DTTB Statement on 11-point change

[zachary]

1. Why was a new-scoring system passed in Osaka?

The fact is that table-tennis is regarded more as a marginal and recreational sport by the public rather than a challenging sport to be taken seriously. Who among us has not been the target of pitying smiles from friends in response to the statement “I play table-tennis as sport”? This negative, misguided image affects not only professional players, who do not receive enough television exposure, but also all of us. It is the reason for the lack of junior programmes in the sport – the sport is simply not attractive to children and young people. Even if they had role-models in the sport, they do not get to see them on television. Compare this to a soccer-player who is admired by all class-mates.
The decision in favour of a new scoring system is part of a reform package of the ITTF, which President Adham Sharara has described as a three-phase approach, whose initial step was the introduction of the 40mm ball after the Olympics, which reduced the speed of play. The second phase is this new scoring system, which will lead to more suspenseful moments in each match, and the final phase will be the new service rule from the 2002/2 season – this was also passed at Osaka and will make serves more transparent for the opponent and the audience. The goal of this reform package is to increase the attractiveness and global popularity of the sport through improved and increased media coverage. Sharara’s reforms are not a cure-all, but they are an important step in the right direction.

2. Table-tennis is played till 21 points! Millions of people in the world associate this number with the sport. Why has a small group of officials decided to radically break with this tradition?

Firstly: the new rule was passed in Osaka 104:7 by the national associations – a vote which more unambiguous than almost any other conducted in the past on rule-change decisions. This means that almost the entire “table-tennis world” considers this change necessary! As a national ruling body, our task is not simply the preservation of tradition – we are also obliged to set the course for the future of our sport. We are convinced that table-tennis will move, after a short period of adjustment to this change, in the right direction - the sport will been seen by the coming generations as modern and contemporary; it will create interesting tactical variations; and it will help in the long-term to correct the public-image of the sport and to re-position it as a dynamic and modern sport which is an almost unparalleled combination of athletic ability, drama, speed and intelligence. The decision for shorter games is a vote for the future of the sport.

3. Why were players not informed about this earlier, or even consulted?

Critics who suggest that the decision was a purely top-down one have not followed the history of public discussion of the sport closely enough. For years, the question of how to make our sport more attractive was been openly discussed. Shortening the games has been on the table as an issue since the beginning of the 90s, and not only among officials behind closed-doors. A few examples: in Sep 1992, the European Masters Cup in Karlsruhe was played starting from 5:5 as a test-case. The players were later then consulted and their opinions documented by the dts (a German table-tennis magazine). In Oct 1997, DTTB Vicepresident Eberhard Schöler conveyed in an interview published in the dts the findings of the ITTF working-group on this topic and DTTB’s opinions about these findings. Five months later dts presented and discussed several models for a change in scoring as suggested by prominent figures in the sport. In Autumn 2000, the French and Finnish Open were played to 11-points, and in the March issue of the dts, the motion for the rule-change was published along with comments from Jörg Roßkopf. Everything about this issue has been transparent throughout and not kept under wraps at all. In the course of the open discussion and exchange of opinions, such as after the Karlsruhe tournament, no strong objections from players were recorded in this period.

[Qs 4-7 skipped]

8. Would matches now be longer or shorter in duration?

Scientific research (e.g. by the technical university of Aachen) shows that the matches will be shorter in duration, but the difference, especially between players of equal strength, will be minor. There should be no cause for concern that players in team tournaments will get to play less than before. Tournament testing, such as in Autumn 2000 in the French- and Finnish-Open has shown that matches scores will seldom end in ‘0’. This new scoring system thus provides for more suspense over a shorter total duration.

9. Will table-tennis lose some of its character because there will be no more real development of strategy within each game?

The strategic character of the sport will not be lost at all, although the mechanics of the strategy could change. Strategic adjustments will no longer take place within games but rather between games. This could be an overall improvement, for e.g. before, if a player quickly and irrecoverably fell behind in a game, his opponent would have been halfway towards victory by winning the game. With the new rule, he would only be a third of the way there. The new rule will bring changes in tactics, but change is not always bad. On the contrary, one can consider it a challenge for one’s game.

10. If service changes every 2 points, I will not be able to adjust to the opponent’s serves. Won’t the overall quality of the sport suffer because of the added stress and the increased importance of each point?

The experience at the trial implementation of the new rule at tournaments shows the opposite: the quality of the games increases. In addition, because more games are played than before, you will have almost the same amount of time to control and shape your play, and to learn to ‘read’ the opponent’s serves. Beyond question, though, is that there will be more moments of decision and suspense both for the players as well as for the audience.

11. Are many going to turn their backs on the sport because of the reforms?

People who play with enthuasiasm and passion and who put their hearts into the game will stand by the sport, because the sport will not lose its character or become less attractive – in fact, the opposite will happen. We have to live with the fact that a few might have problems adjusting, but we will be gaining with this change more new players and friends of the sport. We would hope, nonetheless, that the present critics of the change will at least make an effort to accept this change as a challenge and stimulation.

Translated into English from the original article, which was reprinted with permission by the DTTB.

[zachary]

some of the statements in the previous post reflect the following ETTU decision: as of 1 Aug 2001, matches will be played with 11-point games and according to the following guidelines -

in team tournaments:
all matches: best 3 of 5

in individual tournaments:
doubles matches: best 3 of 5
singles matches: best 4 of 7