3 Things You Should Do When Playing A Cheater.

thomas daniels

thomas daniels

Semi-Pro
We have all had to play cheaters at some point during our careers.

In high school we had one team who matchplay mindset was...

"When in doubt, call it out and if it's on the line, the call is mind".

I have to admit too that, I really struggled with playing these guys for a long time.

Then our coach, gave us this playbook to use against them.

First.

Don't even come close to the line.

Take the lines out of play.

By doing this, you aren't even giving them a chance to cheat and it negates their ability by 60% or more from doing it in the match.

Next.

Hit a heavy ball with a lot of spin.

You can use your wrist and the ground force to generate some heavy ground strokes, which will then create some short replies during the point.

On you approach shots, stay away from the line like I said and keep it low or mix in some slice shots, at the net, just block your volleys short into the open court.

You should just do this over and over again, to get them frustrated as hell.

One more thing.

Get inside their head.

This is how we did it.

We would call it out at first and then after about 5 second correct the call(say sorry) and then look at them after with a smile for a few seconds!!!

After you do it a few times... they will lose it at some point in the match and blow up emotionally.

When they do, keep driving the knife home even more, by laughing at them, like they are a child!!

This is how you can give them a GOOD taste of their own CHEATING medicine and you can then watch them mentally break down at some point during the match.

It's actually fun(I started to love playing cheaters) and once you have done this a few times yourself.

You wili start enjoying playing those cheaters too!!!
 
I’ve got a bunch of of favorite reactive antics which can make it almost fun to player cheaters (at least for some people-you have to have the right mindset). One of my fun ones is when they make an incredibly bad line call, accept the call, shrug your shoulders, but then say “excuse me”, walk to your bag and your phone and pretend to text someone. This is especially good if they are serving. What are they going to do, complain for a game delay after they just made a bad line call? If they complain, just say you remembered you had to tell your sick grandmother what time would be home. It may also get into their head by wondering who you were texting.
I have many more. Lol
 
“Don’t even come close to the line” by hitting lots of drop shots to the middle (assuming you have that in your arsenal).
When they mutter and complain about you being a wuss hitting drops shots, just reply by telling them, “but at least we don’t 20-20 vision to call a drop shot.”
 
Well I've tried the 'don't hit close to the lines' routine and found it can lead to more trouble. Actually it's been my experience that in many cases the opponent starts thinking that if he can get can successfully take away a few inches on the lines he will start taking more and more. Then pretty soon you're not hitting into a court that is a few square feet smaller but a few square yards smaller. My God you think, the court over there is shrinking! Where do I have to hit to?

And so then why should he get to hit into a full court when you don't?

I play mostly on clay courts now so cheating is must more difficult due to marks on the court. But when I used to play on hard courts I finally concluded that nothing really works other than calling for a ref if one is available. And that would usually be only in tournament matches. Otherwise, you just decide if the guy is worth playing with in the future or not.
 
Grinch said:
I’ve got a bunch of of favorite reactive antics which can make it almost fun to player cheaters (at least for some people-you have to have the right mindset). One of my fun ones is when they make an incredibly bad line call, accept the call, shrug your shoulders, but then say “excuse me”, walk to your bag and your phone and pretend to text someone. This is especially good if they are serving. What are they going to do, complain for a game delay after they just made a bad line call? If they complain, just say you remembered you had to tell your sick grandmother what time would be home. It may also get into their head by wondering who you were texting.
I have many more. Lol
Click to expand...

Then they'll try to disqualify you for using a communications device during a match. :)
 
thomas daniels said:
We have all had to play cheaters at some point during our careers.

In high school we had one team who matchplay mindset was...

"When in doubt, call it out and if it's on the line, the call is mind".

I have to admit too that, I really struggled with playing these guys for a long time.

Then our coach, gave us this playbook to use against them.

First.

Don't even come close to the line.

Take the lines out of play.

By doing this, you aren't even giving them a chance to cheat and it negates their ability by 60% or more from doing it in the match.

Next.

Hit a heavy ball with a lot of spin.

You can use your wrist and the ground force to generate some heavy ground strokes, which will then create some short replies during the point.

On you approach shots, stay away from the line like I said and keep it low or mix in some slice shots, at the net, just block your volleys short into the open court.

You should just do this over and over again, to get them frustrated as hell.

One more thing.

Get inside their head.

This is how we did it.

We would call it out at first and then after about 5 second correct the call(say sorry) and then look at them after with a smile for a few seconds!!!

After you do it a few times... they will lose it at some point in the match and blow up emotionally.

When they do, keep driving the knife home even more, by laughing at them, like they are a child!!

This is how you can give them a GOOD taste of their own CHEATING medicine and you can then watch them mentally break down at some point during the match.

It's actually fun(I started to love playing cheaters) and once you have done this a few times yourself.

You wili start enjoying playing those cheaters too!!!
Click to expand...
Very clever!
 
thomas daniels said:
Get inside their head.
This is how we did it.

We would call it out at first and then after about 5 second correct the call(say sorry) and then look at them after with a smile for a few seconds!!! After you do it a few times... they will lose it at some point in the match and blow up emotionally. When they do, keep driving the knife home even more, by laughing at them, like they are a child!!
Click to expand...

Can you explain how this works? Opponent hit a ball close to the line and instead of playing the ball to continue the point, you call it out to stop the point, then say the ball is in after 5 seconds and concede the point. Doesn’t your opponent then win every point where they hit the ball close to the line since you stop the point with an out call and then change the call to concede the point to them? There’s something I’m missing in this scenario on how it will help.
 
1) Make sure you get the proper consent (depends on the state. some require only 1 party) before recording video

2) Mount your phone with a gorillapod or tripod and point it in your opponents direction. Record in slow motion.
When he makes a really bad call. Run over to your phone and bring it closer to him to show his face up close as you ask him, "You're calling that shot out? Are you sure?"

3) post the video to social media.
 
socallefty said:
Can you explain how this works? Opponent hit a ball close to the line and instead of playing the ball to continue the point, you call it out to stop the point, then say the ball is in after 5 seconds and concede the point. Doesn’t your opponent then win every point where they hit the ball close to the line since you stop the point with an out call and then change the call to concede the point to them? There’s something I’m missing in this scenario on how it will help.
Click to expand...

Apparently TD thinks this will somehow upset the cheater. Seems more likely that it will embolden him.
 
socallefty said:
Can you explain how this works? Opponent hit a ball close to the line and instead of playing the ball to continue the point, you call it out to stop the point, then say the ball is in after 5 seconds and concede the point. Doesn’t your opponent then win every point where they hit the ball close to the line since you stop the point with an out call and then change the call to concede the point to them? There’s something I’m missing in this scenario on how it will help.
Click to expand...
No, this is after the point my friend and it's just gamemanship...
 
S&V-not_dead_yet said:
Apparently TD thinks this will somehow upset the cheater. Seems more likely that it will embolden him.
Click to expand...
Not to mention if you don't hit as close to the lines just to take that away from the opponent, you're actually letting your opponent make his side of the court a lot smaller for himself.

I'm not saying you should aim for the lines because that is unnecessary risk and you should be hitting big targets anyway, but consciously only hitting say ~1 m from any line handicaps you more than it does the cheater. Now he just has less court to cover.
 
Friedman Whip said:
Well I've tried the 'don't hit close to the lines' routine and found it can lead to more trouble. Actually it's been my experience that in many cases the opponent starts thinking that if he can get can successfully take away a few inches on the lines he will start taking more and more. Then pretty soon you're not hitting into a court that is a few square feet smaller but a few square yards smaller. My God you think, the court over there is shrinking! Where do I have to hit to?

And so then why should he get to hit into a full court when you don't?

I play mostly on clay courts now so cheating is must more difficult due to marks on the court. But when I used to play on hard courts I finally concluded that nothing really works other than calling for a ref if one is available. And that would usually be only in tournament matches. Otherwise, you just decide if the guy is worth playing with in the future or not.
Click to expand...
Not on heavy top spin balls they can't, Look at where nadal's ball bounce and then kick up off the ground...
 
A memorable league doubles moment:

My partner on opponents serve: "out"
Server: "are you sure?"

Next round my partner: "out"
Server: "********."
My partner: "oh ********"

The next serve my partner hits is 30cm inside the lines
Opponent: "out"
 
A memorable league doubles moment:

My partner on opponents serve: "out"
Server: "are you sure?"

Next round my partner: "out"
Server: "********."
My partner: "oh ********"

The next serve my partner hits is 30cm inside the lines
Opponent: "out"
 
So, we are being asked to cheat in retaliation against a cheater. Doesn’t it make us a cheater too? Yawn…move on to the next great pundit on TTW with something new to contribute.
 
StringSnapper said:
A memorable league doubles moment:

My partner on opponents serve: "out"
Server: "are you sure?"

Next round my partner: "out"
Server: "********."
My partner: "oh ********"

The next serve my partner hits is 30cm inside the lines
Opponent: "out"
Click to expand...
Time to serve short, slice underhand serves. No line calls to worry about, just the net clearance.
 
socallefty said:
So, we are being asked to cheat in retaliation against a cheater. Doesn’t it make us a cheater too? Yawn…move on to the next great pundit on TTW with something new to contribute.
Click to expand...

Agree. I don't know why I even open threads re: cheaters or line calling techniques. Nothing more needs to be said about either. And becoming a cheater to "beat" a cheater is a fool's errand. Takes too much energy and ruins the game entirely. Let cheaters cheat. I'll just play my game, keep competing and retain my dignity and ethics.
 
There is no way to play a cheater, you're just wasting your time. There were a few at the club I use to play at, most wouldn't have considered themselves cheaters but they were. They did stuff like:

1)Close calls were always out and they use to call my heavily spun shots long before they landed, yet I could see they had dipped at the last second.
2)Calling my serve based on the quality of their return. Serves that were blatantly out were called in if they got a good strike on it.
3)Quick serving, especially annoying when they would hit a big first serve I stood back for and then hitting a drop serve straight afterwards.
4)Talking during points, is hindrance not a thing?

The best way to deal with such people is simply refuse to play them.
 
I'm not sure how it is statistically possible that no one on TT is a cheater, but everyone on TT has played against cheaters.
Just like no one on TT is a pusher, but everyone on TT has played against pushers.
Sometimes you just make bad calls because that is how you see it. As you get older, your eyesight gets worse and worse esp. on moving balls.

I almost always give my opponents the benefit of the doubt. It is understandable that they missed the call unintentionally due to error in judgment.
I've played against only a few really bad cheaters.
The only good solution was that I made myself a significantly better player, so they pretty much gave up trying to win by cheating as it was of no use.

1. Give yourself more margin from the lines.
2. Prepare yourself mentally. Don't let bad calls disrupt or destroy your game.
3. Lastly and most importantly, get mo better.
 
Have dealt with it a bit myself, but TONS in high school and juniors tennis. So I just remind the kids to ALWAYS contest their call if you feel it is wrong to let them know you are watching. But then to forget it because a cheater is not going to change their call. Unfortunately too many juniors are taught to call anything close out.
 
Funny I used to worry I was calling balls out incorrectly. Videoed couple of matches. I was calling shots and serves two feet out in and my Ops with their young eyes seemed fine with that.

On the score cheaters I call the score even when they re serving. F@#£&Ing annoying but it does make the pleasure of playing honest Ops greater.
 
While we can choose who we play with a d against in more social games, we cannot pick our opponents in tournaments and some leagues, so I do not think quitting in the middle of a match is a good solution.

I actually have not encountered that many cheaters as an adult. There were more in junior tournaments.
 
Keendog said:
There's a new one now. At the start of the match, you pull out a phone or camera and ask "do you mind while I set this up to record for my Youtube channel?"

Camera will keep them honest
Click to expand...

This one's genius. They might get suspicious when you keep moving it up their end! Make sure you have a second camera in line with the baseline, to go with the one on the back fence in line with the centre line. I'm looking forward to when Hawkeye's installed on public courts haha
 
zaph said:
There is no way to play a cheater, you're just wasting your time. There were a few at the club I use to play at, most wouldn't have considered themselves cheaters but they were. They did stuff like:

1)Close calls were always out and they use to call my heavily spun shots long before they landed, yet I could see they had dipped at the last second.
2)Calling my serve based on the quality of their return. Serves that were blatantly out were called in if they got a good strike on it.
3)Quick serving, especially annoying when they would hit a big first serve I stood back for and then hitting a drop serve straight afterwards.
4)Talking during points, is hindrance not a thing?

The best way to deal with such people is simply refuse to play them.
Click to expand...

This. Refuse to play them. Get observers if it is a league match - call them out for cheating. Then refuse to play if it continues. Passive aggressive techniques like this thread are a total waste of time and are incredibly pathetic.

In any even match doing things like trying to reduce margin of error or hit weak serves is going to tilt the balance in the opponents favor. So the plan here is idiotic. Terrible terrible ideas from the OP.
 
GuyClinch said:
This. Refuse to play them. Get observers if it is a league match - call them out for cheating. Then refuse to play if it continues. Passive aggressive techniques like this thread are a total waste of time and are incredibly pathetic.

In any even match doing things like trying to reduce margin of error or hit weak serves is going to tilt the balance in the opponents favor. So the plan here is idiotic. Terrible terrible ideas from the OP.
Click to expand...

Now you've done it: he's going to call you an "energy vampire" and "stupid clown" like he called me when I pointed out flaws in his reasoning.
 
FogniShikori said:
I'm not sure how it is statistically possible that no one on TT is a cheater, but everyone on TT has played against cheaters.
Just like no one on TT is a pusher, but everyone on TT has played against pushers.
Sometimes you just make bad calls because that is how you see it. As you get older, your eyesight gets worse and worse esp. on moving balls.

I almost always give my opponents the benefit of the doubt. It is understandable that they missed the call unintentionally due to error in judgment.
I've played against only a few really bad cheaters.
The only good solution was that I made myself a significantly better player, so they pretty much gave up trying to win by cheating as it was of no use.

1. Give yourself more margin from the lines.
2. Prepare yourself mentally. Don't let bad calls disrupt or destroy your game.
3. Lastly and most importantly, get mo better.
Click to expand...

I'm a pusher or more correctly I sometimes push because it works and is effective. The only players who complain about me pushing are the ones that lose to me. Funny that.
 
FogniShikori said:
I'm not sure how it is statistically possible that no one on TT is a cheater, but everyone on TT has played against cheaters.
Just like no one on TT is a pusher, but everyone on TT has played against pushers.
Click to expand...

Genuine cheaters are rare, IMO [I'm not talking about juniors]. Even when taking into account public park tennis, most of them fall into the category of "giving themselves the benefit of the doubt" vs outright cheating.
 
zaph said:
I'm a pusher or more correctly I sometimes push because it works and is effective. The only players who complain about me pushing are the ones that lose to me. Funny that.
Click to expand...

I'm flexible: if pushing is the optimal way to win, I'll push. It's extremely rare that I would do this for the entire match but at certain junctures or points or even portions within one point, certainly. And my primary style of net attacking doesn't really lend itself to pushing.

My greatest comeback victory involved pushing: I was down 3-6 0-3 and my opponent was dismantling my S&V game so I started hanging back and pushing, especially with the slice BH. He didn't adjust and kept hitting shots wide/long by a few feet. I ended up winning 3-6 6-4 6-2. My opponent was not amused.
 
S&V-not_dead_yet said:
Genuine cheaters are rare, IMO [I'm not talking about juniors]. Even when taking into account public park tennis, most of them fall into the category of "giving themselves the benefit of the doubt" vs outright cheating.
Click to expand...
In my experience, I would be lying if I said cheaters are rare. Just this morning, playing rec club doubles, one of the opponents begins his serve with his feet about a foot outside the extension of the doubles line (not the baseline). Of course he serves a wide lefty slice serve for an ace to win the game. At the changeover, I politely point out that we’ll give him the ace this time, but if he serves again from that position we will call the foot fault and not try to return the serve. My partner did not want to say anything, but I believe the integrity of the game requires us to point out when rules are being broken. Guess how the foot faulter replies? ... “this ain’t the US Open, who cares about those silly rules here”. I said, I wouldn’t care about that silly rule if he hadn’t used a violation of that silly rule to serve a wide serve ace. He stared me down and walked away. Next time he served, his feet were 6 inches inside the extension of the doubles line. At least for one rec match, my threat to call foot faults (of a nonstandard variety) actually worked to bring the game to within the rules. And I know for certain he knew exactly what he was doing wrong by standing so far outside of the court dimensions. He didn’t serve from there by some ignorance of the rules. Just another story for a rainy day.
 
GuyClinch said:
This. Refuse to play them. Get observers if it is a league match - call them out for cheating. Then refuse to play if it continues. Passive aggressive techniques like this thread are a total waste of time and are incredibly pathetic.

In any even match doing things like trying to reduce margin of error or hit weak serves is going to tilt the balance in the opponents favor. So the plan here is idiotic. Terrible terrible ideas from the OP.
Click to expand...
There’s a difference between “weak serves” and a well executed slice underhand serve.
 
S&V-not_dead_yet said:
Genuine cheaters are rare, IMO [I'm not talking about juniors]. Even when taking into account public park tennis, most of them fall into the category of "giving themselves the benefit of the doubt" vs outright cheating.
Click to expand...
I’m jealous of where you live, if cheaters are a rarity there.
 
S&V-not_dead_yet said:
I'm flexible: if pushing is the optimal way to win, I'll push. It's extremely rare that I would do this for the entire match but at certain junctures or points or even portions within one point, certainly. And my primary style of net attacking doesn't really lend itself to pushing.

My greatest comeback victory involved pushing: I was down 3-6 0-3 and my opponent was dismantling my S&V game so I started hanging back and pushing, especially with the slice BH. He didn't adjust and kept hitting shots wide/long by a few feet. I ended up winning 3-6 6-4 6-2. My opponent was not amused.
Click to expand...
I agree. I don’t think pushing is cheating. Cheating is intentionally violating the rules and mocking the intent of sportsmanship. Pushing is not bad sportsmanship, as much as I want to think so when I get beat by a skilled pusher.
 
Grinch said:
In my experience, I would be lying if I said cheaters are rare. Just this morning, playing rec club doubles, one of the opponents begins his serve with his feet about a foot outside the extension of the doubles line (not the baseline). Of course he serves a wide lefty slice serve for an ace to win the game. At the changeover, I politely point out that we’ll give him the ace this time, but if he serves again from that position we will call the foot fault and not try to return the serve. My partner did not want to say anything, but I believe the integrity of the game requires us to point out when rules are being broken. Guess how the foot faulter replies? ... “this ain’t the US Open, who cares about those silly rules here”. I said, I wouldn’t care about that silly rule if he hadn’t used a violation of that silly rule to serve a wide serve ace. He stared me down and walked away. Next time he served, his feet were 6 inches inside the extension of the doubles line. At least for one rec match, my threat to call foot faults (of a nonstandard variety) actually worked to bring the game to within the rules. And I know for certain he knew exactly what he was doing wrong by standing so far outside of the court dimensions. He didn’t serve from there by some ignorance of the rules. Just another story for a rainy day.
Click to expand...

Yep had someone do this to me and he treated like it was just a laugh, why was I making a fuss. When the only reason he was doing it was because he knew it would give him an advantage.

As for foot faults, if those were called at rec level there would barely be a serve in but there are people who blatantly cheat when it comes to foot faulting. They will stride into court, hitting the serve walking forward. This naturally increases them more pace and makes it easier to clear the net. To be fair some don't get the difference between being in the air and hitting the serve and simply waling forward and serving a foot or more inside the baseline. Others though are blatantly cheating.

Yet once again if you point this out, you're the bad guy.
 
Just call an umpire/referee if they obviously hook you more than 3 times, case close. Otherwise literally stop play and say "that ball was 100% in I bet you my life savings, don't hook me you diseased rhinocerous pizzle." This will help.
 
Grinch said:
I agree. I don’t think pushing is cheating. Cheating is intentionally violating the rules and mocking the intent of sportsmanship. Pushing is not bad sportsmanship, as much as I want to think so when I get beat by a skilled pusher.
Click to expand...

To be fair the poster wasn't saying pushing was cheating, they were saying that no-one would admit to being a pusher.

Well I have no problem admitting to pushing, it is legal and it works. So I don't understand why people get so salty about it.
 
Grinch said:
I agree. I don’t think pushing is cheating. Cheating is intentionally violating the rules and mocking the intent of sportsmanship. Pushing is not bad sportsmanship, as much as I want to think so when I get beat by a skilled pusher.
Click to expand...

Actually, my post wasn't about whether pushing is cheating [it isn't]. It was in regards to the original statement by @FogniShikori:

I'm not sure how it is statistically possible that no one on TT is a cheater, but everyone on TT has played against cheaters.
Just like no one on TT is a pusher, but everyone on TT has played against pushers.
Click to expand...
 
zaph said:
Yep had someone do this to me and he treated like it was just a laugh, why was I making a fuss. When the only reason he was doing it was because he knew it would give him an advantage.

As for foot faults, if those were called at rec level there would barely be a serve in but there are people who blatantly cheat when it comes to foot faulting. They will stride into court, hitting the serve walking forward. This naturally increases them more pace and makes it easier to clear the net. To be fair some don't get the difference between being in the air and hitting the serve and simply waling forward and serving a foot or more inside the baseline. Others though are blatantly cheating.

Yet once again if you point this out, you're the bad guy.
Click to expand...

I guess the difference is that the guy standing outside the sideline can actually look down before he serves and realize he's in an illegal position [this is assuming he somehow doesn't already realize it].

But the truly innocent FFer commits the violation as he's serving and it's pretty tough to see it in real-time. But if they weren't doing it on purpose, they could easily solve the problem by moving back a foot [not ideal but better than continuing to FF].

I know I have a "wandering front foot" problem on my serve so I deliberately move back during a match [while I try to fix it during practice].
 
Sontr
zaph said:
Yep had someone do this to me and he treated like it was just a laugh, why was I making a fuss. When the only reason he was doing it was because he knew it would give him an advantage.

As for foot faults, if those were called at rec level there would barely be a serve in but there are people who blatantly cheat when it comes to foot faulting. They will stride into court, hitting the serve walking forward. This naturally increases them more pace and makes it easier to clear the net. To be fair some don't get the difference between being in the air and hitting the serve and simply waling forward and serving a foot or more inside the baseline. Others though are blatantly cheating.

Yet once again if you point this out, you're the bad guy.
Click to expand...
So true. I know lots of guys with mediocre serves who fault regular but I don’t say anything because I don’t consider that cheating - they aren’t getting any advantage from that rules violation (whether they realize they are foot faulting or not). But if someone gets two aces or service winners per game and my doubles partner says he can clearly see the foot faults, we are going to give him that game and then at the changeover let him know that his foot faults may be called from then on.
But I still can’t figure out why some guys think they can get away with serving in doubles from a wide position that is sooooo far outside the court.
 
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