Join PUT-OFF!!??? (Merged Foot Fault Threads)

[ChrisNC]

Originally Posted by Phil

Okay, but you won't be able to be "just like Phil".

And yet, there's something very positive to be said for that.

[Jet Rink]

Wow! 41 posts for calling a foot fault.

For the record, it's breaking the rules and if you can see it across the court, it's a problem, no?

Ease up on the Kaptain. He's working hard for all of us!

Jet

[chess9]

Well, I have more to add!

More or less.

This thread needs to be stickied and read and re-read by the 90% of tennis players who foot fault!

I played a team match this weekend and could not believe the foot-faulting going on.

Foot-faulting is cheating. If you do it knowingly you are a moral leper. Ok, the electric chair is out, but, please give some thought to obeying this rule.

Btw, one of the guys this weekend from the opposing team (6'3" or so) was about a foot inside the baseline on his serves. At changeover I almost suggested he'd be more comfortable serving at the net. But, we were winning, so I sold my soul to the devil.

-Robert

[thehustler]

The last tournament I played in my final opponent was doing a ton of foot faults. Only problem is that I can't see them 78 feet away. How do I know he was doing this? Because I watched his prior matches and he was doing it constantly. How do I call a FF, when it could be that one time he didn't do it? Do I just warn him just based on instinct? But what if he were to stop for a bit and do it again and I really can't tell from that far away? I'm sure I could get a line judge, but what I'm asking is how do I prove or call him on a FF when I'm that far away?

[Geezer Guy]

If you can't tell that he's doing it, you can't call him on it.

Now, from watching prior matches you know that he does it a lot, you could find an official before the match and ask him to keep an eye on things, and let him call the FF's when he see's them. Other than that, just put it outa your mind. If you don't, it'll mess with ya.

[frekcles]

The other day while waiting for my kids to finish their tennis tryouts I was settled down on a bench to watch a doubles match. It was very competitive with serve and volley by all 4 people. But I noticed that of the 4 people playing 3 were foot faulting all the time. Not just some of the time but ALL THE TIME during first and second serves. And what I don't get is why the other playing partners don't call them on that. I mean one guy is so bad that after he hits the ball he is already two feet inside the baseline.

If you were playing with any of the foot faulters would you call them on that if it's obvious that they're doing it? It was just a casual doubles play and not a competition but what would it do to the atmosphere of the game?

Your thoughts?

[Supernatural_Serve]

Originally Posted by frekcles

Your thoughts?

If a person has a lousy or weak serve, I don't want to tell them anything.

[ollinger]

Seems like the worst players have that habit, and their serves are generally not terribly effective in any event. Ultimately I think it hurts them more than helps as they tend to wind up in "no man's land" with serve returns landing at their feet.

[Solat]

if 3 out of 4 are doing it tell the 4th to get in on the act

if you think about it unless they are stepping a foot into the court what difference does 10 cms make? its pretty trivial and its not deliberate

play on

if its a tourny then by all means the ref should enforce the rules, but like most sports there are times when not all rules are enforced just for ease of play.

[Zets147]

Heh last year, I went to a high school tournament. The #1 seed doubles had a guy who had a pretty big serve that footfaulted. I sat about 2 yards away, watching with my doubles partner, and I told him, "see that? that guy has a good serve, but he FOOTFAULTS." I said footfault a little louder to try and get the player to hear it. I don't think he footfaulted for the rest of that match lol.

[LuckyR]

Cheating is cheating, doesn't matter the level or type...

[kevhen]

I have only called someone for footfaulting once during a 4.0 doubles tourney after server just smashed a decent return of mine down on top of my partner as he was a foot inside the baseline when he hit his serves. I let him play two, but it did disrupt him and made him pretty mad but his partner didn't get upset as he probably knew it was true. We beat them 6-3, 7-6 to get to the finals. I didn't like doing that and haven't since but felt it unfair for him to be smashing balls on my partner when I hit a decent return and wondered how he got on top of the net so fast.

Last time I watched him play as he was on my mixed team and he wasn't foot faulting anymore.

[Nick Irons]

Originally Posted by Solat

if 3 out of 4 are doing it tell the 4th to get in on the act

if you think about it unless they are stepping a foot into the court what difference does 10 cms make? its pretty trivial and its not deliberate

play on

if its a tourny then by all means the ref should enforce the rules, but like most sports there are times when not all rules are enforced just for ease of play.

Are you kidding me ?

[jamumafa]

I do it in competitive matches. I mean it's cheating.

In practice or casual hits I won't.

Also, against people a lot older than me, 35+ kinda range, - if they foot fault I dont call them on it for fear of being labelled a "little brat"

[flyboy1]

It really seems to me to depend on the tenor of the match. If everyone is taking things seriously and not talking to opponents during changeovers, and where you are head-hunting on overheads, then yeah, call the foot-faults.

But if you all are friends and are chatting it up during the changeover and you give close line calls in your opponents favor and it's sort of hit-and-giggle, then I wouldn't. You don't want to single-handedly change the tenor of a match because "the rules are the rules". For all you engineers out there, I know you're probably having a coronary right now, but yes, the rest of us think it's okay to bend things here and there to keep the peace. You wouldn't tell the truth if your wife asked if she looked fat (and she in fact was fat), would you?

There's a guy in my regular group that was a real stickler for the rules, and this particular group that I play with is very social, so I took him aside and told him that he's right, but that he should keep it to himself so as not to get alienated. But if these guys play in tournaments, you can take each one aside afterwards and tell them that you don't really care if they footfault, but that you're looking out for their interests when they are playing in tounramets, where people DO care.

[tennis-n-sc]

You ought to read the rule on foot faults in non-officiated matches. It is interesting.

[drakulie]

If we are playing a league match or tournament>>>YES I would call them on it.

[Cruzer]

Heck, I would say 75% of the players at my club foot fault all the time. This topic has been discussed at length before. One standard retort is "So what if someone steps across the baseline during their serve? Is it going to make much if any difference?" The answer is "No, it is probably not going to make much, if any difference in the majority of cases." Another excuse "There is no way someone on the other side of the net could possibly see if their opponent is foot faulting." I disagree with this assertion particularly in a double match where the returner's partner can see many foot faults.

Nonetheless it is a rule and players should be aware that they are foot faulting and stop doing it. But I have seen people get very defensive and offended if you say they are foot faulting. I don't even mention it when playing non-competitive matches because it is not worth the ensuing arguement.

[Freedom]

If it's obvious, I call it. Period.

[tykrum]

Isn't it not allowed to call foot faults in non-officiated matches?

Check that: USTA Comment 18.6: When may the reciever or the reciever's partner call foot faults?
In a non-officiated match, the receiver or the receiver's partner may call foot faults after all efforts (warning the server and attempting to locate an official) have failed and foot faulting is so flagrant that it is clearly perceptible from the receiver's side.

I guess the point is to warn the other player after the point is played out, and don't stop play because the server could legitimately lay claim to the point due to a deliberate hinderance. Also, it would probably be good to warn the other player you are about to start calling foot faults and cite the rule to justify yourself after your warnings have not been heeded. And then be prepared for your opponent to try to bean you.