Calling footfaults is important

[Bartelby]

Allowing a receiver to call a foot fault is like enacting a rule that the player furthest from the line should make the call.

If anyone should call a foot fault its up to the honesty of the server to call it upon himself if he has reason to believe he over-stepped.

[sureshs]

The lesson of this thread: if you FF now, stop it. You can't change the world, but you can change yourself.

[cneblett]

Originally Posted by Bartelby

Allowing a receiver to call a foot fault is like enacting a rule that the player furthest from the line should make the call.

If anyone should call a foot fault its up to the honesty of the server to call it upon himself if he has reason to believe he over-stepped.

I played a guy 3 years ago who foot faulted horribly. His partner was a usta official and commented that he called them in matches when we watched other guys on his team foot fault. The guy served the first game and I was going wow I can't believe how this serve is coming in. Asked my partner did you see anything odd, and he said it felt like something was wrong. His next service game I noticed he was leaping and sliding, but he started his leap with both feet past the line. I mean both heals were inside of the court then he leaped into the air. Let it go that game but mentioned it to his partner and told him we would start calling it. Mentioned it again before his next service game. He did it again to my partner and I called him on it. He said i watched my feet and I am allowed to leave them. Said yes, but both feet were inside the court when you left the ground.

Other teammates from both teams were there and all agreed he was 2-3 feet inside the court on every single serve of match. But he honestly did not think he was or would not admit it. So I doubt calling it on yourself works.

[Bartelby]

The lesson of the thread is maybe get good enough that your matches are always officiated.

[Tennishacker]

Originally Posted by Bartelby

Allowing a receiver to call a foot fault is like enacting a rule that the player furthest from the line should make the call.

If anyone should call a foot fault its up to the honesty of the server to call it upon himself if he has reason to believe he over-stepped.

That would happen in a perfect world.

Unfortunately, most foot faulter don't realize they are foot faulting.

There are many who take offense to being called for foot faulting.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by Nostradamus

Yea and keep going til you win the match in 2 or 3 games. LOL So he wins the match on calling footfaults, is that really worth it ? and you are sitting around after the match by the fireplace in the club, your buddy asks What happenend ? I won on footfaults. LOL . and your opponent will say, you are never going to play with me or on my team.

I would not say "I won on FFs." I would say "that guy was such a lousy server than when he was called on a FF, his entire serve collapsed once he had to keep it in his mind."

[tennis tom]

Originally Posted by Bartelby

Its you who are supporting cheating if you think you can call foot faults from 76 feet and not side on to the line.

So you need to stop cheating if you're doing that because its against the rules.

Bartelby, you are again proving what a fool you are by accusing ME of "cheating" because I have eyes. I see what your problem is with F'F'ing now, you are under the illusion that a tennis court is "76 feet" long--wrong!--it is 78 feet long--I hope your accuracy is better in your "competitive" matches then your writing skills, you are not making your namesake proud. I'm supplying you with the link below for the proper dimensions of a tennis court:

http://www.expert-tennis-tips.com/te...imensions.html

Maybe your dilemma is caused by all the red stars you are seeing from being bumped on the head--thankfully it's just a fuzzy little ball.

[tennis tom]

Originally Posted by Bartelby

The lesson of the thread is maybe get good enough that your matches are always officiated.

On that we agree my friend.

[r2473]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Then I had a revelation. It is not about whether a few more inches forward makes any difference on the serve. It is really about whether the server can cope with the additional pressure of having a footfault called on him.

Originally Posted by OrangePower

1. The type of footfaults you describe (and most footfaults in fact) can be easily avoided by starting the service motion with the feet a few inches behind the line. So I don't think your strategy is going to work.

I freely footfault in social matches. In the few tournaments I play, I footfault until the roaming ump calls it, then I step back a few inches as Orange says and everything is fine.

Last time I was call for a footfault in a tournament (on an ace), it actually affected my opponent. He seemed to feel "guilty". The ref kept watching me obviously expecting me to start complaining or something. When I didn't say anything, she came up to me on the changeover and explained to me how I was footfaulting, etc, to which I responded that I knew I was footfaulting and I wasn't bothered at all with her call.

I really can't tell you why I don't just always start a few more inches behind the service line and stop footfaulting altogether. Just habit I guess. But stepping back those few inches doesn't bother me at all.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by r2473

I freely footfault in social matches. In the few tournaments I play, I footfault until the roaming ump calls it, then I step back a few inches as Orange says and everything is fine.

Last time I was call for a footfault in a tournament (on an ace), it actually affected my opponent. He seemed to feel "guilty". The ref kept watching me obviously expecting me to start complaining or something. When I didn't say anything, she came up to me on the changeover and explained to me how I was footfaulting, etc, to which I responded that I knew I was footfaulting and I wasn't bothered at all with her call.

I really can't tell you why I don't just always start a few more inches behind the service line and stop footfaulting altogether. Just habit I guess. But stepping back those few inches doesn't bother me at all.

Your serves are so slow that nobody cares

[tennis tom]

Originally Posted by r2473

I freely footfault in social matches. In the few tournaments I play, I footfault until the roaming ump calls it, then I step back a few inches as Orange says and everything is fine.

I don't think I would buy a used car from you, and if I bought your house, I would make sure the property lines were surveyed properly.

[Bartelby]

Yes, 78, but the reality is that you're changing the topic because you're blustering away about your perfect eyesight and twaddle like that.

You are deluding yourself if you think that from that distance and that angle you can officiate foot faults end you're cheating because the rules don't allow you to officiate them.

You have eyes only for seeing what you think will win you a match, end of story.

Originally Posted by tennis tom

Bartelby, you are again proving what a fool you are by accusing ME of "cheating" because I have eyes. I see what your problem is with F'F'ing now, you are under the illusion that a tennis court is "76 feet" long--wrong!--it is 78 feet long--I hope your accuracy is better in your "competitive" matches then your writing skills, you are not making your namesake proud. I'm supplying you with the link below for the proper dimensions of a tennis court:

http://www.expert-tennis-tips.com/te...imensions.html

Maybe your dilemma is caused by all the red stars you are seeing from being bumped on the head--thankfully it's just a fuzzy little ball.

[woodrow1029]

Originally Posted by tennis tom

Bartelby, you are again proving what a fool you are by accusing ME of "cheating" because I have eyes. I see what your problem is with F'F'ing now, you are under the illusion that a tennis court is "76 feet" long--wrong!--it is 78 feet long--I hope your accuracy is better in your "competitive" matches then your writing skills, you are not making your namesake proud. I'm supplying you with the link below for the proper dimensions of a tennis court:

http://www.expert-tennis-tips.com/te...imensions.html

Maybe your dilemma is caused by all the red stars you are seeing from being bumped on the head--thankfully it's just a fuzzy little ball.

He didn't say the length of the court is 76 feet. He said calling it from 76 feet away. Some people do receive inside the baseline.

[spot]

Has anyone ever been friends with someone who consistently called footfaults? I'm absolutely convinced that anyone who does this has no friends and only plays tennis so that they can force someone interact with them for a couple hours.

Note that I am not asking if people who feel compelled to call footfaults think that they have friends. This is entirely irrelevant since calling footfaults regularly and delusion are highly correlated. I'm asking if normal people know someone who regularly calls footfaults that they would admit is actually a friend of theirs.

[Timbo's hopeless slice]

Has anyone ever played serious tennis with someone that footfaults? I'm absolutely convinced that anyone who does this is a lazy, inconsiderate and selfish person and only plays tennis because it's the only sport they could find where they could umpire themselves...

well, unless they are any good, of course...

[spot]

Originally Posted by Timbo's hopeless slice

Has anyone ever played serious tennis with someone that footfaults?

I'd say that easily 60% of recreational players consistently footfault so I'd say that is a resounding yes.

[Timbo's hopeless slice]

must be some bizarre cultural thing in your part of the world.

If someone is going close here, they are warned straight away, never seen anybody have a problem with it (why would they? it is a rule!)

and I don't just mean in open or higher level league, either, I was watching a B grade (4.0) league final the other night where one pair called a footfault on their opponents. No probs, the guy just moved back a bit and carried on.

[yourmailman]

On the idea that you cannot see a foot fault from 76 or 78 feet away ...

You can clearly see a flagrant foot fault from behind the baseline, no problem. I don't think you have to have great eyesight to do it, either. A flagrant FF is easily seen from that distance. In fact my camera was set up against the back fence, in the corner, some 90 feet away, and the FF was definitely visible.

I agree that you probably cannot see someone's toe touching the baseline, but when the majority, or all of their foot is inside the baseline before they strike the ball, you can absolutely see that from the other end of the court.

[tennis tom]

Originally Posted by woodrow1029

He didn't say the length of the court is 76 feet. He said calling it from 76 feet away. Some people do receive inside the baseline.

Very few, the vast majority of singles players receive from a step or two behind the baseline, for doubles you should stand on the service line. It is very easy in doubles for the receivers partner to see ff's from his service line. Flagrant ff's can easily be seen by the receiver.

[SoBad]

Footfaulters are usually bad people who break other rules as well and are routinely rejected for lunch.