Speed glue

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In table tennis speed glue is glue that is used to re-fix the rubber surfaces to the racket or paddle. Speed glue is usually applied around 30 minutes before a match starts. The use of speed glue has been found to increase the elasticity of the racket, which adds speed and spin to the ball.

Speed glue works by its solvent vapours which make the porous cells of soft rubber expand. This stretches the rubber giving it a tension that in turn makes the ball behave like an object meeting a trampoline.

It was discovered by accident in the 1970s when a player used bicycle puncture repair glue to fix his racket before a match. The difference in the play of the ball became immediately obvious. The high performance effect lasts only a few hours.

Table tennis player Dragutin Surbek of Yugoslavia is given the major credit for popularising this use of speed glue between 1979 and 1983.

The ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) for a short time banned speed glue. Certain toxic substances in glue are still banned on health grounds but speed glues are now legal for use in tournament play if they are approved by the ITTF.

Virtually all of the world’s top players use speed glue.

[edit] Description

Speed glue is an adhesive used to assemble table tennis paddles in a manner to make them hit balls back with increased speed. It is optional; a person may choose to use regular glue instead. Its use in tournaments is currently disputed due to believed toxicity in some speed glues.

The theory behind speed glue is that it is soaked up by the sponge layer between the rubber topsheet and blade of a table tennis paddle. The sponge begins to expand, and consequently begins to stretch the attached rubber topsheet causing increased tension and creating a "trampoline" effect on the ball causing it to bounce back quicker.

Speed glue use is generally more common among advanced table tennis players. The increased speed of the strokes of the paddle is usually too great for beginners to handle. Professional players who use speed glue generally apply it to their paddle a few hours before their match because the effects of speed glue do not last long. The effects last usually 3-6 hours, although recently long life glues have been developed to prolong the effect for up to 4 days. Offensive players tend to use speed glue more than defensive players as they emphasise speed over spin and control. Generally, speed is inversely proportional to control.

Speed glue needs to be reapplied several times to have an optimal effect. The nature of speed glue is very unpredictable, so several coats are needed to make the bounce of the paddle more predictable. When professionals are seen applying speed glue to their paddles before a tournament, they have applied speed glue to it several times before that time. Softer sponge rubbers will gain a larger performance boost from speed glue than harder rubbers

Speed glue is mixed with certain solvents to create a better effect. Some of these solvents are illegal by law and contain fumes. They are considered to be inhalants. In 1995, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) banned the use of all halogenated solvents, all solvents with benzene rings, and N-hexane in paddles. They have also started the practice of random testing of paddles in international tournaments checking for the aforementioned solvents. Speed glue is in a broader sense the creatine of table tennis.

In gameplay terms, speed glue has some disadvantages. Due to the increased sponge thickness, speed does increase, but as mentioned before usually control decreases as speed increases. Also, after several regluings speed glue begins to build up on the racket, increasing the weight of the paddle. The nature of table tennis blades are so sensitive, that a few extra grams may cause the player to not perform as well. The more the glue builds up on the rubber, the more glue must be applied on the next application to achieve the same effect. After 15-20 layers of glue, some players peel the old glue off to reduce the weight of the sponge, and to reduce the amount of glue needed to obtain the optimum effect. Another disadvantage is that the increased tension on the sponge from the glue will cause the rubber to wear out faster than usual. In order to prolong the life of the rubber, some players remove the rubber from the blade after they play to allow the rubber to contract naturally, rather than remain stressed on the blade.

Spotting speed glue is very difficult at times. If the paddle makes a very distinctive high pitched sound on contact, then the paddle may have speed glue. When holding the paddle, the person may notice an increase of weight from normal paddles. Also, there is a distinct smell that emits from some speed glues when used.

In 2004 the ITTF decided to ban any glues containing volatile organic solvents as of 1 September 2007 due to health concerns. This has now been moved back to 1 September 2008.