making late calls..

[Adam21343245]

Is this ok? Usually it take me awhile to tell my mind to say to my self the ball is out, but i Usually don't say it is out until i hit the ball back over the net, is this ok, and is there anytips to help me think faster, or does it not matter how late i make my call?

[Camilio Pascual]

No, it is not okay to make a late call, because it implies you are in doubt. Also, there is the "2nd chance" problem and you just can't be making calls after your ball goes over the net. Look at The Code for clarification. It is also not smart, because it introduces doubt in your opponent. Sometimes I "lock up" and don't call out, even when it is clearly out. I will just let it be good and forget about it.

[linli101]

Generally you should call them out immediatelly without hitting back. But there are some exceptions. If the ball is coming very fast and deep down to the baseline, you can only half-volley to block it back, you should be allowed to call out even after you touch the ball. In this situation you should call out right after you hit the ball, probably within half second.

[kevhen]

Make sure you prepare your shot and swing through the ball, but try to call it out as soon as possible. Usually I am calling it out as I am swinging through the ball. Don't call it out if your return ball has already crossed the plane of the net, just play on. If someone did this repeatedly to me, I think I might call a let and replay the point. Normally I let late calls stand though.

[AndyC]

better not to but sometimes it's unavoidable. generally speaking I don't complain and it's a rare match I play where I feel the other side is taking liberties with their calls.

[Cypo]

A good way to train yourself to make calls quickly is to follow good sportsmanship and keep playing the point after you've hit an out ball. When you've given up enough points returning balls that were out, you'll find your reactions improving.

[joe sch]

Making late calls as you describe is a form a gamesmanship. The ultimate form of this would be to wait until your return was a winner and if not then call it out so you win the point in either case When you dont make the call immediately and play the ball, your opponent is offcourse starting to play his reply so a late call results in forcing his effort in a lost cause. This is very annoying for serve & volleyers since often they will have made the approached to the net and made a volley only to hear a *late* call waisting the effort. If the call is soo close that you need to think about it for a few split seconds before making a *late call* then you should be playing it, not thinking about hooking your opponents effort. Remember, tennis started out as a gentlemens game and is based on sportsmanship

[iamamultitasker]

IMO, all late calls are not created equal. Unfortunately, it is impossible to call the ball out at the exact moment the event happens. Calls are made from memory which means that every call is somewhat late. This is where the problems start. It seems apparent to me that sometimes it takes a little longer to get the picture of what happened to focus clearly in your mind particularly if the ball was only out by an inch. At other times, the ball is close, but you can take a moment to identify the exact ball mark which is the ultimate arbiter one way or another. Who care's if the call is a little later as long as it is right? I'd much rather have someone make the right call late than the wrong one immediately.

We have all probably played against people who always tilt close calls in their own favor which is bs, but equally bs is the notion that "close = in." Just because someone takes a moment to get the situation clear in his head does not mean you are getting the hook or that bad sportsmanship is involved.