So for 3.5+ and 7.5+ when would you call a foot fault if you are singles and doubles? How do you do it nicely? Now I am the guy that will let you replay if you found my serve out if you failed to call... one or two times, then it is your fault. So i try to be accommodating. At the same time I do not bunt my second. I hit a Flat, Kick, or Slice, from a pinpoint stance so its clearly in or out. The other guy/gal has one decent serve then a bunt that he/she foot faults on.
Foot faults: updated 2020
- Thread starter J B
- Start date
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
Unless it is egregious, the person is a jerk, or if I am losing, I never worry about it. I've seen it go without a mention at Nationals even. Like...a lot.
EDIT to add: But if it is important to you it would be easy enough to just say something simple like, "Hey, I gotta mention you are foot faulting a lot so you might want to step back a bit." I had one time there was an opponnent in our dubs match that was starting inside the baseline and then falling even more forward in and when I mentioned it they started giving me a whole angry story about this guys shoulder problems and it is no big deal. So how they react could be good or bad.
EDIT to add: But if it is important to you it would be easy enough to just say something simple like, "Hey, I gotta mention you are foot faulting a lot so you might want to step back a bit." I had one time there was an opponnent in our dubs match that was starting inside the baseline and then falling even more forward in and when I mentioned it they started giving me a whole angry story about this guys shoulder problems and it is no big deal. So how they react could be good or bad.
I has this happen once in a USTA 4.0 doubles match. They opposing player started off serving the first game of the match. He had a hard, flat first serve. He was at least 12-18 inches onto the court when he made contact. We lost the first game as he made all his first serves. At the changeover I mentioned to him that he was foot faulting on every serve. I further told him that it wasn't just a few inches but 12-18 inches. I politely told him that if he did it again that I would call a foot fault. He seemed stunned that he was foot faulting. We went on to have a very good match and he stopped foot faulting until the end of the match when he was behind and needed points and he returned to his original serve. I didn't call the foot faults since I was ahead by enough and felt like I could win without causing controversy.
I think this is pretty close to my answer. I would only even consider calling it if it were egregious enough that I couldn't help but notice it even if I weren't specifically looking for it, and even then, I would just mention it politely at a changeover first before calling it.
I had a similar thing happen in softball. I was catching and the game was tied in the bottom of the last inning. The other team had a guy on second and 2 outs and their batter got a hit to left. The guy on second cut the corner and missed the third base bag by 2 ft or more. I wasn't specifically watching for him to touch the bag, but I was watching him and the throw from the outfield to try to make a play on him at the plate. I appealed and the ump called him out since it was impossible for him to miss it as well. We won in the next inning. That's also something I wouldn't really watch for and wouldn't call unless it was so egregious that it's impossible to miss even if you're not watching for it.
thats my point. I feel like we are behind because if I fault its out... He faults and bunts it in. That puts my team at a disadvantage. We have to play a faulted point and they get a free one. I know I shouldnt be faulting but it was cold I was sick and I suck when its cold LOL. My partner was a 3.0+ in mixed 7.0 and he tended to fault to her which lead to in the net or two easy shots back they could keep away from me and she was good up to 2 returns then it was in the net or long. I poached a lot but the point is that was an easy point.
his front foot heel is the only thing still out of the court. Weight on front foot in the court and lunging off that.
S&V-not_dead_yet
Talk Tennis Guru
Pete Player
Hall of Fame
Serving few really much inside the court yourself or from wrong side of the hash mark will usually make the point. If not, then just ignore it.
If the cheat, as said is refering to an injury, then I’d just say, that maybe he shouldn’t play till healthy.
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If the cheat, as said is refering to an injury, then I’d just say, that maybe he shouldn’t play till healthy.
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OnTheLine
Hall of Fame
I agree with a few other posters. For one I do not believe you can actually claim a point off a foot fault in rec league tennis. One can warn but it must be blatantly obvious. (I am too lazy to look up the actual rules)
HOWEVER, telling an opponent that they are badly foot faulting is usually enough for most normal (not deranged) opponents. It does two possible things. They make a small adjustment and its all good. OR it totally gets in their head, they think about the foot fault instead of the serve and fall apart.
Now I do want to mention your other "complaint":
Your opponent dinking in a second serve vs your double faulting due to not dinking in a second serve does NOT put your team at a disadvantage unfairly. They are choosing to make certain they don't gift their opponent with a DF .... you could make the same decision and get a better 2nd serve.
HOWEVER, telling an opponent that they are badly foot faulting is usually enough for most normal (not deranged) opponents. It does two possible things. They make a small adjustment and its all good. OR it totally gets in their head, they think about the foot fault instead of the serve and fall apart.
Now I do want to mention your other "complaint":
Your opponent dinking in a second serve vs your double faulting due to not dinking in a second serve does NOT put your team at a disadvantage unfairly. They are choosing to make certain they don't gift their opponent with a DF .... you could make the same decision and get a better 2nd serve.
schmke
Legend
You can call it, but only after warning and making other attempts to resolve it by getting an official (which usually isn't possible). Here is the language from the code:
23. Avoid foot faults. Players should not foot fault because it violates the ITF
Rules of Tennis. It is a foot fault when a foot just touches the line, even when the
player does not follow the serve to the net.
24. Calling foot faults. The receiver or the receiver’s partner may call foot faults
only after all reasonable efforts, such as warning the server and attempting to get an
official to the court, have failed and the foot fault is so flagrant as to be clearly
perceptible from the receiver’s side.
Key words are "may call" and "so flagrant as to be clearly perceptible". An opponent is not obligated to call them, and player's thresholds for clearly perceptible will obviously vary. But they may be called if the steps above are followed.
it’s mixed doubles. I can’t make one mistake. I might DF once in a two set match and my trash kick is 5-6 ft high and usually makes it to the side or back fence. But I’ll work on it. Now my actual point is he is double faulting.... just not getting called. He would have doubled faulted more if he was forced to serve from behind the line
