They are throwing it to the ball kids. You are just trying to being a boss.
It has become a habit since my pro days.
They are throwing it to the ball kids. You are just trying to being a boss.
Straight mack.It has become a habit since my pro days.
The only time I will resort to calling out the score as a receiver is if there is a known entity on the other side of the court who refuses to call out the score and conveniently forgets it when they’re down on serve or in a tiebreak.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.
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?
I find this more annoying. If you gather up the balls, you might as well bring them to the bench during the changeover.
The only thing more annoying is when players have a ball in their pocket then drop it on the ground. Makes no sense other than being a jerk.
really? I am placing them exactly where they need to be for the next server. And now they aren't dealing with balls and their towel and their water. How is that annoying?
It's like attempting to ice a basketball player prior to their free throw. You're intentionally getting someone out of their normal routine by making them go pickup balls before they serve.
It's just more respectful to give the player the balls at the changeover and let them control how they get back into their service game. By placing the balls where you think they need the be you're infringing on their control of the situation.
This makes my head hurt.
Wow ... no, that anyone could possibly consider it gamesmanship ... and at this point that I have fallen for your trolling on it.The guilt from the gamesmanship?
Wow ... no, that anyone could possibly consider it gamesmanship ... and at this point that I have fallen for your trolling on it.
A proper warm-up is essential, especially for service. I always request a proper warm-up and to void the FBI nonsense. Sadly, in some circles, this request does annoy some players.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.
The only thing more annoying is when players have a ball in their pocket then drop it on the ground. Makes no sense other than being a jerk.
It's just more respectful to give the player the balls at the changeover and let them control how they get back into their service game. By placing the balls where you think they need the be you're infringing on their control of the situation.
They don't know where to put them and space on the bench is often quite limited.
Reading this thread makes realize that tennis is a very easily offended sport.
I can't believe that leaving balls at the baseline or leaving them on the floor is some kind of gamesmanship, who gets out of rithm by having to pick up a ball? By opponent calling out the score?
I think rec player have seen too much pro players and think they have to copy everything, even the most annoying trades like everyone in the stands has to be still as they play. How you guys play in a club with adjacent courts? How do you keep your rithm and concentration when there's other people playing besides you but calling out the score throws you off? How do you manage to play with cars around but the opponent handing you the balls disturbs your concentration?
I don't get it.
I guess I could consider it gamesmanship when I'm sitting on the bench thinking about the game and have my thoughts unnecessarily interrupted by someone shoving tennis balls in my face.I've played across multiple states and sections and everywhere I've played has found it to be either weird or gamesmanship.
It's like playing golf. Imagine you hit a putt and someone in your group takes the ball and then just drops it at the tee box of the next hole. It's just abnormal. Why wouldn't they just toss it back to you after you make the putt? It's either just odd behavior at best or a form of gamesmanship.
Yep, I'm in the "Ball Dropper" camp. I prefer to gather any balls on my side of the court and place them together either at the service line or the service "T".The Cindy has stated her opinion on this (bolded mine):
Not a great analogy; someone has to take the ball from point A (the hole in your example) to point B (the tee box).
In the tennis example, the balls are at point A.So the easiest thing is to leave them there.
Suresh is all about efficiency.In my experience, the next server(s) find it cumbersome to handle the balls if given to them at a changeover. They don't know where to put them and space on the bench is often quite limited. They waste time trying to put the balls somewhere or balancing them on the racket while trying to use a towel or water bottle. I am totally with @OnTheLine on this.
Did you stare the opponent down when you rolled the balls back on the court?I have actually been handed 3 balls at the changeover and rolled them back into the court immediately. Makes the guy look bad but hey don't bother me with useless stuff during the changeover. If you want to help me, hold an umbrella over my head like the ball kids do.
In the face!I guess I could consider it gamesmanship when I'm sitting on the bench thinking about the game and have my thoughts unnecessarily interrupted by someone shoving tennis balls in my face.
That's being a bit facetious, but that interrupts the next server more than picking up the balls on the way or at the place they're going to serve.
Gotta agree with OnTheLine here that it's a bit of trolling going on, since I can't imagine anyone's that fragile to be that distracted by either the handing the balls at the bench or leaving them on the court
Did you stare the opponent down when you rolled the balls back on the court?
Missed opportunity.
And this occurs in the scenario you're defending. Why is on the line finishing a point at the net (Point A) then walking back to the back fence (Point B) to then walking to the baseline (Point C) to drop the ball from her hand and her pocket. Then walking to the service box (Point D) to drop the third ball?
??? Who said I finished at net, who said I didn't have 2 balls in my pocket ... ambled to the fence to get the 3rd, and then dropped all 3 balls at baseline?
No, not usually. Someone may have said they did that, but again, what you're saying has to be done by SOMEONE (walking to that point B). It may be nice for those already on that side to collect the ball, but it's not duplicating something that didn't need to be done or add extra things that don't need to be done. As noted, I wouldn't expect balls to be put on the baseline right in the middle. Somewhere reasonable is fine--middle of the court, etc...And this occurs in the scenario you're defending. Why is on the line finishing a point at the net (Point A) then walking back to the back fence (Point B) to then walking to the baseline (Point C) to drop the ball from her hand and her pocket. Then walking to the service box (Point D) to drop the third ball?
Sorry, but just saying something's an analogy and those aren't perfect doesn't insulate a bad analogy from criticism.The analogy I made works fine. No analogy is ever perfect. But no one does it in golf because it's odd. Not sure why a small portion of tennis players have caught onto the act.
According to you and your norms. I've seen some youtube coaches mention leaving the balls out there. And some others above are saying exactly what I am. Essentially, putting the balls at the point they'll be needed next or on the way for someone walking to that point from the bench areasWe've already established it isn't a point A to point A situation. So the issue isn't just leaving the balls where they currently lie. It's the fact of someone going out of their way to grab the balls and place them in a specific location of their choosing that's against the normal customs.
It's definitely not normal etiquette to give the balls to the player on the changeover. Retrieving a stray one if you're closer to it is fine, and I think arranging them just so is trying a little too hard. Leaving them In the general vicinity of the service line is what 'normal' players do, and I will not be entertaining any objections on this.
I don't think I've seen anyone doing what it seems you're thinking--nobody I've seen makes a concerted effort to collect all three balls and put them in a nice triangle exactly on one point on the court. Nobody's being Rafa about the location of the balls.
According to you and your norms.
Essentially, putting the balls at the point they'll be needed next or on the way for someone walking to that point from the bench areas
Maybe what we need here is a compromise.Looks like myself, the Cindy and @OnTheLine are aligned in our views. Great minds think alike.
Not buying your analogy.Maybe it's a cultural bias coming from somewhere that has a little more regard for others and manners. But it just seems like common sense. You have a tennis ball and know your opponent needs the tennis ball for their next service game. The appropriate thing to do is to give them the balls.
I'm just trying to picture your scenario in the real world, and it just seems like a jerk move. If a coworker e-mails me asking to borrow a pen so he can sign something. Wouldn't it be a jerk move to just throw the pen down on the ground near his cubicle knowing he's about to walk back to his desk from the water cooler? Yeah he's going to cross paths with the pen in the vicinity of the area he needs it, but now he has to bend down and pick it up instead of just being handed the pen. Seems like a jerk move.
You complained in another post that handing the balls causes unnecessary human interaction. We're playing adult recreational tennis, if interaction is an issue, then the person probably shouldn't be playing tennis.
At the end of the day, throwing the balls down on the court is a lot like the "come on" chant. It's a gamesmanship move. It's just gotten common enough that people don't see it for what it is anymore.
Not buying your analogy.
There are lots of situations where it is more polite to leave something for someone than force them to take it the moment you want to give it to them. Would you like it if your mail carrier rang the bell until you came to the door so she could hand you the mail, instead of leaving it in the mailbox?
if you are really concerned about manners, then ask your opponent if they would like you to hand them the balls or leave them on the court.
Cindy — thinking the Ball Handers are missing the exquisite pleasure of that Drop It Like It’s Hot moment after you hit a spectacular winner
Maybe it's a cultural bias coming from somewhere that has a little more regard for others and manners.
We're playing adult recreational tennis, if interaction is an issue, then the person probably shouldn't be playing tennis.
Or maybe it's a bias coming from someone who is making sweeping, unfounded assumptions.
I mean yesterday you told me I was wrong that it could be gamesmanship, then literally that same day a poster came in and stated she used it for gamesmanship.
Might be time to consider that I'm actually right on this one?
That dropping a ball on the court before I switch sides makes me feel like a badass does not have anything to do with my opponent’s psyche.