Foot fault question (ugh)

The reason I say this is because, to have a good serve, you need to coordinate a fairly complex chain of moving parts in a pretty precise manner. So if you are moving a lot (footfaulting 6, 9, 12+ inches), chances are, you won't be able to do it.
To have a good serve, fundamentally you have to put the ball in front of the racket. This has nothing to do with ff'ing, it has to do with where you start and if you end on the line, you can dance like Fred Astaire if you want--but just don't touch or step over the baseline or the center hash.
 

r2473

G.O.A.T.
To have a good serve, fundamentally you have to put the ball in front of the racket. This has nothing to do with ff'ing, it has to do with where you start and if you end on the line, you can dance like Fred Astaire if you want--but just don't touch or step over the baseline or the center hash.

You're assuming they lose balance. They have good balance, it's just a few inches forward of where it should be. It's consistent.
It's not a logical impossibility, but it's harder to stay in balance and have a solid, repeatable motion when you move a lot. First and foremost, it's hard to get the toss right.

But, this a relative concept. My idea of what a "good server" is might be different than yours (see BlueFan75 post #98).

I can say that my serve would improve from a consistency standpoint if I could stop taking that step. On days when I'm "not feeling it", I can serve a lot of faults, and this stepping and moving is the root cause. It complicates things. It's very inefficient.

But, once something is ingrained, it's really, really hard to change. Understanding this and understanding that rec tennis players aren't professionals, I overlook ff's and many other minor rules violations at this level of play. Others don't see it that way.
 
I overlook ff's and many other minor rules violations at this level of play. Others don't see it that way.

I overlook ff's too, and the 100 other wrong things rec players routinely do wrong, one couldn't survive around ye' ol' club if you were the guy who called them. With tournament players you don't see it, I let the umpires call it on the rare occasion it may occur. This thread is for academic purposes only and bares no resemblance to reality, all characters are fictional but based on true facts and occurrences.

It's not a logical impossibility, but it's harder to stay in balance and have a solid, repeatable motion when you move a lot. First and foremost, it's hard to get the toss right.
Absolutely! If you can't hit the ball when you don't move your feet, you sure won't be able to hit it if all your limbs are flying about like a Chinese fire drill.

I can say that my serve would improve from a consistency standpoint if I could stop taking that step.

For $5,000 in small unmarked bills or gold and silver coins, plus a few white collared polo shirts, I can fix that for you--that's a bargain, it cost me a lot more.
 
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Generally footfaulters fall into 3 categories:

1 - Those who know they footfault and laugh at other people who say they do it, promise to work on it and keep doing the same thing.

2 - Those who don't know they do it and correct it immediately for subsequent serves and appreciate you telling them.

3 - Those who swear at you and are adamant that they never footfault and that you must be seeing things and are trying to get an advantage by upsetting them at a crucial moment - like when they are serving! Even video evidence does not convince these players that they footfault. All they need is show you once when they did not footfault and that is proof they NEVER do it.

Best way to find out which category your opponent falls into? Call a footfault but be prepared for verbal abuse!
 
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