What can be done to reduce the cheating?

Sore spot in junior competitive tennis in all regions is cheating, poor sportsmanship, rudeness. I've seen it in parents who coach their kids using hand signals, foreign language, whispers behind the fence.. I've seen 11 yr olds being mean and nasty to the opponent from the very moment they're called onto the court. It quickly degenerates to bad calls, in-your-face attitude, contesting every call, etc... The game no longer becomes fun, but more like a street fight against a thug.

What are some ideas to promote better sportsmanship?

I think it starts with better education. USTA should come up with a very clear Code of Conduct. Parents and players must read and sign it before registering for any tournament. Directors should post it at the check-in desk. Refs should be enforcing it with the appropriate penalties. Coaches need to stress that they don't need to cheat to win.

Everyone wants to see a good, fair, honest match where both players bring their best tennis. No one wants to go home feeling cheated. Parents - please stay out of your kids' matches. Players - please, please, just play tennis and leave all that other junk behind.
 

Rina

Hall of Fame
I think it has to start with the parents, not USTA or anybody else. But, of course, we can't teach parents to act differently and pull their kid out when kid is cheating, throwing fits, etc. I think this whole "it's all about me" culture has had a negative effect in the US not just in tennis, but in everyday aspects of life. The way I see it it is my duty to stop my child from throwing rocks at cars, cheating in tennis, using foul language etc. As for the coaches they need to pull the kid out as soon as they see a bad call, during practice, practice matches, tournaments, USTA allows adults to make a decision to pull their child out of a match. So, as to your question about what to do with parents behaving badly, I think the only way for something to be done is to hire many referees for all tournaments, which of course would increase the fees, so if you are happy to pay $150 instead of $65 maybe that would allow tournament directors to hire more staff and observe all the parents and competitors. My son played a match recently and on the grass by the court sat the opponents dad and kept talking to his kid, in some foreign language, my son glanced a few times at this parent, but didn't do anything about it, like get the umpire. There was no need, said my son after the match, since he won 6-0, 6-1 but what if it was a close match?
 

JLyon

Hall of Fame
it is on the parents and then on the USTA to start handing out suspension points and suspending players from competition and holding firm to the suspensions. Stinks the 5% ruin it for the 95%
 

Nostradamus

Bionic Poster
"Sore spot in junior competitive tennis in all regions is cheating, poor sportsmanship, rudeness. I've seen it in parents who coach their kids using hand signals, foreign language, whispers behind the fence.. I've seen 11 yr olds being mean and nasty to the opponent from the very moment they're called onto the court. It quickly degenerates to bad calls, in-your-face attitude, contesting every call, etc... The game no longer becomes fun, but more like a street fight against a thug".


Yea, it is sad but it is a form of intimidation to get an edge over the opponent. It literally kills sportsmanship. To some parents that means nothing and actually encourages their child to act this way. It is sad, I know.

What we could do is have at least one USTA official on site of each tournament to supervise. If not, you need to report this kind of activity immediately to local official. If all parents are on the same page and report these behavior, complaints add up quickly. and these Juniors and parents will be penalized and/ or kicked out.
 

tennis5

Professional
I think it has to start with the parents, not USTA or anybody else. But, of course, we can't teach parents to act differently and pull their kid out when kid is cheating, throwing fits, etc. I think this whole "it's all about me" culture has had a negative effect in the US not just in tennis, but in everyday aspects of life. The way I see it it is my duty to stop my child from throwing rocks at cars, cheating in tennis, using foul language etc. As for the coaches they need to pull the kid out as soon as they see a bad call, during practice, practice matches, tournaments, USTA allows adults to make a decision to pull their child out of a match. So, as to your question about what to do with parents behaving badly, I think the only way for something to be done is to hire many referees for all tournaments, which of course would increase the fees, so if you are happy to pay $150 instead of $65 maybe that would allow tournament directors to hire more staff and observe all the parents and competitors. My son played a match recently and on the grass by the court sat the opponents dad and kept talking to his kid, in some foreign language, my son glanced a few times at this parent, but didn't do anything about it, like get the umpire. There was no need, said my son after the match, since he won 6-0, 6-1 but what if it was a close match?

All great posts here, but I thought you summed it up well.

First, I am sick of the parents talking in a foreign language.

My son had a ref on his court, a woman ref, who in my opinion, was intimidated by the opponent's father who yelled at her that she couldn't overrule calls that were not on her side
( can you believe she listened to this bully and then refused to make any calls on that side).

Anyway, the entire time the dad is hanging on the fence ( outdoor tournament) and talking to his son in a foreign language.

Why is English not allowed to be spoken at the matches,
but communication in a foreign languages are allowed to go on constantly????

Not denying that the refs are paid peanuts, so they don't want to fight with the parents....
But, some of the parents and kids are just ruining it for the majority.

And btw, I have seen USPD coaches doing this too. Refs seem to turn a blind eye to this.

Sad really, because for the younger kids (and the parents) who grew up in a culture of team sports and having 1-2 refs per game, this is one of the deciding reasons kids leave this sport for good.

Does the USTA care? I don't think so.

I am now hearing that if 2014 changes go through, there are plans to cut more tournaments in 2018.

And folks, since I was the one who brought up the 2014 changes to begin with on this board,
please realize the cuts in 2018 are for real.

The goal, per the USTA, is to have tennis as a sport that is played in your state only.
Like basketball, football, baseball is played in your state.
( traveling will be for select players at the very small USTA national tournaments and ITFS).
The goal is that when parent think about picking a sport for their kid,
they will think and consider tennis in the same manner as they would the popular sports)
The days of traveling will be like some old story that your grandparents mumble about...

ACTION STEP FOR TODAY - GET TO KNOW YOUR SECTION REP.
WATCH OTHER MATCHES, NOT YOUR KIDS, AND REPORT BAD BEHAVIOR AND CHEATING WHEN YOU SEE IT.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IF YOU WITNESS BAD BEHAVIOR, AND WRITE THESE KIDS UP AS A WITNESS,
IT WILL BE PUT IN THEIR RECORD.
IT WORKS, I HAVE DONE IT.
TAKES A VILLAGE.
 
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I strongly agree that proper parenting would be most beneficial. However, good parenting frequently is absent. We have all seen parents that are incapable of believing that their child would do anything wrong, so there is nothing to correct. There are also plenty of parents who live vicariously through their kids and pressure them to do anything to win. I know of a parent who also runs an "academy" and teaches his students to use their body to block the opponents view of the ball when running for a lob, and call it out regardless of the truth. He says that if they can't see it, they can't argue.

I say the USTA should step in and make a policy that tracks habitual cheaters and imposes progressively more harsh punishments for repeated occurrences. Right now the slate is cleaned after every event. You can cheat your A _ _ off and not be at risk in the next event.

If they had a running chart of over-rules and during the course of a year a player would be suspended for increasingly longer periods as they accrue more "points" they would stop. Referees need only track who got overruled in an event and enter it into a back-end program for tournament directors at the conclusion of the event. A computer will issue suspensions automatically and their entries for future events will be rejected until the suspension is complete. No human interaction needed, so the ref doesn't have to deal with the antagonistic parent.

To avoid penalizing kids for true accidental "bad" calls, it could allow for 2-3 over the course of an event before it began to count against the kid. I mean really.. who has more than three overrules in an event unless they really are cheating? I think my player has been overruled twice in the past 12-months which amounts to more than 25 tournaments, or 100+ matches.

Think of it like driving. You get points attached to your driving record for various infractions, and you are penalized by higher insurance rates, suspension, and even revocation if you accrue enough points. If I could speed with no lasting ill-effects, I'd do it more often.

Kids who cheat aren't taught that there are consequences for their actions... except that they win by doing it. Give them some negative reinforcement and they will have to adjust their behavior.
 

woodrow1029

Hall of Fame
I do not agree with keeping a running total of overrules from match to match.

I do however think that the USTA rule on overrules should be the same as in college tennis. You get 2 "freebies" in a match. Each overrule after the 2nd in a particular match, the player gets a code violation.
 

JLyon

Hall of Fame
I do not agree with keeping a running total of overrules from match to match.

I do however think that the USTA rule on overrules should be the same as in college tennis. You get 2 "freebies" in a match. Each overrule after the 2nd in a particular match, the player gets a code violation.

That would be great and make it easier for officials to be on the same page. I had always thought that was the rule until the last couple years and was corrected by the referee. 2 freebies and then it is unsportsmanlike.
 

JLyon

Hall of Fame
when im at a tournament there's like 2 usta officals that do nothing or even call lines
The officials are not there to call lines unless they are in a chair. They are roving to make sure matches are progressing in a timely manner and to come onto court as needed.
As for your comment, I would assume these officials could be the referee and deputy referee who have more important things to do than walking around calling lines,such as assisting with rules questions, draws questions, etc....
 

SoCal10s

Hall of Fame
I do not agree with keeping a running total of overrules from match to match.

I do however think that the USTA rule on overrules should be the same as in college tennis. You get 2 "freebies" in a match. Each overrule after the 2nd in a particular match, the player gets a code violation.



some upms need to get their eyes checked before they can 'overrule' but at the same time some kids just want to cheat ... a standing official at the net is not in a good position to see hardly any balls .. the close sidelines the seems to get overrule all the time,which is a bad call .. officials need to be up in an umpire seat and elevated to get a good vantage point .. test for yourself .... 'put a ball about a 1/8-1/4 in out and go stand by the net post at the near sidelines(forget about the far sidelines)to me those balls looks in ...
 

axel89

Banned
The officials are not there to call lines unless they are in a chair. They are roving to make sure matches are progressing in a timely manner and to come onto court as needed.
As for your comment, I would assume these officials could be the referee and deputy referee who have more important things to do than walking around calling lines,such as assisting with rules questions, draws questions, etc....
oh okay but the other day im in a 10 point tiebreak the other guy clearly calls a ball out when it was in and the usta offical is like that was out
 

NLBwell

Legend
Move overseers - umpires, linesmen, etc. to catch cheating. Ability to view a match without the players knowledge (so they don't just quit cheating during the moments when the official is actually standing on the court). More severe penalties for those caught cheating.
This would work - no idea how you would implement it.
 

woodrow1029

Hall of Fame
oh okay but the other day im in a 10 point tiebreak the other guy clearly calls a ball out when it was in and the usta offical is like that was out

Well, that either means that it was out, or that the player and the official both saw it out. To overrule, it is supposed to be a "clear mistake". Just because you see a ball in from the other side of the net, doesn't mean that the opponent definitely made a clear mistake.
 

tennis5

Professional
I strongly agree that proper parenting would be most beneficial. However, good parenting frequently is absent. We have all seen parents that are incapable of believing that their child would do anything wrong, so there is nothing to correct. There are also plenty of parents who live vicariously through their kids and pressure them to do anything to win. I know of a parent who also runs an "academy" and teaches his students to use their body to block the opponents view of the ball when running for a lob, and call it out regardless of the truth. He says that if they can't see it, they can't argue.

I say the USTA should step in and make a policy that tracks habitual cheaters and imposes progressively more harsh punishments for repeated occurrences. Right now the slate is cleaned after every event. You can cheat your A _ _ off and not be at risk in the next event.

If they had a running chart of over-rules and during the course of a year a player would be suspended for increasingly longer periods as they accrue more "points" they would stop. Referees need only track who got overruled in an event and enter it into a back-end program for tournament directors at the conclusion of the event. A computer will issue suspensions automatically and their entries for future events will be rejected until the suspension is complete. No human interaction needed, so the ref doesn't have to deal with the antagonistic parent.

To avoid penalizing kids for true accidental "bad" calls, it could allow for 2-3 over the course of an event before it began to count against the kid. I mean really.. who has more than three overrules in an event unless they really are cheating? I think my player has been overruled twice in the past 12-months which amounts to more than 25 tournaments, or 100+ matches.

Think of it like driving. You get points attached to your driving record for various infractions, and you are penalized by higher insurance rates, suspension, and even revocation if you accrue enough points. If I could speed with no lasting ill-effects, I'd do it more often.

Kids who cheat aren't taught that there are consequences for their actions... except that they win by doing it. Give them some negative reinforcement and they will have to adjust their behavior.


Wow, this is really good and aims exactly at the problem.

There are no LONG TERM consequences, besides a bad reputation, for cheating.

One junior who came back after a suspension, laughed about it...... He called it a vacation.

What if after 3 suspensions, player was done with tennis ( 3 strikes you are out).

DO YOU THINK WE WOULD BE HAVING THIS BLOG IF YOU WERE OUT OF TENNIS AFTER 3 SUSPENSIONS?

Lansdorp said, "Since most tournaments are sponsored by the USTA,
it becomes the responsibility of the USTA to control the environment of competition."
http://www.tennisnews.com/exclusive.php?pID=26799
 

andfor

Legend
^^^^Have heard of older and or better players getting USTA suspensions and just playing ITF as an alternative. Not saying it's right, it would be nice if the ITF had a rule that says if a player is suspended by any nationally recognized governing tennis body, they would not be eligible for ITF until the suspension is served. My understanding is that's not the case today.
 

woodrow1029

Hall of Fame
The ITF can't even get their rules in line with the ATP and WTA in the pro-tennis divisions. No way could they ever do this with all nationally recognized governing tennis bodies. :)
 

andfor

Legend
We all talk alot about the way we think things should be. Often many have put forth lots great ideas here. Sadly, most all of them will sit here on this server in cyberspace, nothing ever really done.
 
The problem of cheating is not resticted to tennis. You cannot separate tennis from the real world. Cheating by young people has become epidemic. I have heard lectures by the president of UVA and read articles on this topic. Sure there was cheating when we grew up but nothing like today.
A high percentage of the very top students cheat in school. The school pressures on kids are the same as the tennis pressures. Over involved parents helicoptering their kids putting tremendous pressure on them to succeed at all costs. Judging them by somewhat meaningless standards, what colleges did you get in, where did you finish in sectionals. If you were to tell a parent that their kid cheats in school or cheats in tennis the reaction is likely to be the same. They would get mad at the messenger and not talk to you again- and say nothing to their precocious child. That is today's reality. I don't see a way of changing it. Truth is that it is better for the development of the youngster to teach honesty, fairness, and sportsmanship- even when it costs you a grade or a few matches.
 

NC_Parent

New User
VIDEO.

Most parents have iPhones these days.

Just record the bad behavior and send to your section.

If they have video proof they may be able to take corrective action against the over the top parents and/or player.


Still though, kids do need to learn to deal with these situations as they are occuring so they can finish and win matches. Confidence can go a long way( ie, let the parent coach from the stands..I'll still win ! )
 

Chemist

Rookie
Kalamazoo - Best Junior Tournament

Every match including doubles and back draws at Kalamazoo has a chair umpire. Cheating, bad behavior or parents' talking in foreign language would not be tolerated. Clay super national for B16 was pretty bad with officiation this year. Saw one player walked out of the court to look for an umpire and it took him more than 5 mins to get one.

Parents may be mostly responsive for kids' cheating. Ever heard parents ask their kids to cheat back and kids use "cheating back" as an excuse for making bad calls? Witnessed a parent yelling at their kids for not calling a ball out during a match? How about parents cheering for opponent's errors and/or cheering for his kid's winning point so loud that can be heard miles away to mess up that poor kid's mental? How about parents arguing that foot fault is not a fault and encouraging his kid to continue to do so? This may make you laugh - one parent would say "Let's go XXXX" for different situations. Never knew his son had 5-6 different names!
 

tennis5

Professional
Every match including doubles and back draws at Kalamazoo has a chair umpire. Cheating, bad behavior or parents' talking in foreign language would not be tolerated. Clay super national for B16 was pretty bad with officiation this year. Saw one player walked out of the court to look for an umpire and it took him more than 5 mins to get one.

Parents may be mostly responsive for kids' cheating. Ever heard parents ask their kids to cheat back and kids use "cheating back" as an excuse for making bad calls? Witnessed a parent yelling at their kids for not calling a ball out during a match? How about parents cheering for opponent's errors and/or cheering for his kid's winning point so loud that can be heard miles away to mess up that poor kid's mental? How about parents arguing that foot fault is not a fault and encouraging his kid to continue to do so? This may make you laugh - one parent would say "Let's go XXXX" for different situations. Never knew his son had 5-6 different names!

Kalamazoo is the gold standard for chair refs.
 

gplracer

Hall of Fame
Cheating is the fault of the parents. Kids want to win and sometimes they call the ball wrong by mistake or on pupose. Either way it is WRONG! The only reason there are kids out there cheating is because their parents let them do it. Pull your kid out of the tournament, go tell a ref your child is cheating, do something about it parents. Also, the USTA needs harsher penalties for blatant cheating. Penalize games when something is blatant. Have a point system where kids have to sit out if they are caught doing it too much.
 

andfor

Legend
Cheating is the fault of the parents. Kids want to win and sometimes they call the ball wrong by mistake or on purpose. Either way it is WRONG! The only reason there are kids out there cheating is because their parents let them do it. Pull your kid out of the tournament, go tell a ref your child is cheating, do something about it parents. Also, the USTA needs harsher penalties for blatant cheating. Penalize games when something is blatant. Have a point system where kids have to sit out if they are caught doing it too much.

It's not always the parents fault. Kids have to learn to call the balls on their own. I've seen parents in a rage about their kid getting cheated on lines many times. But the funny thing is the kids playing never question, fight each other about it or go get a line judge. Calling the lines from the side line for the most part is OFTEN not the best angle. Kids just need to learn to get a line judge using the age old system, question the first one, get a line judge on the second one.

If parents want to get a line judge on their kid, you have to be careful about that. It could be construed as coaching. Like it or not, if a parent did that to my kids match I wouldn't allow it. Whose to say that the parent calling the line judge on his own kid knows that when the line judges walks on the court his kid settles down?

I've also seen parents pull their kid for bad behavior, like this is some sort of noble gesture. Another funny thing, I've only seen the kid pull when they were losing. Everyone knows it was to keep the kid from taking a legitimate loss.

The USTA already has a penalty system for rule violators who get code violations.

I've literally watched hunderends of matches over the last 6 yrs. not just my kids but many others at local, sectional and national level events. I see very good line calling over and over. Reports of increased cheating amoung USTA juniors is greatly exaggerated.
 

gplracer

Hall of Fame
It's not always the parents fault. Kids have to learn to call the balls on their own. I've seen parents in a rage about their kid getting cheated on lines many times. But the funny thing is the kids playing never question, fight each other about it or go get a line judge. Calling the lines from the side line for the most part is OFTEN not the best angle. Kids just need to learn to get a line judge using the age old system, question the first one, get a line judge on the second one.

If parents want to get a line judge on their kid, you have to be careful about that. It could be construed as coaching. Like it or not, if a parent did that to my kids match I wouldn't allow it. Whose to say that the parent calling the line judge on his own kid knows that when the line judges walks on the court his kid settles down?

I've also seen parents pull their kid for bad behavior, like this is some sort of noble gesture. Another funny thing, I've only seen the kid pull when they were losing. Everyone knows it was to keep the kid from taking a legitimate loss.

The USTA already has a penalty system for rule violators who get code violations.

I've literally watched hunderends of matches over the last 6 yrs. not just my kids but many others at local, sectional and national level events. I see very good line calling over and over. Reports of increased cheating amoung USTA juniors is greatly exaggerated.

I have watched hundreds of matches too of just my kids. I do agree with a lot that you have said. For the most part I have only seen really bad cheating a few times. Usually it is when it is deuce at 4-5 and the next two shots are called out or during the tie breaker. I told my son if you have to have a line judge then always call that person back for the tiebreaker. Most of the time I want him to try to give the opponent the benefit of the doubt and assume the shots are being called correctly.

But there are those players who are known for cheating. It happens over and over again. I feel it is the parents fault in those cases because they know it is going on and they let it happen. My older son says that that large percentage of the better players he plays cheat. He says if it is an important point in a close match and lands close to the line it will be called out. He said they only do it in those cases. I tend to disagree with him about this but he believes it. I just think the system could treat cheating and missed calls more harshly. I would rather have my kids miss a call and play it as good rather than out. There are many other kids out there who do not share that belief.
 
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Chemist

Rookie
A boy in our section was suspended for 3 months for making too many bad line calls. This kid has very few friends. My son played doubles with him a few years ago and had to overrule one of his calls. He never played doubles with him again. Most kids improve their line call with age, as they learn how to make right calls. A few high ranked, got worse. Too much pressure from their parents for winning? Other types of cheating include delayed game, long rest room break, screaming and trash talking including the use of racial, sexual remarks and even threatening to "kill" his opponent. Yes, parents are mainly to blame for cheating and bad behaviors. Sometimes, tournament directors knowingly did nothing to stop kids from cheating. I personally witnessed 3 occasions that the match between two siblings were not played but scores were reported. One common excuse used by cheating kids and their parents is that other kid cheated first and their kid just cheated back. BTW, the cheating kids never call umpire to stop other kids from "cheating"!
 

JLyon

Hall of Fame
A boy in our section was suspended for 3 months for making too many bad line calls. This kid has very few friends. My son played doubles with him a few years ago and had to overrule one of his calls. He never played doubles with him again. Most kids improve their line call with age, as they learn how to make right calls. A few high ranked, got worse. Too much pressure from their parents for winning? Other types of cheating include delayed game, long rest room break, screaming and trash talking including the use of racial, sexual remarks and even threatening to "kill" his opponent. Yes, parents are mainly to blame for cheating and bad behaviors. Sometimes, tournament directors knowingly did nothing to stop kids from cheating. I personally witnessed 3 occasions that the match between two siblings were not played but scores were reported. One common excuse used by cheating kids and their parents is that other kid cheated first and their kid just cheated back. BTW, the cheating kids never call umpire to stop other kids from "cheating"!
I have found that the kids who do the most cheating typically are the most offended when an official shows up and starts correcting their bad calls. Quite entertaining, but sad to see when a 12 y.o. gets a reputation as a cheater.
 

andfor

Legend
Cheating or bad line calls rarely change the course of a match. If you've watched as many matches as we have (gpl and Chem.) yes we've seen a handful of late match calls tilt the match or worse make the outcome irreversible. But that's in the minority of matches by the widest of margins. I believe that if the kids/players feel that cheating is prevalent and don't have a strong handle on how to deal with it then they may build in an excuse for losing.

Yea, balls on the line should be called good. I'd rather hear a player say that if they did not hit the ball so darn close they would not have risked the bad call. Then move on to the next point. There are many obstacles to overcome in winning a match. The more a player believes that he is responsible for what happens his actions on the court, and learns from experiences, the stonger player they will become in the long run.
 

BMC9670

Hall of Fame
Cheating or bad line calls rarely change the course of a match. If you've watched as many matches as we have (gpl and Chem.) yes we've seen a handful of late match calls tilt the match or worse make the outcome irreversible. But that's in the minority of matches by the widest of margins. I believe that if the kids/players feel that cheating is prevalent and don't have a strong handle on how to deal with it then they may build in an excuse for losing.

Yea, balls on the line should be called good. I'd rather hear a player say that if they did not hit the ball so darn close they would not have risked the bad call. Then move on to the next point. There are many obstacles to overcome in winning a match. The more a player believes that he is responsible for what happens his actions on the court, and learns from experiences, the stonger player they will become in the long run.

Probably true, but those few instances stick with people, so it gets blown up.

I've only seen one match really decided by cheating so far. Two 12U kids (not mine) were playing a 3rd set tie breaker in a semi. It was a great battle - close and down to the wire. I was on a deck overlooking one baseline and the kid on my side followed an approach to the net and got lobbed. Great lob, landed just inside the line and left a nice mark on the HarTru. The kid chasing it down called it out and swiped his foot over the mark. The other kid couldn't see where it landed as his view was obstructed by his opponents body.

The worst part was, the cheater's parents were cheering the win wildly (sitting near me with the same vantage point) and the lobbers mom was yelling at him for letting it happen. Should have been the other way around.
 

Chemist

Rookie
I have found that the kids who do the most cheating typically are the most offended when an official shows up and starts correcting their bad calls. Quite entertaining, but sad to see when a 12 y.o. gets a reputation as a cheater.

Yes I have also seen a cheating kid would continue to cheat even when an umpire is watching. When this poor kid got calls reversed for 7-8 times on the B12 clay super national, one of his correct calls was also reversed because he could not correctly identify the ball mark:cry:.
 

andfor

Legend
Probably true, but those few instances stick with people, so it gets blown up.

I've only seen one match really decided by cheating so far. Two 12U kids (not mine) were playing a 3rd set tie breaker in a semi. It was a great battle - close and down to the wire. I was on a deck overlooking one baseline and the kid on my side followed an approach to the net and got lobbed. Great lob, landed just inside the line and left a nice mark on the HarTru. The kid chasing it down called it out and swiped his foot over the mark. The other kid couldn't see where it landed as his view was obstructed by his opponents body.

The worst part was, the cheater's parents were cheering the win wildly (sitting near me with the same vantage point) and the lobbers mom was yelling at him for letting it happen. Should have been the other way around.

We've all witnessed ugly moments at the tennis courts and I've got more than one story. For every one horror story I'd say there's about 100 matches that go down with little to no incident.
 

tennis5

Professional
A boy in our section was suspended for 3 months for making too many bad line calls. This kid has very few friends. My son played doubles with him a few years ago and had to overrule one of his calls. He never played doubles with him again. Most kids improve their line call with age, as they learn how to make right calls. A few high ranked, got worse. Too much pressure from their parents for winning? Other types of cheating include delayed game, long rest room break, screaming and trash talking including the use of racial, sexual remarks and even threatening to "kill" his opponent. Yes, parents are mainly to blame for cheating and bad behaviors. Sometimes, tournament directors knowingly did nothing to stop kids from cheating. I personally witnessed 3 occasions that the match between two siblings were not played but scores were reported. One common excuse used by cheating kids and their parents is that other kid cheated first and their kid just cheated back. BTW, the cheating kids never call umpire to stop other kids from "cheating"!

Parents excuse a lot of bad behavior such as cursing, ( love the F word and Jesus and God put together combo),
spiking balls out of the court ( who cares who it hits) , and throwing racquets after they lose as "letting off steam".
Wonder how that will turn out when they get to the office, and curse out their boss.
I just see a lot of parents not parenting.......
 

Chemist

Rookie
Probably true, but those few instances stick with people, so it gets blown up.

I've only seen one match really decided by cheating so far. Two 12U kids (not mine) were playing a 3rd set tie breaker in a semi. It was a great battle - close and down to the wire. I was on a deck overlooking one baseline and the kid on my side followed an approach to the net and got lobbed. Great lob, landed just inside the line and left a nice mark on the HarTru. The kid chasing it down called it out and swiped his foot over the mark. The other kid couldn't see where it landed as his view was obstructed by his opponents body.

The worst part was, the cheater's parents were cheering the win wildly (sitting near me with the same vantage point) and the lobbers mom was yelling at him for letting it happen. Should have been the other way around.

My son and I watched one match at a B14 national open 3 years ago. Three umpires were on the same court to help two Eastern boys making the line calls. On the next court, two boys from the same section were playing one out ball after another. We still remember all of these four boys' names.

I could only remember my son lost perhaps a total of 5 matches (out of more than 800 matches has has played) because of bad calls. But he probably lost a couple of dozens because he played the out balls.
 

gplracer

Hall of Fame
My son and I watched one match at a B14 national open 3 years ago. Three umpires were on the same court to help two Eastern boys making the line calls. On the next court, two boys from the same section were playing one out ball after another. We still remember all of these four boys' names.

I could only remember my son lost perhaps a total of 5 matches (out of more than 800 matches has has played) because of bad calls. But he probably lost a couple of dozens because he played the out balls.

I hear you my 10 year old plays out balls all he time. I think serves are the hardest for him to call. He plays lots of balls that are a foot out.
 

tennis5

Professional
I hear you my 10 year old plays out balls all he time. I think serves are the hardest for him to call. He plays lots of balls that are a foot out.

This would be a great thread on its own......

Why can some juniors see the serves better than others?

My son has the same problem and he is a bit older...

I am beginning to think I need to get his eyes checked.
 

BMC9670

Hall of Fame
I hear you my 10 year old plays out balls all he time. I think serves are the hardest for him to call. He plays lots of balls that are a foot out.

This would be a great thread on its own......

Why can some juniors see the serves better than others?

My son has the same problem and he is a bit older...

I am beginning to think I need to get his eyes checked.

My 10 year old does this, too. I thought it was only when I play with him and he doesn't want to call it out on me, but I see him play serves in matches that are a good 6 inches or more out. Doesn't have the same issue with sidelines or baseline. Maybe it's something about that particular angle?
 

lala28m

New User
My 10 year old does this, too. I thought it was only when I play with him and he doesn't want to call it out on me, but I see him play serves in matches that are a good 6 inches or more out. Doesn't have the same issue with sidelines or baseline. Maybe it's something about that particular angle?

Height disadvantage? I would think that angle is the worst one. I know it still gets me, which I always call good...Which is obviously what you're always supposed to do, but I second guess myself a lot less on those service calls, because, honestly, they are just the hardest ones for me to call on my opponent. I'm 5'3 btw.

Obviously, so much easier watching the kids match and being an expert. Lol. I do it all the time "What, are they blind??"
 

gplracer

Hall of Fame
Height disadvantage? I would think that angle is the worst one. I know it still gets me, which I always call good...Which is obviously what you're always supposed to do, but I second guess myself a lot less on those service calls, because, honestly, they are just the hardest ones for me to call on my opponent. I'm 5'3 btw.

Obviously, so much easier watching the kids match and being an expert. Lol. I do it all the time "What, are they blind??"

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

Chemist

Rookie
I hear you my 10 year old plays out balls all he time. I think serves are the hardest for him to call. He plays lots of balls that are a foot out.

This would be a great thread on its own......

Why can some juniors see the serves better than others?

My son has the same problem and he is a bit older...

I am beginning to think I need to get his eyes checked.

My 10 year old does this, too. I thought it was only when I play with him and he doesn't want to call it out on me, but I see him play serves in matches that are a good 6 inches or more out. Doesn't have the same issue with sidelines or baseline. Maybe it's something about that particular angle?

My son is already 16 and he would still return so many serves that are out several inches, many are 2nd serves. It's very difficult for a returner to see a gap between the balls and the service line when the ball bounces off at 80-90 miles per hour (or even 50-60 miles per hour for 10-12 yr old). He has been improving on calling serves lately, after hours of practicing receiving with another kid who has big serves and me as the line judge. We came to a conclusion that it's impossible to see a gap between where the ball bounces off and the service line if the serve is less than an inch deeper and difficult to see the gap if its less than 2" deeper. After seeing and hearing me calling the serves hundreds of the serves, he is a lot better now.

Calling the ball out from the baseline is also a lot tougher than calling the ball out on the sidelines.
 

chalkflewup

Hall of Fame
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

Hall of Fame
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.
 
...
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

Legend
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. :)
 
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lala28m

New User
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 :):)
 
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

Legend
^^^ 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

Semi-Pro
^^^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.
 
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