Speed gluing

john tomlinson Asked 14 years ago

Hi there,

iam still new to table tennis and whilst doing abit of research into which rubber might suit me best i keep coming across 'speed gluing'. but dont really know what affect it had and any difference it makes and also why it has been banned. just curious to find out really. 

cheers john

Jeff Plumb Answered 14 years ago

Hi John,

When it was legal, players used to re-glue their rubbers onto their blades before each match. The special "speed glue" would affect the rubber making it faster and easier to play attacking strokes like topspin against topspin. The effect of the glue would only last an hour or two hence the need for constant re-gluing.

The authorities were worried about the chemicals in the glue being harmful and this is the main reason it was banned.

Since speed glue has been banned, Table Tennis companies have been trying to come up with a rubber that acts like a "speed glued" rubber without the need for constant gluing. These new generation rubbers are called Tensor rubbers. So far the companies have been doing a good job but most players still think that they are not quite as good as the old speed glued rubbers.