Opinion on noisy player.

[hfmf]

I was playing in a doubles match yesterday, and one of the dudes I was playing against would come towards the net aggressively when his partner served. That's not a problem, but when I'm looking at the ball and concentrating on hitting the hell out of it, I was hearing him GALLOP up to the net just as I made contact.

I've had a problem before, where I was about to hit a return and the net person just stomped and yelled "YAAAAAH!" like a cowboy as I was about to hit. I wigged out and made them replay it without the ridiculous distraction, and we won the point and the match (it wasn't even close when they DID that, anyways).

Anyhow, about yesterday's match. Would I have been out of line to ask him to stomp a little less when he was approaching the net? I didn't, and it ended up not making a HUGE difference, but I think that I missed three balls that I can remember because of the THUMPING.

What's the verdict, talk tennis?

[Austinthecity]

If he's just a loud person then it's fine. If he's doing it to intentionally hinder you then it's a code violation.

However, it will be hard to prove motive in cases like this. The best thing to do is just focus on your side of the net and not let other players get under your skin.

[spot]

Anyhow, about yesterday's match. Would I have been out of line to ask him to stomp a little less when he was approaching the net?

yeah- I think you would have been totally out of line.

[bcart1991]

Originally Posted by spot

yeah- I think you would have been totally out of line.

I disagree. When approaching the net, especially from the service line, stomping is completely unnecessary. I'd call it a deliberate hindrance.

It would take exactly two points for me to figure out if it was intentional or unintentional, just look at how the player moved on the court at other times during the point. If he doesn't stomp then, he's intentionally doing it to disrupt his opponent's play on the ball.

[spot]

How is it possible to step so loudly as to constitute hindrance? If the guy isn't wearing tapshoes then I think you are just being overly whiny. Though I'd absolutely love to see someone in a match try and call someone for hindrance when someone else was stepping too loudly on the way to the net.

[nickarnold2000]

You should be so focused on that yellow ball that a loud shotgun blast wouldn't bother you!

[tennis tom]

Originally Posted by Austinthecity

If he's just a loud person then it's fine. If he's doing it to intentionally hinder you then it's a code violation.

However, it will be hard to prove motive in cases like this. The best thing to do is just focus on your side of the net and not let other players get under your skin.

Agree with the above. I've never seen deliberate "loud feet" called as a distraction though. There's a jerk at my club who does it and I'm almost certain it's deliberate, or, by now it's become so much of an ingrained habit he's is no longer aware of it.

He's an a-hole in every way, a bully, makes the girls cry, serves with a running foot-fault taking two steps into the court--should be deported but it's a sanctuary city. He's a soccer player so his only weapon on the court are his feet. No BH, weenie second serve. The last time we played he stopped with the foot stomping and I realized it was not his "natural" gait and he stomps his feet loudly on purpose. The corollary to this is a girl at the same club who runs with very loud footwork but knowing her it's not conscious and she would be faster if she were lighter on her feet.

I guess you could call them out on it, in the fellow's case it would turn into a ruckus and I can beat him either way so it's more amusing to me and a practice in dealing with distractions. Maybe next time we play, I'll do the same to him and see what happens--I'll practice foot-stomping with the ball machine. In an officiated match, I guess you could complain to the umpire and if he thinks it's a deliberate distraction they could be warned on it.

[AR15]

What level is this player who stomps?

I had a 3.0 player who would do the same thing. When his partner served, he would start stomping his feet. It was bothering me, but I was concentrating on playing, so I couldn't tell if it was deliberate or not, and I didn't say anything. The next time we played that team, I watched him play on a different court, and it was obvious he was deliberately attempting to distract the receiver, and one of the players called him on it. He said he did not know it was against the rules. He stopped stomping during that match, and I've never seen him do it since.

So, in this case, asking him to stop was the right thing to do.

[Totai]

stop whining and just play.

[spaceman_spiff]

I played against a guy who would intentionally scrape his feet on the court while his partner was about to return, trying to throw off my partner and me as we served. It was obviously intentional because he never made the same movements when his partner was serving or when he himself was about to return, and he was scraping in a way that would make a screeching noise rather than just light movements of his feet. If it had really been bothering us, we would have called him on it, seeing as how it was the final of a tournament. But, it didn't bother us and only highlighted what an idiot he was, so we never said anything.

Still, it's something that the non-serving partner had to watch in order to determine the intent. You should have had your partner watch while you were returning to see if it was intended to distract you or if it was simply the uncoordinated movements of a clumsy person.

If it's really meant to distract you, then you have every right to call it if you want to, though it's not really worth it unless the match really means something.

You probably could have stopped him just by making fun of him. Something like "Wow, I haven't heard that much stomping since Lyndsay Davenport retired."

[LeeD]

Talk to your partner.
If he makes noise when he moves forward only, LOB OVER HIS HEAD!
He can be giving away his positioning, so use it to your advantage.

[Cindysphinx]

Originally Posted by nickarnold2000

You should be so focused on that yellow ball that a loud shotgun blast wouldn't bother you!

I have to say, that's my view on these things also.

As I sit here, I can only think of one situation where a noise will cause me to miss my shot: When something sounds like "Let" or "Out." Even then, I am trying to train my brain to play the ball anyway, just in case I'm hearing something from another court.

Stomping feet? Nope, not a problem.

[WBF]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

I have to say, that's my view on these things also.

As I sit here, I can only think of one situation where a noise will cause me to miss my shot: When something sounds like "Let" or "Out." Even then, I am trying to train my brain to play the ball anyway, just in case I'm hearing something from another court.

Stomping feet? Nope, not a problem.

Cindy,

It's nice to say these things. Unfortunately, that's not the way the brain works. You can certainly get better at minimizing the effect these things have, but if they are sensually perceptible, they can impact your attention, concentration, etc.

[BMC9670]

Originally Posted by WBF

Cindy,

It's nice to say these things. Unfortunately, that's not the way the brain works. You can certainly get better at minimizing the effect these things have, but if they are sensually perceptible, they can impact your attention, concentration, etc.

I disagree. I know the rules are different in tennis, but I've played competitive basketball all my life and players as well as spectators throw everything at you to distract you. It's possible to "get in the tunnel" and not hear it. I once had a situation where, in a tight college game, there were girls standing up in Bikini tops behind the basket and players saying "things" about my sister, if you know what I mean. I made the free-throws and a teammate asked me if it bothered me, I didn't know what he was talking about. Didn't see it or hear it.

There are techniques you can practice to focus your mind and tune out distractions. Granted, in tennis it's a bit harder because single noises stand out, whereas in other sports they become part of the noise.

[Cindysphinx]

Originally Posted by WBF

Cindy,

It's nice to say these things. Unfortunately, that's not the way the brain works. You can certainly get better at minimizing the effect these things have, but if they are sensually perceptible, they can impact your attention, concentration, etc.

Mmmm . . . think about all the things you tune out already. Squeaking shoes. Sounds from other courts. Sharapova grunts. People falling into the net on the other court. Bursts of applause for action on another court. Facility horns.

I guess I'm sensitive because I get frustrated with players who claim they miss shots because of "distractions." After a while, everything becomes a distraction.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

People falling into the net on the other court.

Must be a weird group of people you play with.

[gameboy]

Personally, I am more annoyed by players with hyper-sensitivity (bothered by any type of noise or movement that they do not like) than players who are moving too much or making too much noise.

[Cindysphinx]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Must be a weird group of people you play with.

Nope. Just indoor courts with narrow side areas between doubles sideline and curtain. For those in this area, Fairland Tennis Center. Probably the narrowest sidelines I have seen anywhere.

I fell into the curtain twice in my match last night. But I sent my opponent into the curtain three times, so it's all good.

[jigar]

Hit it to him as hard as you can, 3 times in one game and he will be quite.

[tennis tom]

Originally Posted by Totai

stop whining and just play.

Stop posting about whining and just play.