Speed glue

Gluing is a method of table tennis sport, by the table tennis racket is especially faster topspinfreudiger and louder. Here are special glue called speed glue (English: speed glue ) used. The rubber surface of the racket is stuck until shortly before the game on the wood bat. The adhesive is allowed to " dry " only briefly. The surface is so "fresh" - meaning " only just " - glued.

In table tennis recreational sports speed gluing has never played a role. In association and professional sport, this technique is no longer allowed since their invention the end of the 1970s as popular as it was controversial and according to the rules of the World Table Tennis ITTF since 1 September 2008.

As similar designations for this process are also " sticking" in Austria and " fresh -picking" or simply " picking" common.

Definition of Terms

In regulating the ITTF there is no definition of gluing. Hence it is often used in the interpretation of the regulations to misunderstandings. In common parlance, the table tennis experts gluing means that the lining glued until shortly before the game and adhesive is used with volatile solvents, because only under these two conditions the glue effect occurs.

The international table tennis rules state: " adhesives containing volatile organic solvents may from 1 September 2006 are no longer in the game room, and from September 1, 2007 no longer be used. " So according to the general understanding is the art glueing for all members of the ITTF banned as required for the glue effect adhesives are prohibited.

Technology and effects

When gluing is the rubber covering the racket with adhesives containing volatile solvents or paste almost " wet" and on the wood bat until shortly before the game. Due to the volatility of the solvents, the effect can be with time and after about an hour or later ( depending on the sensitivity of the player ) must be re- glued. The adhesive can be applied in one or several layers. It used to be the glue often applied with the bare hand, later was used, partly due to health concerns mostly brush or distributed the glue simply with the covering on the wood club. To prolong the life of the wood bat and the duration of the speed glue effect, the wood is painted in the rule.

The solvent of the adhesive diffuse through the sponge and penetrate into the studs topsheet swells and thereby becomes more elastic. Due to the greater mobility of the top layer on the swollen foam rubber pad it comes with a tangential contact with the ball ( topspin ) to a material tension. This strain energy is transformed with progressive ball contact in additional rotational energy and thus additional twist about. The key here is how much the surface at separation of the positive connection between him and the ball is still tense.

Measurements on clamped firmly bats showed that the difference between a freshly glued and non -glued covering roughly the difference between a 2.1 mm thick pad ( sponge thickness) and a 1.3 mm thick coating corresponds. The measurable increase in ball rotation, depending on the covering 10-70 percent, increasing the ball speed no more than 5 percent. Especially with topspin, the process produces a characteristic ( hollow to glass ) sound, which is often referred to - noise as a "click." That sound when striking the ball is also louder than with non -glued rubbers. The ritual of bonding and the volume of the racket due to the speed glue and subjective psychological effects on the player will be awarded.

Disadvantages for the players

Under the fresh adhesive methods suffer next to the ball security, particularly in the service reception and slowly beaten balls, especially the durability of the flooring and the wood. Difficulties and the fact that the glue effect decreases with time and is almost gone after a few hours arise. In addition, the dosage of the adhesive, and the time at which the coating is adhered prepare ( by a factor of " Antrocknungsdauer of adhesive " ), sometimes considerable problems, since the club at different speeds and spin coating is elastic at different dosages and Antrocknungsdauer. In addition, the putative health problems may be considered as a drawback for the player.

Health

When gluing is regularly handled with organic solvent-containing adhesives. The solvents used mainly in the 1980s, such as trichlorethylene, benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbons were banned in covering adhesives. Nevertheless, the topics sniffing glue, which the related potential for addiction and frequent skin contact with the adhesives are considered relevant for health ( when applying the adhesive).

Health concerns is one of the reasons that led to the glue ban.

History

As the " inventor" and first user of the fresh adhesive technology, the Hungarian world champion Tibor Klampar is seen in the table tennis scene. Klampar tried at first to keep his discovery to himself. Supposedly, one day he was caught ( in the period 1977/1978 ) in how he has repeatedly re- glued his pads on the toilet before his games. As generations of table tennis players after him used, Klampar non-traditional covering adhesives, but Reifenkleber for bikes or cars, which is particularly rich in solvent. In Europe, this technique was soon publicized and popular.

At the international level, the speed glue was introduced in the early 1980s. At the European Championships 1982, the clicking sound freshly glued coverings had already heard regularly. Pioneers were the former world-class tennis players such as Hungary Klampar and István Jonyer, the Swede Mikael Appelgren and the Yugoslav Dragutin Šurbek. The gluing was celebrated downright, it chimed on the upcoming game.

The gluing has changed drastically in table tennis. The stroke technique was changed taking into account the special effect. The speed of the shock movement could be more effectively transformed into topspin and made with top players up to 5000 ball revolutions / min are possible. Footwork and racket attitude were of central importance. The game pace was increased enormously by the stronger twist of the ball ( Magnus-Effekt/Kraft/Beschleunigung ). Opening stop spinning punches led increasingly to direct point gain. Technique and tactics were against the Athletics in the background and coined the term the "Power Table Tennis ".

Over time, the speed glue technique was improved. The industry brought their own, steadily improved coatings and adhesives on the market. It specialty coatings have been developed that fast and spinny were enabled by the bonding, some with already built-in speed glue effect which could be further increased by additional bonding. Many players "improved" the illegal glue effect by the adhesive mixed with gasoline, and thus the proportion of solvent further increased.

1989 was the Swedish men's national overcome the decade-long dominance of the Asian table tennis player and became world champion in the team competition of the masters. The speed glue method had some share in the fact that the Europeans were able to catch up in an international comparison so because the much stronger rotation of the ball made ​​close to the table, fast counter attacks of Asians nearly impossible. Also, the color labeling of different coverings ensured the triumph of the Topspinspiels, mainly because the Chinese "Offensive defenders " downright " blared from the plate " were. A consequence of the Swedish victories was at the World Championships between 1989 and 1993 that now includes Asian table tennis players increasingly applied the speed glue technology and also more and more Asians passed from the penholder to shakehand service grip, as the table far topspin, especially on the backhand side only with the Shake hand posture. However, had at that time in China, the most common coverings ( especially " Friendship- 729 " and " Double Happiness PF -4" ) rigid non-elastic sponge below and above were the only little with or without speed glue due to the lack of bracing of the documents spin generated.

From the late 1980s until the middle of 2008 stuck almost all world-class table tennis player attack and even the Chinese defensive player stuck at least their racket forehand side where they practiced an offensive game with offensive Backside rubbers. Even in the lower grades and in adolescents was gluing the forehand side for attacking players the norm.

Especially in the field of children's and youth sports glueing always had a somewhat negative reputation because the solvents used had toxicity and addiction potential. A ban has been discussed from the beginning and proposed by the ITTF also from 1 January 1993. Pretty soon, the adhesion was allowed only in specially designated areas. In addition, certain (especially aromatic ) solvents were banned. The glue ban in 1993 but could not be enforced and softened again in the same year by glueing with approved adhesive products was again permitted. In addition, the control of the speed glue rules especially at grassroots level remained an unsolved problem, so that the restrictions largely existed only on paper.

Nevertheless, the rules were in terms of speed glue effect occasionally. So the South Koreans Kim Taek -soo was disqualified after his quarter-final victory at the World Table Tennis Championships 1995 for an examination of his club revealed that he had used banned substances during gluing.

From the Table Tennis ITTF speed glue was mainly seen increasingly as a problem because of the health aspects. He tightened therefore once again the rules, by decided a glue ban in enclosed spaces with effect from 1 September 2006. The ban but was again postponed due to the 2008 Olympic Games. With the impending restrictions also tried world class players, such as the Austrian Werner Schlager during a friendly match against the German national team in 2007 to manage again without speed glue. The industry responded to the impending restrictions, by encouraging drive new developments and offers since 2005 pads with built-in speed glue effect.

Thus, the ritual of speed glue, which has made a professional table tennis players up to one hour of his day to end. Since 1 September 2008 the gluing with adhesives that exceed a certain vapor pressure (volatility and tendency to transition from the liquid phase to the gas phase), no longer allowed in competitions. As a result, the game was a little slower and it was the generation of the rotation a little slowed, partly as a result had longer rallies.

Developments after the glue ban

The latest development is the so-called tuning of table tennis rubbers. Here, the racket covering is treated with a tuning product. After some time the lining is adhered with an adhesive containing no forbidden solvent to the wood. The sound of the bat while batting and feel are similar to the gluing. The tuning effect lasts two to four weeks to significantly longer than the glue effect. However, this process also by the ITTF in 2008 has already been banned because in some tuning products harmful substances were found, and the tuning is also an illegal treatment of the coating.

At present, therefore, remain the racket coverings " with built-in speed glue effect " offered by the manufacturers as the only alternative to gluing. The finished bat may set by the ITTF limits of volatile organic compounds (measured with the device MiniRAE Lite from RAE Systems ) must not exceed. Currently, the limit is 3 ppm.

However, a slowdown of the game that is achieved by the banning of speed glue and tuning is not likely, since this effect can also be achieved by new rubber mixtures and the impact technology is constantly evolving.