For the most part on this blog we highlight and cover technologies behind some of the major sports, but there are a number of sports where people actually get Olympic medals and lucrative endorsement deals and so we will search out some lesser known sports and introduce the science behind these sports. First up is Table Tennis (a.k.a. Ping Pong). Over the next couple of days, we will learn about a performance enhancer that has been used for 30 years, a training
method built for Forrest Gump and all (perhaps even more than) you'll
ever need to know about Ping Pong balls.
Speed Glue
A notorious performance enhancer used just hours before competition to get that extra zip on the ball. Sounds nasty. But, this glue isn’t sniffed, injected or swallowed; it’s the stuff that holds paddles together. Think, Elmer’s on 'roids. For 30 years, any player worth his pong would sit down before his match and crack open a bottle.
Legend has it that a Yugoslavian player in the 70’s came across speed glue by accident. He arrived for a tournament and forgot his traditional glue. Pro paddles consist of wooden blades followed by an inner sponge material which is attached to an outer rubber. Unlike the paddles in your garage, pro players glue the sponge/rubber to the paddle themselves. With a bike shop nearby, the pong player bought some adhesive normally used to plug a hole in a tire. By the time he got through P-I-N-G in his first match, it was clear that something had changed.
The mystery of speed glue comes down to its effect on the inner sponge material. When applied between the wood and the sponge, the glue expands and softens the sponge putting the outer rubber in tension. The result is a longer contact on the paddle, providing more spin and more speed (though less control). The effect only lasts a few hours forcing players to perform the ritual just before battle. But how safe is it?
Ends up that speed glue truly is some nasty stuff. The glues contain known toxic substances referred to as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) that are rumored to cause everything from minor irritations to cancer (hexane, octane, ciclohexane, etc.). The prolonged exposure during the gluing process, over decades of playing, could be placing players at risk. As a result the ITTF banned speed glue from junior competition last year and did the same at the pro level right afther the Beijing Olympics. And, the ITTF is serious about enforcement.
So, like any true competitor, they're developing alternative methods (different rubbers, sponges, glues). It really is a science and we look forward to the new technological results.
