What can be done to reduce the cheating?

[slice bh compliment]

Originally Posted by Chemist

... suspended for 3 months for making too many bad line calls. This kid has very few friends. ...

I cheat because I have no friends,
*sniff*
and I have no friend because I cheat,
*sob, sniff*.

I need your help, coach.

Take it from me, parents just don't understand.

[chalkflewup]

You can usually attribute the call(s) to poor vision, wishful thinking or pressure exerted from an insane parent. My kid has learned to accept the fact that on average there will be 1 or 2 contestable calls per match. Whatever the case may be, it's best to teach your kids how to deal with Captain Hook and just move on.

There won't be more officials. There won't be a ZERO tolerance policy. There won't be a contract that parents/kids sign before each tournament. There won't be a public facing website with names and pictures of frequent offenders.

If you teach your kid to hook back, you've failed as a parent. It's better for junior to focus on reducing unforced errors and building up the mental toughness arsenal to deal with those blurry-eyed moments that may occur during a match.

A hook loses, even when he/she wins. A champion is a winner, even when he/she loses. If you can teach your kid that, you're a 1st team All-American parent.

[gplracer]

Originally Posted by chalkflewup

You can usually attribute the call(s) to poor vision, wishful thinking or pressure exerted from an insane parent. My kid has learned to accept the fact that on average there will be 1 or 2 contestable calls per match. Whatever the case may be, it's best to teach your kids how to deal with Captain Hook and just move on.

There won't be more officials. There won't be a ZERO tolerance policy. There won't be a contract that parents/kids sign before each tournament. There won't be a public facing website with names and pictures of frequent offenders.

If you teach your kid to hook back, you've failed as a parent. It's better for junior to focus on reducing unforced errors and building up the mental toughness arsenal to deal with those blurry-eyed moments that may occur during a match.

A hook loses, even when he/she wins. A champion is a winner, even when he/she loses. If you can teach your kid that, you're a 1st team All-American parent.

We are already in this mode and we do the best we can. It is just frustrating sometimes.

[Woolybugger]

Originally Posted by chalkflewup

A hook loses, even when he/she wins. A champion is a winner, even when he/she loses. If you can teach your kid that, you're a 1st team All-American parent.

+1 well said!

[slice bh compliment]

Originally Posted by chalkflewup

...
A hook loses, even when he/she wins. A champion is a winner, even when he/she loses. If you can teach your kid that, you're a 1st team All-American parent.

Yes, but only the other first-team parents recognize that. Integrity does not get you on TV, man. Winning gets you on TV! Woohoo!

Kidding.

Great post, as usual, chalk.

[andfor]

Originally Posted by chalkflewup

You can usually attribute the call(s) to poor vision, wishful thinking or pressure exerted from an insane parent. My kid has learned to accept the fact that on average there will be 1 or 2 contestable calls per match. Whatever the case may be, it's best to teach your kids how to deal with Captain Hook and just move on.

There won't be more officials. There won't be a ZERO tolerance policy. There won't be a contract that parents/kids sign before each tournament. There won't be a public facing website with names and pictures of frequent offenders.

If you teach your kid to hook back, you've failed as a parent. It's better for junior to focus on reducing unforced errors and building up the mental toughness arsenal to deal with those blurry-eyed moments that may occur during a match.

A hook loses, even when he/she wins. A champion is a winner, even when he/she loses. If you can teach your kid that, you're a 1st team All-American parent.

Great post. I could go on and on about this topic. Blaming the parents in a blanket statement is not the answer. The kids play the matches and make the calls, parents need to stay out. Expecting mommy and daddy to step in every time does not teach the kid how to handle them self when they are not there. Public parent to child humiliation is also not the answer. Many kids are soundly disciplined away from the court for poor sportsmanship (mine has been). Just because we don't see mommy and daddy publicly disciplining their kid does not mean they are not doing so when they leave the courts. *For poor sportsmanship of course.

I've seen over the years bad line callers and poor sports in the 12's and 14's who are now the opposite in the 16's and 18's. Expecting every kid to be Stephan Edburg is not realistic as is tolerating a little Johnny Mac is unacceptable. That's said, it goes without saying that Edburg or insert model players name is their expample.........But this is tennis, a frustrating game, and kids are all different, they will make mistakes during their jouney. How they learn from those mistake to make them a better player and person is key. They're kids, with our help they will mature and grow up. Hopefully.

[lala28m]

Originally Posted by gplracer

I am not sure. I think it is a developmental thing. BTW my 10 year old is 5'2".

Lol. Well, I'm not a pro, just an enthusiast. I don't know if the "developmental" was a dig at me, as I'm pretty sure I'm done developing. Can't really help the height at this point. It is what it is. Just giving my perspective, maybe your kid can relate

[tennis-player]

That is my biggest pet peeve about junior tennis - cheating. Sucks the joy out of tennis.
Once in a tournament a father of another kid was telling us how they got the same first round opponent as last tournament and from experience they already knew the cheating was wild. He said ball was landing on service line nearly in the middle of the court, and the opponent would call OUT. I thought he was making it up, who would call a ball like that out? Fast forward a few months, and one of my kids got to play that person. Let's just say that I am convinced it's parents teaching. On my kid's serve, 4 perfectly fine winners by my kid were called out (initially, instead of 40-0 and winning, cheating made 0-40 and loosing). It was unbelievable!! Other parents were sitting stoic and acting like all was good. By the time we got an official, my kid was an emotional mess and lost the match that should have been an easy win. Other parents walked away from bleachers without saying a word to us. Later on, we met another family who trains in the same club with cheater, and they confirmed it was their signature behavior - crazy cheating... What kinda parents allow, let alone teach, their kid to cheat? It was the best worst learning experience for us, and I only wish their was a system to submit complains about players. Maybe after a few negative reviews, they would suspend a player from tournaments for a certain period of time? I know there is no answer how to handle it, but it all starts with parents.

[andfor]

^^^ There is a way to handle it. It's been written about here by those with experience over and over. Sounds like you go to a club so you're likely paying for your kids tennis lessons. If your kids coach has not taught your kids how to handle it your getting ripped off. Maybe no one said anything to you during the match maybe because your bias clouds how you see your kids line.

You need to re-read your post. You sound like a sore loser.

[tball2day]

^^^You actually can "file" a complaint at your sectional office. We had in kid in ours who by his teens was only placed on the front court across from the TD table and with a ref. It was a riot seeing him wait for that specific court for his matches. Everyone knew why. The TDs all got the memo. In this case, the system worked, can't guarantee it always will but if its a chronic cheating dirtbag, turn em in. You can see the difference in naive/simple bad calls and a well trained cheater. I am referring to the well trained cheaters, give the other kids a break. They are young and make mistakes.

[andfor]

Originally Posted by tball2day

^^^You actually can "file" a complaint at your sectional office. We had in kid in ours who by his teens was only placed on the front court across from the TD table and with a ref. It was a riot seeing him wait for that specific court for his matches. Everyone knew why. The TDs all got the memo. In this case, the system worked, can't guarantee it always will but if its a chronic cheating dirtbag, turn em in. You can see the difference in naive/simple bad calls and a well trained cheater. I am referring to the well trained cheaters, give the other kids a break. They are young and make mistakes.

True a complaint can be filed against a player for cheating. If the kid is a really bad cheater I would not discourage filing a protest. But without corroborating witnesses and if it's just for (perceived from the sidelines) bad line calls that in itself will not be the sole source of sanctions. I'm sure your example cheater was placed in his position because of what he did in front of officials, not just those on the sidelines. If he was being punished for what he did outside the view of officials its safe to say it was for more than linecalling alone.

The USTA is not going to punish a child due to a letter writing campaign for line calls alone.

[Woolybugger]

at the very least you can write an email to the tournament director and your section office detailing your observations. it may not rise to the level of a formal complaint, but they will be placed on a "watch list" and be closely observed by refs or undercover volunteers. also, if other parents write in similar observations, they will definitely be red-flagged.

[hhollines]

The solution is easy but won't happen. You simply start imposing serious penalties for cheating and bad sportsmanship and it will stop. But that requires enforcement. In one of our sectional tournaments, a young lady refused to call out the score even after multiple warnings from the linesman . . . why? b/c she cheats on the score by not calling it and then calling a wrong score in her favor. Finally, she had to default the match in the 3rd set after she told the judge "I don't have to call the score" . . . are kidding me! That wasn't enough of a penalty. That's an instance when the kid should be suspended for at least 3 months (maybe 6 months).

Another solution . . . ban parents (I'm dead serious). My son is a competitively ranked chess parent. Guess what? Parents aren't allowed. Parents can watch in a room where they have split screens showing matches but you can be there up close.

I just wonder . . . what would happen if parents could only watch on a big screen in a meeting room and no parent was allowed to sit on the fence? Now, it's just kid vs. kid . . . funny thing, kids seems to work things out . . . cheating is taught and generally the kid cheats b/c they want to win so bad but not for themselves but to win to keep their parents happy . . . they connect the win with love from the parents (that's the saddest part).

[tennis5]

Originally Posted by Woolybugger

at the very least you can write an email to the tournament director and your section office detailing your observations. it may not rise to the level of a formal complaint, but they will be placed on a "watch list" and be closely observed by refs or undercover volunteers. also, if other parents write in similar observations, they will definitely be red-flagged.

Yes, this is the beginning of how it gets a kid penalized.

Parents complain, in writing to the sectional head of junior tennis.
The written complaint would detail the cheating ( line calls, changing of score) and/0r bad sportsmanship.

Complaints mount up....
and voila a ref is on that kid's court at the beginning of the match.

Now, this all works for tournament sites.
Complaints mount up ( in writing) and the site loses the tournament.

[klu375]

Originally Posted by hhollines

Another solution . . . ban parents (I'm dead serious). My son is a competitively ranked chess parent. Guess what? Parents aren't allowed. Parents can watch in a room where they have split screens showing matches but you can be there up close.

I just wonder . . . what would happen if parents could only watch on a big screen in a meeting room and no parent was allowed to sit on the fence? Now, it's just kid vs. kid . . . funny thing, kids seems to work things out . . . cheating is taught and generally the kid cheats b/c they want to win so bad but not for themselves but to win to keep their parents happy . . . they connect the win with love from the parents (that's the saddest part).

This is how tennis is played in the "indoor" sections. If you are lucky you can watch through the glass window. Sometimes you watch on TV screen, sometimes you cannot watch at all. Does not decrease cheating much.

[klu375]

Originally Posted by Woolybugger

at the very least you can write an email to the tournament director and your section office detailing your observations. it may not rise to the level of a formal complaint, but they will be placed on a "watch list" and be closely observed by refs or undercover volunteers. also, if other parents write in similar observations, they will definitely be red-flagged.

I can confirm that writing cheater up to the section works, especially if multiple parents do it simultaneously. I remember a case of pretty bad behavior and I knew that multiple parents wrote emails. Next sectional the offender was moved to the demo court with a chair in the beginning of expected competitive match. It was the only match in the tournament that was chaired and accidentally this was all done in front of an Ivy coach who came to watch this player. This player is now in college but not attending any Ivy.

[Alohajrtennis]

Originally Posted by klu375

I can confirm that writing cheater up to the section works, especially if multiple parents do it simultaneously. I remember a case of pretty bad behavior and I knew that multiple parents wrote emails. Next sectional the offender was moved to the demo court with a chair in the beginning of expected competitive match. It was the only match in the tournament that was chaired and accidentally this was all done in front of an Ivy coach who came to watch this player. This player is now in college but not attending any Ivy.

I think this is a section to section thing, and will probably change over time as people in the section change. Like the responses int this forum, I think the sections response might range from genuine concern and action to shut up you whiny parent.

[tennisconsultcom]

There is a very interesting article "Cheating in tennis" is written by Allen Fox http://wp.me/p2iyrR-5I

[andfor]

Originally Posted by tennisconsultcom

There is a very interesting article "Cheating in tennis" is written by Allen Fox http://wp.me/p2iyrR-5I

I see you wrote the article which I like. I also see where you say "Cheating in tennis, especially in junior tennis is a huge problem". Which I disagree with. You are then contradicted by Dr. Fox later in the article when he says "Of course being cheated out of a point is a problem (albeit, generally a small one)". He's correct. How do you explain his correctl contradiction of your position and why did you not address that?

[Overdrive]

Hm, a teammate once told me:

"Tennis is 50% skill and 50% bartering".

This I completely disagree with.