hand using a ball would be sufficient.
What really upsets me a lot, is the way the ITTF restricts the possibilities of defensive play without giving any compensation at the same time.
For me it`s highly necessary, that there must be a discussion about an adjustment for example in form of setting the aspect ratio for long pimpled rubbers back to 1,3 or as a reaction of the 40mm-ball may be better to 1,4.
This would of course strenghten the position of modern defenders (on top represented by Joo See Hjuk and Chen Weixing).
It would as well be harmful for the players using slippery long pimpled rubbers, but would be one first step into the direction of giving the possibility of a "fight with same weapons".
If there are no thoughts about the above mentioned issue by now and as a conclusion there will be no new rule concerning the aspect ratio at the same time when the new rule for slippery long pimpled rubbers becomes effective, You and Your collegues at the ITTF in my opinion can`t appeal to do anything to the encouragement of defensive systems of tabletennis.
Please use Your influence to Your collegues to redress the balance between the most important ways of playing tabletennis.
I know that there are a lot of very competent people with a lot of thoughts about strenghteness of defenders. Please use there knowledge!
Concerning German-speaking people it`s very important to use the competence of Herbert Neubauer and Manfred Grumbach. There are a lot of non-professionals like me who would like to be part of the exiciting development of a fair new regulation of the different materials being used in tabletennis.
I give permission to You to give this mail to anyone You like to. If You want to publish it on any website, it`ll be ok for me also. In this case please Do so only using my name and not my postal adress.
Yours sincerely,
Thomas Stakemeier
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