Is stomping feet a hindrance?

Slicerman

Slicerman

Professional
I'm just wondering what the rule is and curious what everyone thinks about this..

In a doubles match, if the net guy of the opposing team stomps their foot right before I play my shot, could that be considered an hindrance?
I think they were trying to trick me into thinking that they were making a move. It was quite audible and intentional as they did it numerous times and randomly.
 
Last edited:
Cashman

Cashman

Hall of Fame
Like almost every hindrance question on this forum the answer is ‘maybe’

If it’s done intentionally to distract you, yes. If it is done for some other reason (e.g. getting light on their feet and preparing to split step), no.

It’s virtually impossible to argue hinderance in rec tennis because most distracting actions have more than one possible explanation and state of mind is subjective

I would just forget about it and move on
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
Slicerman said:
I'm just wondering what the rule is and curious what everyone thinks about this..

In a doubles match, if the net guy of the opposing team stomps their foot right before I play my shot, could that be considered an hindrance?
I think they were trying to trick me into thinking that were making a move. It was quite audible and intentional as they did it numerous times and randomly.
Click to expand...
Yes, it's a hindrance. Stop the point immediately, call hindrance, and that point is yours.
 
esgee48

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
I nailed a person with an OH cuz I thought he was moving. It was done to distract me, but I thought I was going behind him. I didn’t say ‘Sorry’ cuz he didn’t back away from the net.

Squeeking shoe noises are make by players moving. Stomping noises are stationary. I know this so it really doesn’t distract me. Anyway, if the player moves that badly, he isn’t going to win matches.
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
Rattler said:
While you’re at it, spray the court with gasoline and hand your opponents a box of matches or a zippo lighter.

The result will be pretty much the same.
Click to expand...
Oh, I forgot, the 1st amendment of the US constitution allows everyone to commit whatever crime they want. Stomping feet to distract your opponent is protected by the 1st amendment. Lower your ar-15 and calm down.
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
Cashman said:
You highlighted the wrong words. The key word in that section is ‘solely’

It is very hard to argue that stuff like this is solely to distract. A lot of players shuffle their feet as part of their shot preparation and that is totally okay.
Click to expand...
It doesn't matter, if Slicerman was distracted, then it's Slicerman's point. If you need to prepare for your shot before your opponent hit the ball, then you are doing it wrong and you can be called for hindrance. Take the facts and circumstances given and answer the question - can it be considered a hindrance? Why do people feel the need to make excuses for cheaters to cheat?
 
Cashman

Cashman

Hall of Fame
jimmy8 said:
It doesn't matter, if Slicerman was distracted, then it's Slicerman's point.
Click to expand...
That’s just not correct

Hindrance is evaluated based on intent, not effect. Unless the opponent’s intent was solely to distract, it’s not a hindrance.

It is very easy for the opponent to just say “oh I was shuffling my feet to get ready for a poach” and that is the end of the discussion - no hindrance

Trying to call this **** in a rec match with no umpire is a complete waste of time
 
J

JW10S

Hall of Fame
jimmy8 said:
Oh, I forgot, the 1st amendment of the US constitution allows everyone to commit whatever crime they want. Stomping feet to distract your opponent is protected by the 1st amendment. Lower your ar-15 and calm down.
Click to expand...
The above is actually funny.

If the player stomps their feet regularly you'd be hard pressed to prove it's done as a hinderance. If they only do it at certain times then it probably is. The OP says the opponent 'stomps their foot', singular, that doesn't sound like someone shuffling their feet or split stepping in preparation for an oncoming shot. I've never seen anyone who 'stomped their foot' regularly during match play as a way of preparing for shots for innocent reasons. I've seen, and done it myself, where net players will fake poach and that's OK, not sure if that was what was happening here.
 
Last edited:
J

jimmy8

Legend
Cashman said:
That’s just not correct

Hindrance is evaluated based on intent, not effect. Unless the opponent’s intent was solely to distract, it’s not a hindrance.

It is very easy for the opponent to just say “oh I was shuffling my feet to get ready for a poach” and that is the end of the discussion - no hindrance

Trying to call this **** in a rec match with no umpire is a complete waste of time
Click to expand...
My opponent and I both ended up near the net during a point. I hit the ball and yelled "oh" because I thought I messed up my shot. Since we were so close to each other, I was yelling during his shot so he called hindrance. I didn't intend to hinder him, I yelled out on accident. It's still hindrance. He took that point and I agreed with him. I didn't yell with the intent to distract.
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
This has been argued many times on this forum. You can't split step or stomp during someone's shot and especially not right before someone's shot. That's not the correct time to do it. I don't know why you would argue that someone can stomp right before someone's shot - As long as there is no intent to distract.

Can I shriek as loud as I can during my opponent's shot and then just say I had no intent to distract?

Everyone could do anything because there's no way to prove intent. There's no such thing as a mind reader. Unless you believe x-men really exist.
 
Cashman

Cashman

Hall of Fame
jimmy8 said:
My opponent and I both ended up near the net during a point. I hit the ball and yelled "oh" because I thought I messed up my shot. Since we were so close to each other, I was yelling during his shot so he called hindrance. I didn't intend to hinder him, I yelled out on accident. It's still hindrance. He took that point and I agreed with him. I didn't yell with the intent to distract.
Click to expand...
that is an unintentional hindrance, different to what we are discussing

you and your opponent should have replayed the point

please learn the rules before pontificating
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
Cashman said:
that is an unintentional hindrance, different to what we are discussing

you and your opponent should have replayed the point

please learn the rules before pontificating
Click to expand...
You mentioned shuffling feet many times above as an excuse. You obviously don't know how to split step. Maybe if you learned how to properly split step you would know shuffling of feet to prepare for a shot is not an excuse for distracting others.
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
Cashman said:
that is an unintentional hindrance, different to what we are discussing

you and your opponent should have replayed the point

please learn the rules before pontificating
Click to expand...
You should learn the English language better. The rule never mentions intent.
 
Cashman

Cashman

Hall of Fame
jimmy8 said:
You mentioned shuffling feet many times above as an excuse. You obviously don't know how to split step. Maybe if you learned how to properly split step you would know shuffling of feet to prepare for a shot is not an excuse for distracting others.
Click to expand...
mate don’t get pissy

just own your mistake and slink off like a good boy
 
  • Like
Reactions: WYK
J

jimmy8

Legend
Cashman said:
mate don’t get pissy

just own your mistake and slink off like a good boy
Click to expand...
Let's go back to the OP story. Read JW10S's post. Split step lands after the opponent's stroke is finished. You repeated over and over that OP should just forget about it because OP's opponent can just say he was preparing. You're the one who can't admit their mistake. You're the one demeaning others calling them boy.
 
Cashman

Cashman

Hall of Fame
lol I think we’re done here

all I can suggest is that you read up on the rules a little before your next match
 
Addxyz

Addxyz

Hall of Fame
At least this isn't pickleball... where they called a fault on a dude for aggressive split stepping.
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
Cashman said:
lol I think we’re done here

all I can suggest is that you read up on the rules a little before your next match
Click to expand...
Or you're probably the biological man who won nationals in women's 55+ USTA. You need to cheat and then justify it.
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
Cashman said:
Like almost every hindrance question on this forum the answer is ‘maybe’

If it’s done intentionally to distract you, yes. If it is done for some other reason (e.g. getting light on their feet and preparing to split step), no.

It’s virtually impossible to argue hinderance in rec tennis because most distracting actions have more than one possible explanation and state of mind is subjective

I would just forget about it and move on
Click to expand...
Cashman said:
You highlighted the wrong words. The key word in that section is ‘solely’

It is very hard to argue that stuff like this is solely to distract. A lot of players shuffle their feet as part of their shot preparation and that is totally okay.
Click to expand...
Cashman said:
That’s just not correct

Hindrance is evaluated based on intent, not effect. Unless the opponent’s intent was solely to distract, it’s not a hindrance.

It is very easy for the opponent to just say “oh I was shuffling my feet to get ready for a poach” and that is the end of the discussion - no hindrance

Trying to call this **** in a rec match with no umpire is a complete waste of time
Click to expand...
Just re-read your posts. They are all worded as - don't worry about it, it's just shuffling - or it's a waste of time, it's just preparing - or it's totally OK, it's just shuffling. All worded as excuses for cheating. Shuffling happens after the shot, not during, and not before, before is way early. You're the jerk who probably screeches their feet constantly during every match.
 
Cashman

Cashman

Hall of Fame
if that is your interpretation of what I have said then you also need remedial English classes
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
Cashman said:
if that is your interpretation of what I have said then you also need remedial English classes
Click to expand...
You said it's ok to cheat. You said - go ahead and stomp your feet whenever you want. If anyone says anything about the stomping, then just say it's preparing and you're golden. Then you said - us cheaters, we stick together, we stand up for each other, we make excuses for each other.
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
Cashman said:
if that is your interpretation of what I have said then you also need remedial English classes
Click to expand...
You and your fellow criminals probably tell your victims - just forget about it - there are no witnesses so it's just a waste of time to report it - we will just claim it was consensual and we will get off - it was totally ok what we did - just move on - end of discussion.

You don't see the problem with your language?
 
S

stapletonj

Hall of Fame
If you are REALLY old, you can recall the interview with the Dave Clark 5.
They said the only difference between them and this other group called the "Beatles"
was that the DC5 stomped, and the Beatles clapped.

Tell the net guy that you are a Beatles fan and that you will call a hindrance if he does another DC5 stomp, but Beatles claps are fine.

That way he has his racket under his armpit while you are hitting your shot! WINNING!!!!!!
 
N

nyta2

Hall of Fame
AELTC said:
From Principle 35 of The Code:
Click to expand...
i can easily "fake hard" to cause "distracting" stomp... but it's still me faking & hard loading my outside leg, to explosively move back in the oppositie direction...
even my stay-in-place forward split, in my heavier days, could be categorized as a stomp
 
N

nyta2

Hall of Fame
jimmy8 said:
Look up how to properly split step. You land (shuffle) after your opponent finishes their stroke.
Click to expand...
sure, when you're both on the baseline... or if your opponent is hitting slow groundstrokes... or if opponent is well behind baseline...
there might be a distinct split... but if the ball is inside the court or a sitter, often good players are just "bouncing" (repeated splits) because it's too hard to time a split when they know a fast ball is coming... easier to just be "very active", hence alot of squeaking in dubs (not "squeaking-coinciding-with-contact")...
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
nyta2 said:
sure, when you're both on the baseline... or if your opponent is hitting slow groundstrokes... or if opponent is well behind baseline...
there might be a distinct split... but if the ball is inside the court or a sitter, often good players are just "bouncing" (repeated splits) because it's too hard to time a split when they know a fast ball is coming... easier to just be "very active", hence alot of squeaking in dubs (not "squeaking-coinciding-with-contact")...
Click to expand...
How many shoes do you go through every week doing multiple split steps and screeching your shoes every shot of your opponent? And you must be really tired after each match. And your opponents must love you. When are you playing next Ms. Ostapenko?
 
Rattler

Rattler

Hall of Fame
jimmy8 said:
Oh, I forgot, the 1st amendment of the US constitution allows everyone to commit whatever crime they want. Stomping feet to distract your opponent is protected by the 1st amendment. Lower your ar-15 and calm down.
Click to expand...

Umm. What?

Sorry buddy, you really missed the point of my post.

I looked over your other posts in this thread, are you off your meds? Or are you just an argumentative person?
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
Rattler said:
Umm. What?

Sorry buddy, you really missed the point of my post.

I looked over your other posts in this thread, are you off your meds? Or are you just an argumentative person?
Click to expand...
I just figured if you think people would burn a tennis court in response to a hindrance call, then you might be an incendiary person who would do crazy things and defend crazy people.

I figured you might be in the camp that thinks the first amendment protects things like conspiring to commit a crime.
 
N

nyta2

Hall of Fame
jimmy8 said:
How many shoes do you go through every week doing multiple split steps and screeching your shoes every shot of your opponent?
Click to expand...
on hard court, once every 4-6w.
on clay, about once a year
let me guess, you buy sneakers once every couple years because of your "efficient" footwork?
And you must be really tired after each match.
Click to expand...
you might be if you're overweight and out of shape... i feel pretty good after my matches personally - it's called being in shape, you should try it.
And your opponents must love you. When are you playing next Ms. Ostapenko?
Click to expand...
how do you know i am female? you stalking me? perv.
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
nyta2 said:
on hard court, once every 4-6w.
on clay, about once a year
let me guess, you buy sneakers once every couple years because of your "efficient" footwork?

you might be if you're overweight and out of shape... i feel pretty good after my matches personally - it's called being in shape, you should try it.

how do you know i am female? you stalking me? perv.
Click to expand...
Clay court lasts a year! Wow, nice. I've never played clay, just hard. My shoes last about 2-3 months. My insoles last a month.

You're really fit, that's great. I'm a grinder so I'm pretty tired after long matches, but that's only about half my matches. The other half are not that long and I'm not tired. A few of my friends like to play 4-5 sets and I'm pretty tired after those long sessions. One friend was going to play 7 sets, but the lights went out on us at 10pm, we only finished 5 sets.

Yeah, I watch you on TV and youtube. You didn't know that you're famous Ms. Ostapenko? You didn't mean to hit the ball boy with your racket, right? Your fitness level is deceptive. But I see you have pretty good speed. You should calm down the screeching, like c'mon. And the complaining about out calls when they're done by computer, like c'mon.
 
J

JordanWinning

Rookie
Slicerman said:
I'm just wondering what the rule is and curious what everyone thinks about this..

In a doubles match, if the net guy of the opposing team stomps their foot right before I play my shot, could that be considered an hindrance?
I think they were trying to trick me into thinking that they were making a move. It was quite audible and intentional as they did it numerous times and randomly.
Click to expand...
Fwiw, a buddy played at team tennis nationals last year in doubles and a guy on the other team team stomped his left foot right before my buddy/his partner hit their every single time. Dude claimed he was “preparing to poach” so the official said it wasn’t a hinderance.

I talked to a different USTA official about it and they said it would likely be a judgement call from an individual official but it would be hard to call unless they watched the whole match, which in the big tournaments (and the only times officials are at rec league matches) it’s not practical to do.
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
JordanWinning said:
Fwiw, a buddy played at team tennis nationals last year in doubles and a guy on the other team team stomped his left foot right before my buddy/his partner hit their every single time. Dude claimed he was “preparing to poach” so the official said it wasn’t a hinderance.

I talked to a different USTA official about it and they said it would likely be a judgement call from an individual official but it would be hard to call unless they watched the whole match, which in the big tournaments (and the only times officials are at rec league matches) it’s not practical to do.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure your buddy was playing Cashman. Cashman says - you can't call me for hindrance because you can't enter my mind and prove intent, so I'm going to hinder you as much as I want, and I'm going to get away with it, deal with it, end of discussion, don't waste your time reporting it to the official.
 
Slicerman

Slicerman

Professional
This thread has really escalated.. lol

To clarify anything, the opponent net person, was standing in place, I was hitting the ball back to the opponent baseliner. Playing for a good hour, I didn't notice anything outside of what you would expect from standard footwork.
But there were some occasions in those rallies that the opponent net person stomped his one foot down loudly right before I hit my shot. It was very noticeable and made obvious he was trying to distract me or confuse me.
It only dawned on me after the match that the opposing team were really into unorthodox gamesmanship tactics. There was one point where the opponent was saying something to make me look behind as if there was a ball rolling in from another court. When I finally looked forward the server had already hit a underhand serve. These guys are also the top team in the league too, which makes me question some things..
 
P

Pass750

Professional
Slicerman said:
This thread has really escalated.. lol

To clarify anything, the opponent net person, was standing in place, I was hitting the ball back to the opponent baseliner. Playing for a good hour, I didn't notice anything outside of what you would expect from standard footwork.
But there were some occasions in those rallies that the opponent net person stomped his one foot down loudly right before I hit my shot. It was very noticeable and made obvious he was trying to distract me or confuse me.
It only dawned on me after the match that the opposing team were really into unorthodox gamesmanship tactics. There was one point where the opponent was saying something to make me look behind as if there was a ball rolling in from another court. When I finally looked forward the server had already hit a underhand serve. These guys are also the top team in the league too, which makes me question some things..
Click to expand...
Wait, what ? The last paragraph is far more interesting than everything else said so far here. Made you look behind you and then underhand served you ?? That’s incredibly bush league if true.
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
Slicerman said:
This thread has really escalated.. lol

To clarify anything, the opponent net person, was standing in place, I was hitting the ball back to the opponent baseliner. Playing for a good hour, I didn't notice anything outside of what you would expect from standard footwork.
But there were some occasions in those rallies that the opponent net person stomped his one foot down loudly right before I hit my shot. It was very noticeable and made obvious he was trying to distract me or confuse me.
It only dawned on me after the match that the opposing team were really into unorthodox gamesmanship tactics. There was one point where the opponent was saying something to make me look behind as if there was a ball rolling in from another court. When I finally looked forward the server had already hit a underhand serve. These guys are also the top team in the league too, which makes me question some things..
Click to expand...
I'll speak for Cashman here: Cashman says no cheating happened, no hindrance happened, you can't prove intent and you have to prove intent, no gamesmanship happened, just move on, don't call an official, whatever you think happened, it didn't happen, but if it did, it's ok that it happened, if you do decide to call an official, it'll just be a waste of time, just forget about it.

You might have been playing Cashman.
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
Pass750 said:
Wait, what ? The last paragraph is far more interesting than everything else said so far here. Made you look behind you and then underhand served you ?? That’s incredibly bush league if true.
Click to expand...
No, Cashman says it's not bush league, just move on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

QuadCam
Is this a hindrance?
Replies
19
Views
1K
stapletonj
S
Shaggy
Hindrance rules
Replies
47
Views
4K
newpball
newpball
schmke
Hindrance for talking during point
Replies
8
Views
2K
Cindysphinx
Cindysphinx
OnTheLine
Calling a hindrance for something other team said
Replies
39
Views
2K
edathompson2
E
L
Yet another question about the rules... Hindrance on a serve.
Replies
4
Views
753
LazyAzN
L
Top