Try to act "normal", follow what others do...

[FuzzyYellowBalls]

Maybe there are some other silly things you've seen lately...

Mine, I played a match where one opponent called out the score...when he served, when he didn't serve, he called out the score every single serve whether he was serving or not, regardless of whether the server already called it out or not. That's just strange and surely he's noticed no one else does this.

Once we started beating him, a few games in a row that we won, he stopped doing it. Go figure. So, obviously it was gamesmanship (although he wasn't even good at tennis) or at the very least it wasn't necessary.

Try to do what others normally do in tennis, follow the basic routines you see, go with the flow, not against it.

 

[Purestriker]

Maybe there are some other silly things you've seen lately...

Mine, I played a match where one opponent called out the score...when he served, when he didn't serve, he called out the score every single serve whether he was serving or not, regardless of whether the server already called it out or not. That's just strange and surely he's noticed no one else does this.

Once we started beating him, a few games in a row that we won, he stopped doing it. Go figure. So, obviously it was gamesmanship (although he wasn't even good at tennis) or at the very least it wasn't necessary.

Try to do what others normally do in tennis, follow the basic routines you see, go with the flow, not against it.

I know a player that calls out the score when he is serving or returning. He does it I think to make sure he doesn’t forget. Doesn’t matter if he’s getting smoked or winning. He says it.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Maybe there are some other silly things you've seen lately...

Mine, I played a match where one opponent called out the score...when he served, when he didn't serve, he called out the score every single serve whether he was serving or not, regardless of whether the server already called it out or not. That's just strange and surely he's noticed no one else does this.

Once we started beating him, a few games in a row that we won, he stopped doing it. Go figure. So, obviously it was gamesmanship (although he wasn't even good at tennis) or at the very least it wasn't necessary.

Try to do what others normally do in tennis, follow the basic routines you see, go with the flow, not against it.

One group does FBI. I say "screw that, I want my shoulder warmed up so I don't tear anything."

So I deliberately miss serves. I don't care what "normal" is; my shoulder integrity is more important.

 

[Rosstour]

I know a player that calls out the score when he is serving or returning. He does it I think to make sure he doesn’t forget. Doesn’t matter if he’s getting smoked or winning. He says it.

My dad does this. It's awful. He thinks I'm so stupid I don't know what the score is.

The last time I played with him, I hit a ball right on the line. He yelled out "YAAH" when it bounced and I stopped playing and lost the point. He couldn't understand why I was annoyed

 

[taylor15]

One group does FBI. I say "screw that, I want my shoulder warmed up so I don't tear anything."

So I deliberately miss serves. I don't care what "normal" is; my shoulder integrity is more important.

I’ve done this with an FBI group. I’ll miss a good 6-8 serves on purpose, and then hit until I get a good one. I don’t understand either as I’m the youngest when I play with that group by about 10 years

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

I’ve done this with an FBI group. I’ll miss a good 6-8 serves on purpose, and then hit until I get a good one. I don’t understand either as I’m the youngest when I play with that group by about 10 years

Hopefully your shoulder will be tear-free for a long time!

 

[taylor15]

Hopefully your shoulder will be tear-free for a long time!

Ha, thanks I hope so too! I just can’t figure out why these guys don’t value warmups.

 

[Purestriker]

My dad does this. It's awful. He thinks I'm so stupid I don't know what the score is.

The last time I played with him, I hit a ball right on the line. He yelled out "YAAH" when it bounced and I stopped playing and lost the point. He couldn't understand why I was annoyed

Oof that would be annoying.

 

[Injured Again]

Mine, I played a match where one opponent called out the score...when he served, when he didn't serve, he called out the score every single serve whether he was serving or not, regardless of whether the server already called it out or not. That's just strange and surely he's noticed no one else does this.

I've had opponents do this, and I don't mind it all that much. It's much better than having a disagreement at some point and not being able to confirm what the score is with certainty.

The absolute worst was one opponent who had an extremely loud, strange, and extended grunt, that was kind of half way between a sneeze and what sounds like a pig call. Like a "AHHH SOUUUEEEEEEEEEE". This was probably a good dozen years ago when grunting loudly was more pervasive in the recreational ranks. The weird thing was this guy was not a hard hitter at all, and he made that noise even when he was hitting drop shots. It frankly bothered the guys on the adjacent courts more than it bothered me as I managed to beat him pretty badly.

I haven't heard anyone grunting loudly in USTA league or tournament matches in several years now.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

I've had opponents do this, and I don't mind it all that much. It's much better than having a disagreement at some point and not being able to confirm what the score is with certainty.

The absolute worst was one opponent who had an extremely loud, strange, and extended grunt, that was kind of half way between a sneeze and what sounds like a pig call. Like a "AHHH SOUUUEEEEEEEEEE". This was probably a good dozen years ago when grunting loudly was more pervasive in the recreational ranks. The weird thing was this guy was not a hard hitter at all, and he made that noise even when he was hitting drop shots. It frankly bothered the guys on the adjacent courts more than it bothered me as I managed to beat him pretty badly.

I haven't heard anyone grunting loudly in USTA league or tournament matches in several years now.

Reminds me of a time I was playing against a teammate and on the adjacent court were two other guys I didn't know. I assumed they were friends because of the banter but it turned out to be a Flex League match.

One guy grunted fairly loudly although not all of the time. Mr. Silent got increasingly annoyed, especially, apparently, when he lost the game. He finally had a meltdown, accusing Grunter of only grunting during critical points to throw off Silent. He also imitated Grunter multiple times, quite a bit more loudly and for longer than I remember Grunter doing it.

Grunter gave up and walked off the court.

Great example of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct.

The only upside was that I was down 2-5 and came back to win 7-5.

 

[Injured Again]

Reminds me of a time I was playing against a teammate and on the adjacent court were two other guys I didn't know. I assumed they were friends because of the banter but it turned out to be a Flex League match.

One guy grunted fairly loudly although not all of the time. Mr. Silent got increasingly annoyed, especially, apparently, when he lost the game. He finally had a meltdown, accusing Grunter of only grunting during critical points to throw off Silent. He also imitated Grunter multiple times, quite a bit more loudly and for longer than I remember Grunter doing it.

Grunter gave up and walked off the court.

Great example of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct.

The only upside was that I was down 2-5 and came back to win 7-5.

Being on an adjacent court puts you a lot closer to the grunter than the grunter's opponent! But interesting that the grunter walked off - I would think if they really did it for an advantage, they'd be used to opponents getting upset. Maybe they couldn't help it.

I ran a half-marathon once where I started about in the front half, about where the 1:35-1:40 finishers would line up. Not long after starting, I hear a guy coming up from behind. He's making all sorts of different grunting and whining noises with every step. As he runs past me at what easily looks like two hour marathon pace, his face is contorted into a painful grimace. I look around at those running around me and we all had kind of an amused look. He disappears ahead around the corner.

Less than a quarter mile later, I pass him. He's hunched over, hands on knees, gasping for air. I'm still running next to the same people, and we look at each other and kind of smirk.

About two minutes later, I hear this same guy. He's making the same noises and he goes barreling by, except this time he has his chin up like he's looking up at the sky, only the grimace is still there and I can't really tell if his eyes are even open. He's pumping his arms like he's running a 100 meter dash, which he kinda is. About 50 yards up the road, he stops again, hunched over trying to catch his breath. He looks like he's really suffering. Our group looks around, chuckles, and then we all get back to the business of running.

What do you know but about four or five minutes later, here comes the guy AGAIN. This repeats a couple more times, each time he gets less far in front of me before he has to stop. A guy next to me says "Is this guy for real?" A lady starts laughing so hard she has to stop. I never saw the guy for the rest of the race. And mind you, all of this happened probably in the first third of the race.

Talking about doing what others do, I have an interesting duathlon story if anyone wants to hear it....

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Being on an adjacent court puts you a lot closer to the grunter than the grunter's opponent! But interesting that the grunter walked off - I would think if they really did it for an advantage, they'd be used to opponents getting upset. Maybe they couldn't help it.

That was evidence that he was not doing it to game his opponent.

I ran a half-marathon once where I started about in the front half, about where the 1:35-1:40 finishers would line up. Not long after starting, I hear a guy coming up from behind. He's making all sorts of different grunting and whining noises with every step. As he runs past me at what easily looks like two hour marathon pace, his face is contorted into a painful grimace. I look around at those running around me and we all had kind of an amused look. He disappears ahead around the corner.

Less than a quarter mile later, I pass him. He's hunched over, hands on knees, gasping for air. I'm still running next to the same people, and we look at each other and kind of smirk.

About two minutes later, I hear this same guy. He's making the same noises and he goes barreling by, except this time he has his chin up like he's looking up at the sky, only the grimace is still there and I can't really tell if his eyes are even open. He's pumping his arms like he's running a 100 meter dash, which he kinda is. About 50 yards up the road, he stops again, hunched over trying to catch his breath. He looks like he's really suffering. Our group looks around, chuckles, and then we all get back to the business of running.

What do you know but about four or five minutes later, here comes the guy AGAIN. This repeats a couple more times, each time he gets less far in front of me before he has to stop. A guy next to me says "Is this guy for real?" A lady starts laughing so hard she has to stop. I never saw the guy for the rest of the race. And mind you, all of this happened probably in the first third of the race.

Obviously he was a fan of the Hare in the fable and thought he could improve upon the strategy.

Talking about doing what others do, I have an interesting duathlon story if anyone wants to hear it....

I've never even heard of a duathlon so do tell!

[I've heard of Biathlon [XC skiing and shooting].]

 

[ttwarrior1]

i do it everytime, but i usually do it almost as the point is over

 

[Injured Again]

[I've heard of Biathlon [XC skiing and shooting].]

Duathlon is cycling and running. This would have been probably 2009 or 2010 - I know our kids were pretty young at the time. We were in Sun River for our annual trip with our high school buddies, and we planned it for the exact week that the Pacific Crest Triathlon/Duathlon was going on. So perfect opportunity to compete. Since I swim worse than rocks, I only did the half-ironman length duathlon. This was my first time doing any duathlon.

The whole week we were there, it was hot and sunny. Of course, on the day of the race, a storm blew in. The cycling course went from Sun River up to the Mt. Bachelor ski area and then back into town. I'm a much better cyclist than runner so I was picking off other cyclists during the climb up to the ski area. And then, after it being 90 degrees all week, it started to hail. I pulled out to pass another cyclist, standing on the pedals, and as I crossed the painted lane marker, my rear wheel slipped out. WHAM! I hit the pavement hard. I crack my helmet, break my aero bars, and tear up my left forearm on the pavement. A course marshal sees me crash, comes over to help me up, and I'm kind of dazed. I'm trying to get back on my bike but he won't let me go without a medic verifying that I'm okay since my helmet was cracked. I end up standing there probably 10-15 minutes, dripping blood onto the ground, and finally a medic comes by, asks me who the president is and what day of the week it is, puts some dressing on my forearm, and off I go.

I'm pretty upset at this point - my goal was to break five hours but I thought after that crash, finishing would be good. I find that I'm still passing lots of people and pull into the transition zone at just over three hours. I still have a chance to break five hours!
My arm is really hurting at this point, and the dressing is just soaked with blood. I see where the medic is and want to get everything cleaned up and wrapped before I head out on the run. The transition area was just a wide open parking lot. They had put a barrier to prevent spectators from sneaking in to steal stuff, but where I had my bike set up was only about 50 feet away from where a bunch of spectators were standing. If you know what a padded bicycle short feels like when it's soaked with sweat, you know you really can't run a half marathon wearing what is essentially a wet diaper. So I had a big beach tower to wrap around me while I changed out of it into running shorts.

The descent back down to Sun River was fast and it was cold which didn't help my mood. I pull into the transition area and right next to me are a guy and two gals. I see my wife and kids in the spectator group and I wave at them as I ride to my transition spot. I start trying to change my shorts but my left hand isn't work well from the cold and the pain of my forearm, and I keep dropping the beach towel. The lady right next to me, probably in her late 20's and quite fit and attractive, strips off her bicycle shorts down to au natural without even batting an eyelash. I have to admit that I admired her bikini tan line! She pulls on running shorts, and off she goes. I look at the guy next to me, he kind of shrugs, and he drops trou as well. I look over to the other lady and she's doing the same, and she has great bikini tan lines as well! We're all facing away from the spectators so they got a three moon treat.

In the vein of "do as others do", I said what the heck. I dropped the beach towel, took off my cycle shorts, and added to the moonshine. I mean, none of the four of us were competing for anywhere close to a top spot - we're all pretty much middle of the pack, so I would have thought there'd be a little more discretion. Social pressure is a real thing!

The rest of the story isn't that interesting. I got patched up before my run which took about ten minutes, had a great run, and finished in like 5:05! Missed my goal by five minutes. But whoa, those tan lines....

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Duathlon is cycling and running. This would have been probably 2009 or 2010 - I know our kids were pretty young at the time. We were in Sun River for our annual trip with our high school buddies, and we planned it for the exact week that the Pacific Crest Triathlon/Duathlon was going on. So perfect opportunity to compete. Since I swim worse than rocks, I only did the half-ironman length duathlon. This was my first time doing any duathlon.

The whole week we were there, it was hot and sunny. Of course, on the day of the race, a storm blew in. The cycling course went from Sun River up to the Mt. Bachelor ski area and then back into town. I'm a much better cyclist than runner so I was picking off other cyclists during the climb up to the ski area. And then, after it being 90 degrees all week, it started to hail. I pulled out to pass another cyclist, standing on the pedals, and as I crossed the painted lane marker, my rear wheel slipped out. WHAM! I hit the pavement hard. I crack my helmet, break my aero bars, and tear up my left forearm on the pavement. A course marshal sees me crash, comes over to help me up, and I'm kind of dazed. I'm trying to get back on my bike but he won't let me go without a medic verifying that I'm okay since my helmet was cracked. I end up standing there probably 10-15 minutes, dripping blood onto the ground, and finally a medic comes by, asks me who the president is and what day of the week it is, puts some dressing on my forearm, and off I go.

I'm pretty upset at this point - my goal was to break five hours but I thought after that crash, finishing would be good. I find that I'm still passing lots of people and pull into the transition zone at just over three hours. I still have a chance to break five hours!
My arm is really hurting at this point, and the dressing is just soaked with blood. I see where the medic is and want to get everything cleaned up and wrapped before I head out on the run. The transition area was just a wide open parking lot. They had put a barrier to prevent spectators from sneaking in to steal stuff, but where I had my bike set up was only about 50 feet away from where a bunch of spectators were standing. If you know what a padded bicycle short feels like when it's soaked with sweat, you know you really can't run a half marathon wearing what is essentially a wet diaper. So I had a big beach tower to wrap around me while I changed out of it into running shorts.

The descent back down to Sun River was fast and it was cold which didn't help my mood. I pull into the transition area and right next to me are a guy and two gals. I see my wife and kids in the spectator group and I wave at them as I ride to my transition spot. I start trying to change my shorts but my left hand isn't work well from the cold and the pain of my forearm, and I keep dropping the beach towel. The lady right next to me, probably in her late 20's and quite fit and attractive, strips off her bicycle shorts down to au natural without even batting an eyelash. I have to admit that I admired her bikini tan line! She pulls on running shorts, and off she goes. I look at the guy next to me, he kind of shrugs, and he drops trou as well. I look over to the other lady and she's doing the same, and she has great bikini tan lines as well! We're all facing away from the spectators so they got a three moon treat.

In the vein of "do as others do", I said what the heck. I dropped the beach towel, took off my cycle shorts, and added to the moonshine. I mean, none of the four of us were competing for anywhere close to a top spot - we're all pretty much middle of the pack, so I would have thought there'd be a little more discretion. Social pressure is a real thing!

The rest of the story isn't that interesting. I got patched up before my run which took about ten minutes, had a great run, and finished in like 5:05! Missed my goal by five minutes. But whoa, those tan lines....

OK, my contribution is not as long but it is pretty memorable.

I went towards the Sierra Nevadas in the Lone Pine/Big Pine area for the hot springs, among other things [snowshoeing, building an igloo, etc].

So my two buddies and I get to the hot springs, peel off our clothes and get in: a hot tub in the middle of a snow field.

Then this couple appear out of nowhere and ask to join us. The woman does not hesitate or look around for bush to undress behind [there were none]: she just shucks her clothes and climbs in [as does the dude, but I'm paying less attention to him]. And she didn't even bother submerging herself up to the neck initially; she just sort of perched at the edge.

A pretty good trip!

 

[ktx]

I haven't heard anyone grunting loudly in USTA league or tournament matches in several years now.

My favorite is when the elderly ladies do like a karate-chop grunt, but it is endearing not annoying. I played against a loud woman grunter recently in league. It's kind of funny. But honestly if that's what people need to do then fine. I sadly have not seen any good tennis silliness lately, which is a shame becuase I love some low-stakes drama.

 

[ktx]

Oh I did think of something I think is funny. I just played trilevel and would hear a lower court calling warmup serves out. Not sure where that came from.

 

[travlerajm]

Being on an adjacent court puts you a lot closer to the grunter than the grunter's opponent! But interesting that the grunter walked off - I would think if they really did it for an advantage, they'd be used to opponents getting upset. Maybe they couldn't help it.

I ran a half-marathon once where I started about in the front half, about where the 1:35-1:40 finishers would line up. Not long after starting, I hear a guy coming up from behind. He's making all sorts of different grunting and whining noises with every step. As he runs past me at what easily looks like two hour marathon pace, his face is contorted into a painful grimace. I look around at those running around me and we all had kind of an amused look. He disappears ahead around the corner.

Less than a quarter mile later, I pass him. He's hunched over, hands on knees, gasping for air. I'm still running next to the same people, and we look at each other and kind of smirk.

About two minutes later, I hear this same guy. He's making the same noises and he goes barreling by, except this time he has his chin up like he's looking up at the sky, only the grimace is still there and I can't really tell if his eyes are even open. He's pumping his arms like he's running a 100 meter dash, which he kinda is. About 50 yards up the road, he stops again, hunched over trying to catch his breath. He looks like he's really suffering. Our group looks around, chuckles, and then we all get back to the business of running.

What do you know but about four or five minutes later, here comes the guy AGAIN. This repeats a couple more times, each time he gets less far in front of me before he has to stop. A guy next to me says "Is this guy for real?" A lady starts laughing so hard she has to stop. I never saw the guy for the rest of the race. And mind you, all of this happened probably in the first third of the race.

Talking about doing what others do, I have an interesting duathlon story if anyone wants to hear it....

That guy is an outlier. Maybe eventually he figures out how to make it all the way to the end. Who knows? Maybe a decade from now, we will see someone competing in the Olympics “resting” halfway thru a 5k race?

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Being on an adjacent court puts you a lot closer to the grunter than the grunter's opponent! But interesting that the grunter walked off - I would think if they really did it for an advantage, they'd be used to opponents getting upset. Maybe they couldn't help it.

I ran a half-marathon once where I started about in the front half, about where the 1:35-1:40 finishers would line up. Not long after starting, I hear a guy coming up from behind. He's making all sorts of different grunting and whining noises with every step. As he runs past me at what easily looks like two hour marathon pace, his face is contorted into a painful grimace. I look around at those running around me and we all had kind of an amused look. He disappears ahead around the corner.

Less than a quarter mile later, I pass him. He's hunched over, hands on knees, gasping for air. I'm still running next to the same people, and we look at each other and kind of smirk.

About two minutes later, I hear this same guy. He's making the same noises and he goes barreling by, except this time he has his chin up like he's looking up at the sky, only the grimace is still there and I can't really tell if his eyes are even open. He's pumping his arms like he's running a 100 meter dash, which he kinda is. About 50 yards up the road, he stops again, hunched over trying to catch his breath. He looks like he's really suffering. Our group looks around, chuckles, and then we all get back to the business of running.

What do you know but about four or five minutes later, here comes the guy AGAIN. This repeats a couple more times, each time he gets less far in front of me before he has to stop. A guy next to me says "Is this guy for real?" A lady starts laughing so hard she has to stop. I never saw the guy for the rest of the race. And mind you, all of this happened probably in the first third of the race.

Talking about doing what others do, I have an interesting duathlon story if anyone wants to hear it....

His name was Michael Phelps. He gave up running and took up swimming instead. Said it was "more relaxing".

 

[Injured Again]

That guy is an outlier. Maybe eventually he figures out how to make it all the way to the end. Who knows? Maybe a decade from now, we will see someone competing in the Olympics “resting” halfway thru a 5k race?

I hung around near the finish line for a bit after I was done - I think I did a 1:38 or something like that and was there for probably 20 minutes afterwards and never saw him.

In the exercise physiology world, efforts that are highly variable or stochastic are much more physically difficult than steady state efforts. In cycling, there's a concept of normalized power that has been integrated into practically every watt-based training tool. It takes all the little peaks of power and gives them additional weighting based on an algorithm derived from actual physiological first principles. So if you pedal for five seconds at 200 watts, then five seconds at 250 watts, and repeat that pattern consistently, your average power is 225 watts but the normalized power, which is the value computed to be equal in physiological difficulty to a steady state effort, would probably be around 240 watts.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

I hung around near the finish line for a bit after I was done - I think I did a 1:38 or something like that and was there for probably 20 minutes afterwards and never saw him.

In the exercise physiology world, efforts that are highly variable or stochastic are much more physically difficult than steady state efforts. In cycling, there's a concept of normalized power that has been integrated into practically every watt-based training tool. It takes all the little peaks of power and gives them additional weighting based on an algorithm derived from actual physiological first principles. So if you pedal for five seconds at 200 watts, then five seconds at 250 watts, and repeat that pattern consistently, your average power is 225 watts but the normalized power, which is the value computed to be equal in physiological difficulty to a steady state effort, would probably be around 240 watts.

Psychologically, it's tougher on me to speed up only to have to slow down later.

Further, I perceive that the gain I get from speeding up is less than what I lose when I subsequently have to slow down [in terms of average speed]. So I'm better off, both mentally and physically, to try and keep an even pace.

it's hard to see people pass me but I'm secure in the knowledge that I'll most likely pass most of them further down the line.

There may be times when I need that extra boost even though I know I'll pay for it later. Not everything's about the average.

At this point, I'm speaking metaphorically.

 

[nyta2]

Maybe there are some other silly things you've seen lately...

Mine, I played a match where one opponent called out the score...when he served, when he didn't serve, he called out the score every single serve whether he was serving or not, regardless of whether the server already called it out or not. That's just strange and surely he's noticed no one else does this.

Once we started beating him, a few games in a row that we won, he stopped doing it. Go figure. So, obviously it was gamesmanship (although he wasn't even good at tennis) or at the very least it wasn't necessary.

Try to do what others normally do in tennis, follow the basic routines you see, go with the flow, not against it.

i've been in too many matches where scores are "forgotten" (especially after long points) so i'm gonna say what i think the score is, or ask them

One group does FBI. I say "screw that, I want my shoulder warmed up so I don't tear anything."

So I deliberately miss serves. I don't care what "normal" is; my shoulder integrity is more important.

i only do fbi if in a low level group... else no one in my 4.5+ circle does fbi...

 

[Rosstour]

i've been in too many matches where scores are "forgotten" (especially after long points) so i'm gonna say what i think the score is, or ask them


i only do fbi if in a low level group... else no one in my 4.5+ circle does fbi...

FBI + RF97A = 3.5 starter pack

 

[socallefty]

It seems like FBI is prevalent at 3.5 and below social tennis where players seem self-conscious about practicing their serve. I also see that very few players want to warmup overheads. At 4.5+, everyone wants to warmup their serves/overheads and there is never any FBI even if there is limited time available for the court. At 4.0, you see a mix with the older groups opting for FBI.

Same with calling out the score. At 4.5+, players hardly ever call out the score in social matches, but there are rarely (never?) disagreements about the score and most advanced players have good recall of what happened in the previous points in the game. Guaranteed that 5.0 players never call out the score during a game at my club maybe helped by the fact that almost all of them are under 50 with good memories - I’ve seen that in Open tournaments also. At lower levels, people insist on calling out the score loudly and yet in older groups, they have game score disagreements often as no one can remember what happened with previous points.

Some groups take the 2-min break between sets even if the score is even (6-4, 6-2, 6-0) as per the rules and don't sit down when they changeover after the first game. Older players don‘t know this rule and usually don’t take a break after even-score sets, but always sit down at the first game changeover even if they took a break after an odd-score set.

Also, at 4.5+ doubles most groups play Coman tiebreakers at my club as players want to keep serving from the same side they served during the set. At lower levels, they don’t want to play Coman as again the older players insist there is too much ‘walking around’ and it is ‘hard to keep track’ of when to switch sides - maybe they don’t care about any serve advantage or disadvantage about serving from the same side.

In mixed doubles it seems like it is more common for net players to call lines far away from them and also for returner’s partner to call serves out wide of the sideline. I don’t see that as much in mens doubles. I think that line calls are more generous in general at higher levels with younger players maybe because they know it is tougher to see higher pace serves/shots clearly. Older players and lower level players call lines much more tightly as they seem to have more confidence that they saw the lower pace ball land ‘accurately’.

So, what is ‘normal‘ in social tennis seems level, age and gender dependent here in Southern California at least in private clubs. Probably the normal etiquette changes when you go to different regions and countries or if you play on public courts.

 

[socallefty]

FBI + RF97A = 3.5 starter pack

FBI + RF97A + RF cap = 3.0 starter pack?

 

[Fairhit]

All that talking about running makes me want to share my experiences in the matter.

I can't run even a kilometer without being out of breath.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

All that talking about running makes me want to share my experiences in the matter.

I can't run even a kilometer without being out of breath.

Run slower.

 

[FuzzyYellowBalls]

i've been in too many matches where scores are "forgotten" (especially after long points) so i'm gonna say what i think the score is, or ask them


i only do fbi if in a low level group... else no one in my 4.5+ circle does fbi...

Ok, but my story is the guy would say the score after the server already said it, even sometimes when the server is about to start serving, that's the "not normal" I'm talking about, no one should do that every single time the server has already said the score.

 

[Fairhit]

Run slower.

My slower pace is walking.

 

[Fairhit]

I played today a friendly match against a guy who says "ouch" when he hits a difficult shot, many serves he says it and I stop playing, he claims it was a good ball, I think he doesn't do it on purpose but it was baffling.

 

[nyta2]

Ok, but my story is the guy would say the score after the server already said it, even sometimes when the server is about to start serving, that's the "not normal" I'm talking about, no one should do that every single time the server has already said the score.

ah yeah that would be annoying.
lol, if i were the server i’d have to say the score a 3rd time to…

 

[Permitlady]

I'm guilty of this.

 

[Fintft]

Ok, but my story is the guy would say the score after the server already said it, even sometimes when the server is about to start serving, that's the "not normal" I'm talking about, no one should do that every single time the server has already said the score.

Unless it's a noisy place.

 

[Kenny022593]

I have a (bad?) habit I picked up in HS of saying "second serve" every time I go to hit one. We would play a big team of cheaters with a scummy coach. By scummy I mean he went on a 15 minute screaming tirade at a 16 year old type 2 diabetic to try get him defaulted because he was crashing. So, the directive from my coach when we played the team was "say everything that is happening on court" so no one could complain or debate. It worked well, but now I have an oddball routine baked into my serving!

No one else I play with does it. And no one who still plays from my HS team or any of my college teammates do it/picked it up.

My wife, who is dead silent on the court, HATES it, though.

 

[struggle]

I hate those that demand all three balls before every serve.

 

[FuzzyYellowBalls]

I have a (bad?) habit I picked up in HS of saying "second serve" every time I go to hit one. We would play a big team of cheaters with a scummy coach. By scummy I mean he went on a 15 minute screaming tirade at a 16 year old type 2 diabetic to try get him defaulted because he was crashing. So, the directive from my coach when we played the team was "say everything that is happening on court" so no one could complain or debate. It worked well, but now I have an oddball routine baked into my serving!

No one else I play with does it. And no one who still plays from my HS team or any of my college teammates do it/picked it up.

My wife, who is dead silent on the court, HATES it, though.

A lot of kids under 18 do it, not sure why, maybe coaches tell them to.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

I hate those that demand all three balls before every serve.

I've played people who, when I ask them if they want the 3rd because I have it in-hand, will say "yes". I have no problem with this.

I don't think I've ever played someone who asked me to retrieve the 3rd one when it wasn't nearby.

 

[OnTheLine]

I've played people who, when I ask them if they want the 3rd because I have it in-hand, will say "yes". I have no problem with this.

I don't think I've ever played someone who asked me to retrieve the 3rd one when it wasn't nearby.

I have ... and it is annoying.

And I prefer having all 3 myself ... but if the 3rd is sitting peacefully in the corner on their side I would never ask for it. If it is in their hand, sure.
Demanding it when it is elsewhere slows down the play and is simply irritating.

Equally annoying: Hitting the ball back to the server after a point ... and hitting it no where near them. What is that?

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Equally annoying: Hitting the ball back to the server after a point ... and hitting it no where near them. What is that?

Either they're trying to get under your skin or they figure you'll need it eventually but not necessarily right now so they hit it into a corner where it won't interfere [it doesn't occur to them to ask if you want the 3rd].

What I find amusing is the following: it's a side change and my opponent just finished serving. As I'm heading for the bench for my towel and water, he offers me the balls. Nice but I don't actually need the balls right at this instance. They're just being polite; I don't think they're trying to game me.

 

[Yamin]

Think too many people on this forum have an unhealthy obsession with perceived "gamesmanship". Some people are just weird, but it might just be you....

 

[OnTheLine]

Either they're trying to get under your skin or they figure you'll need it eventually but not necessarily right now so they hit it into a corner where it won't interfere [it doesn't occur to them to ask if you want the 3rd].

What I find amusing is the following: it's a side change and my opponent just finished serving. As I'm heading for the bench for my towel and water, he offers me the balls. Nice but I don't actually need the balls right at this instance. They're just being polite; I don't think they're trying to game me.

No, I am talking about you needing the 2nd ball ... 3rd is wherever ... you have your hand up and they hit it no where near you.

Side change, if I had been server, I gather all balls currently on my side and leave them on the baseline at the middle mark. No muss, no fuss.

Now playing dubs I have had my partner pick those balls up, take them to the bench and hand them to the opponents ... why?

 

[Purestriker]

I have ... and it is annoying.

And I prefer having all 3 myself ... but if the 3rd is sitting peacefully in the corner on their side I would never ask for it. If it is in their hand, sure.
Demanding it when it is elsewhere slows down the play and is simply irritating.

Equally annoying: Hitting the ball back to the server after a point ... and hitting it no where near them. What is that?

Pure

No, I am talking about you needing the 2nd ball ... 3rd is wherever ... you have your hand up and they hit it no where near you.

Side change, if I had been server, I gather all balls currently on my side and leave them on the baseline at the middle mark. No muss, no fuss.

Now playing dubs I have had my partner pick those balls up, take them to the bench and hand them to the opponents ... why?

Hitting the ball to the corner is pure gamesmanship, to annoy you by making you have to walk and go get it. At a tournament once, two players got into a heated argument on the court and one of the players started hitting every ball that that was long into the opposite corner. The other player lost his mind at the change over I thought they were going to go to blows.

 

[Purestriker]

No, I am talking about you needing the 2nd ball ... 3rd is wherever ... you have your hand up and they hit it no where near you.

Side change, if I had been server, I gather all balls currently on my side and leave them on the baseline at the middle mark. No muss, no fuss.

Now playing dubs I have had my partner pick those balls up, take them to the bench and hand them to the opponents ... why?

That is just trying to be nice. We usually just leave them on the court for them.

 

[OnTheLine]

Pure

Hitting the ball to the corner is pure gamesmanship, to annoy you by making you have to walk and go get it. At a tournament once, two players got into a heated argument on the court and one of the players started hitting every ball that that was long into the opposite corner. The other player lost his mind at the change over I thought they were going to go to blows.

As a female I have of course perfected the Death Glare that is taught by the matrilineal line. Seems that it only works in distances shorter than a tennis court.

 

[sureshs]

No, I am talking about you needing the 2nd ball ... 3rd is wherever ... you have your hand up and they hit it no where near you.

Side change, if I had been server, I gather all balls currently on my side and leave them on the baseline at the middle mark. No muss, no fuss.

Now playing dubs I have had my partner pick those balls up, take them to the bench and hand them to the opponents ... why?

If I have a spare ball in my pocket before a changeover, I just casually toss it behind me before walking out like the pros do.

 

[Curtennis]

I’d sooner have the returner call out the score every time than the server not say it. Nothing annoys me more than the server not saying it.

 

[sureshs]

He thinks I'm so stupid

Well, he has known you since you were a baby so he must be right.

 

[sureshs]

I have a (bad?) habit I picked up in HS of saying "second serve" every time I go to hit one.

I always say "second" before a second serve. Sometimes, there is a delay between first and second serve because of the ball having to be put away safely, so it is a good idea to remind everyone.

 

[cks]

No, I am talking about you needing the 2nd ball ... 3rd is wherever ... you have your hand up and they hit it no where near you.

I remember playing a singles match last year, where I had to keep asking my opponent to send over a 2nd ball before starting my serves. I would have 1 ball in my pocket, but the other two (2) would be somewhere on my opponent's side near the fence. It did not happen before every point, but it did happen enough that it got old really quick. And I wasn't 100% sure he was doing it on purpose. Just a strange match and a bit aggravating.

 

[Purestriker]

If I have a spare ball in my pocket before a changeover, I just casually toss it behind me before walking out like the pros do.

They are throwing it to the ball kids. You are just trying to being a boss.