When you've been hit, do you get angry or get even?

[Gemini]

How the heck am I supposed to know whether or not you are doing it out of malice or not? It is completely up to the receiver on how to interpret it.

If you don't want to get hit, don't go to the net and don't server up sitters. Otherwise, it is part of the game and live with it.

Are you talking about my statement about hitting more aggressively? When I refer to hitting more aggressively, I don't mean hitting at someone. I mean more pace, deeper shots, more angles (if that's the case)..just all out attacking more, but once again I'm talking about my level of play and my personal game. I don't see any reason to "return the favor" in terms of hitting my opponents when my partner's been hit.

As for the philosophy of "don't go to the net if you don't want to get hit", that's an over-simplification. There are so many variables that come into play during a point. If a point is happening so quickly, that a quick volley results in someone being hit with the ball, that's understandable (non-malicious) But when a slow moving ball that gives you a considerable amount of time to set up and take an aggressive swing is offered up, I believe there should be some moral judgement in that situation. If you choose to go after someone that is otherwise not in the line of fire. I'd say that's pretty malicious. I'm not saying you shouldn't take the advantage of hitting in someone's direction or even hitting toward the lower portion of their body. But the act of trying to hit someone because it's a guaranteed point for you when there are options is always malicious in my mind.

And saying don't serve up sitters? Even the pros can't avoid this situation. How can you expect mere mortals to do any better?

Just my .02

 

[equinox]

I'm never a fan of head-hunting though I've played some that use this tactic pretty freely. There was one guy I played that was so bent on INTENTIONALLY hitting at me and my partner that on one occasion my partner hit a floater/sitter and at the last second I bolted out of the court knowing this numbskull was head-hunting. He STILL attempted to hit me and ended up losing the point when the shot missed me and landed out. At that point, things got kind of nasty on the court and there were lots "words" exchanged.

The fact is it's never cool to go after so one even if hitting them guarantees you the point. I start playing a lot more aggressively but I almost never hit my shots at my opponents out of malice.

that's funny.

one of first things drilled into junior groups is not to be afraid of the ball.

an old coach used to hit sky lobs and we'd try smash them on the full, half the time we'd miss/hit and cop a ball in the face. taught us to watch the ball and use our other hand to judge distance.

he'd fire quickshot balls from service line directly at us and we had to survive. taught us not to swing on volleys and keep racket ready out in front.

we'd also play butts up or ASS when he was not watching..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej_pwbgMMJs

though little closer just behind the service line 3/4 court area.

 

[Gemini]

that's funny.

one of first things drilled into junior groups is not to be afraid of the ball.

an old coach used to hit sky lobs and we'd try smash them on the full, half the time we'd miss/hit and cop a ball in the face. taught us to watch the ball and use our other hand to judge distance.

he'd fire quickshot balls from service line directly at us and we had to survive. taught us not to swing on volleys and keep racket ready out in front.

we'd also play butts up or ASS when he was not watching..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej_pwbgMMJs

though little closer just behind the service line 3/4 court area.

Understandable to not be afraid of the ball. I was actually bolting out of the court as bait. Just to truly see if this guy was head-hunting....and he was.

 

[equinox]

Understandable to not be afraid of the ball. I was actually bolting out of the court as bait. Just to truly see if this guy was head-hunting....and he was.

or maybe he just angling the smash to the side fences..

 

[Gemini]

or maybe he just angling the smash to the side fences..

He was quite successful in that case.... I swear it was like dodging a heat seeking missile.

 

[cghipp]

Understandable to not be afraid of the ball. I was actually bolting out of the court as bait. Just to truly see if this guy was head-hunting....and he was.

Reading this, I have to tell about something that I did in a match last year. I don't have the best focus in the world, and I was going for an "easy" overhead with my opponent right in front of me at the net. I was thinking about hitting my overhead into the alley to her right. Normally I do have a decent amount of control on this shot.

Just as I was going to hit the ball, she darted off of the right-hand side of the court (my left-hand side). My ball followed her OFF THE COURT like it was a heat-seeking missile. (OK, a pretty inaccurate heat-seeking missile.) Thank god I didn't hit her - I could really have hurt her. It was a hard-hit ball. It was extremely embarrassing and actually very scary to me - I was quite shaken. I apologized profusely, knowing that she might well have thought I was a crazy person. She didn't get angry but that may well have been because she didn't really see what had just happened.

I don't know if it was that she caught my eye as she was moving and I followed the movement subconsciously, or that the idea of NOT hitting her was so prominent in my mind that I was thinking about her more than the ball... Either way, it left a serious impression on me and I have been very careful to not let it happen again!

 

[cghipp]

He was quite successful in that case.... I swear it was like dodging a heat seeking missile.

... and I swear that I did not read this "heat seeking missile" comment before I wrote that. It's just the perfect description for that action!

 

[Gemini]

... and I swear that I did not read this "heat seeking missile" comment before I wrote that. It's just the perfect description for that action!

LOL!!! I understand. The shot my opponentstruck barely missed hitting in the face and I SWEAR I could feel heat as the ball whizzed by right cheek.

 

[Fuji]

Just skimmed through a bit...

But I have been hit a few times. I don't really mind, it just means I wasn't good enough to get it back. I like to work on reflexes, so getting hit just means I was too slow! I've had some people really try to drive me off the net with hard, flat shots. I don't really mind though, More often then not, I just have to touch it a bit to hit it back for a winner.

I've only hit anyone once with a tennis ball. It was when I was learning how hard my smash really is... Short lob right in my strike zone, probably around a 85-90 MPH overhead, straight down at the opposing net players... foot. Yup, I cranked him with one of my harder over heads of the very top of his foot. We just laughed it off, since he wasn't in too much pain. The next day he send me a picture of a perfect circle bruise on his foot. It was entertaining, but a total accident.

If you've ever seen the world team tennis match with McEnroe vs Roddick, that was pretty entertaining. McEnroe was really starting to drill it at Roddick, straight into his chest a few times. Just goes to show, even sometimes pro's can't dodge it.

By the way, I always play with some type of head covering. Mostly a hat. I've never had an issue of a ball hitting my hat and injuring me. From the sounds of it, you just got some seriously bad luck on that shot!

-Fuji

 

[Carolina Racquet]

If I get hit, I try to downplay it and not let it show that I'm angry or upset... or hurt. It's just a tennis ball after all! Very different than a baseball player getting hit by a HARD ball going 80+MPH!

9 times out of 10, if you get hit, the anger should be directed more to your partner who probably hit the floater that set up the smash, but that needs to be internalized

 

[cghipp]

A lot of the times, if I get hit I'm already laughing before the ball hits me, because I know I was out of position or I didn't have my racquet in front of me. Of course, that doesn't apply to situations where the person was truly going after me. That doesn't happen too often, though.

 

[Mauvaise]

I play a lot of doubles and mixed doubles, but at a 3.0-3.5 level. I've been hit a few times, mostly by the men, and almost only on my feet/legs. When they've apologized after, I told them that none was necessary - that's where they *should* be aiming.

I got hit once in the hand because I couldn't get out of the way in time and misjudged the volley. I shrugged off the apology again because I knew it wasn't intentional.

I notice people have asked more than once how one can tell if they are hit intentionally - you just can. And I don't consider any ball striking me below the knees to be the 'bad' kind of intentional because I've been taught to aim at your opponents feet, so I expect the same in return.

I've also hit people, but I can assure you that it's totally by accident because my aim isn't so good. I'm usually trying for a 'line drive' passing shot which ends up making a beeline for one of my opponents. Even if they deflect the ball off their racket I always apologize because I 1) feel terrible about hitting or almost hitting someone and 2) don't want them to think I was deliberately trying to strike them with the ball.

 

[dizzlmcwizzl]

A good "fitting" story

I had another "incident" regarding mixed that I found to be funny.

The woman at the front desk of my club invited me to play in a social 7.0 mixed doubles event at the club. She is 65-70 and is a really weak 3.0 player. When she asked me to play she was blushing, could not look me in the eye and stammered when she asked me to play .... "would you go to the Sadi Haw ... er, play mixed with me?" When I said sure, she was shocked. In her mind I was a 4.0 that would give her the chance to make up for all those dismal performances she had endured over the years. For weeks leading up to the event the other folks at the club had complimented me on my generosity for playing with her. When the pro made the draw for the event he even seeded us which perhaps made her happiest of all.

The night of the event came and my partner and I were ready to knock out the competition. I had scouting information on our opponents and a real gameplan for the evening. The format was 8 game pro-sets with the eventual winners playing a total of 3 or 4 sets in the evening. If you lost you played consolation matches until everyone had played 4 matches.

In the first set of the night my partner was serving for the set and a chance to move into the thrid round when our opponents figured out I was the best player in the draw that night and my partner was the worst. We were broken and continued to lose in the breaker relegating us to the consolation rounds. But my partner was happy because these were the most games she had won at any of her previous tournies.

We won the next 2 consolation matches and were playing in the final match of the evening against a decent 3.5/3.5 combination. This was a chance for us to "win" the losers bracket ... a real accomplishment for us! However, the other team also recognized the disparity in our levels and had the skill set to exploit it. My partner had the unfortunate habbit of moving just far enough into the court that every shot for her was difficult. She OWNED no mans land. This unfortunate behavior also manage to put her in position to be attacked on her short lobs with the opponents overheads ... which they consistently did to us. On the 4th short lob of hers, the man on the other team hit an overhead into her abdomen. I think she was more shocked than hurt but I could see she was upset.

I walked over to her and in an attempt to pick up her spirits I said "If this were a USTA match and someone did that to my partner I would have to drill them with the next shot". She smiled, chuckled for a second and then said ... "OK, I would like that". Now we were both laughing at the prosepct of retaliating in a social event against a guy also in his late 60's for a shot that was not that hard. But this is where it gets good.

Two points later I have an overhead ... which I swear I was not aiming at the guy ... I hit the ball on the T which was wide open and he is at the baseline. Unfortunately he attempts to get this ball because he must win the losers bracket final. The ball after the bounce raises to about head high on the baseline. He has committed to getting the ball and puts his racket up ... he has misjudged the velocity of the ball and does not realize that at the speed I have hit the ball it will knock the racket out of his hands, pushing the now airborn racket into his face with the ball now deflecting up over the screens between the nets. He yells in agony, while my partner starts laughing histerically at the back of the court, becasue she thinks I did it on purpose to defend her honor.

A good night all around.

DizzlMcWizzl

 

[equinox]

if a player is still standing after a pegging then they're fine. when player drops to ground with blood streaming from face, then an hand wave off apology is perhaps in order. a towel offering as a token gesture would hopefully be appreciated.

before matches i stand against fence and partner takes shots at me from 6 metres closing upto 3.

kind of like blaster droid light saber deflection training luke skywalker undertakes on millennium falcon. takes away any fear of pegging and prepares body for battle.

imho players shouldn't let anger or thoughts of revenge or honor dictate the course of actions oncourt.

 

[Fuji]

LOL! Equinox, that was a great post. A+

I think I might have to get into your ritual of taking shots from 6m to 3m, to advance to 5.0. My net game will only improve with that skill set!!

-Fuji

 

[J_R_B]

Here is a extreme case of what not to do

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMr_RzCGWOw

What not to do? By whom? Correct me if I'm wrong, but Kendrick should have won the point where he hit Paes on the fly on the serve, no? The only "what not to do" in this was Adams.

 

[J_R_B]

if a player is still standing after a pegging then they're fine. when player drops to ground with blood streaming from face, then an hand wave off apology is perhaps in order. a towel offering as a token gesture would hopefully be appreciated.

before matches i stand against fence and partner takes shots at me from 6 metres closing upto 3.

kind of like blaster droid light saber deflection training luke skywalker undertakes on millennium falcon. takes away any fear of pegging and prepares body for battle.

imho players shouldn't let anger or thoughts of revenge or honor dictate the course of actions oncourt.

In high school, I used to charge the net when I hit a weak lob that I saw was going to be smashed. I figured that (1) it might occassionally throw people off and make them miss to see someone charging an overhead and (2) I would have a much better chance to get a lucky block back if I tried to shorten the shot I had to hit and hit it before the other guy could get it out wide on an angle. (1) worked more often then (2), although I did return a handful of shots, too. I got plunked at close range even more than both (1) and (2) combined, though. I just shrugged it off and went back to get ready for the next shot. Tennis balls don't hurt. I also got hit in the side of the face by an errant golf drive by my brother from about 15 yards away. I'll tell you what, a golf ball at that range f-ing hurts. A tennis ball? Not so much...

 

[Gtech]

Interesting thread. I am sure glad I don't play with the majority of posters here. I play 4.0 and 4.5 (as a sub) doubles in different leugues. Sure there is the occacional accidental hit, but headhunting? intentional hitting? Retaliation? Nope. You have to be a delinquent 15 yr old fresh out of juvi, or some horrible hack and this is all you can do in a court, or just a someone with some serious mental development issues to think that its "ok" to target and hit and it is part of the game. Only once I saw an imbecil show up that decided to intentionally hit, and the other team just defaulted the match and moved on.
I really hope a lot of the posters in favor of hitting here are just inmature teenagers pretending to be adults.

 

[cknobman]

A couple of weeks ago I was playing doubles and when I was hit I regrettably got angry, very angry.

Situation:
Traveled out of town to go play another team for a "friendly scrimmage".
Playing doubles against the other team.
We win 1st set 6-2.
Second set my partner gets hit once in each of the first two games. First time he was hit was no big deal. Second time was a hard volley by the other team that knocked the glasses off my partners face. I was a little upset because my partner was directly across the net from other player and cross court shot was wide open. I shrugged it off and decided to be nice and give benefit of doubt.
Second set 4th game opponent get easy overhead (this was off the bounce too) and I am at net. I easily recognize they have easy winner and drop my racquet and start moving out of way (moving outside of main court into doubles alley) to concede the point. Ball is high and short (2-3 feet past net) and opponent rushes in to put it away. Opponent lets it bounce then smashes his overhead at me as I concede point and move out to doubles alley.

I exploded on the guy and started yelling at him. This was the 3rd hit (by the same guy on the opposing team) within 10 minutes. I warn him that he better stop aiming at us or I am going "go off" on him. We were surrounded by 3 other courts and play stopped on all courts when I went off. Guess I was a little loud and everyone stopped to see what was going on.

For the rest of the match things were very tense and the guy that was hitting us was pissed for a while slamming things around and swinging as hard as he could at every ball. Ironically he did not come close to hitting my partner nor I for the rest of the match.

For the record we went 3 sets and the other team won 7-6 in third set.

Was I out of line?

 

[GPB]

Was I out of line?

3rd hit in under 10 minutes, plus you were conceding the point? Nah, you're not out of line. A couple things to learn from this situation, though:

1: Never drop your racket, as you said you did.

2: When conceding the point (they have a close-range overhead) don't just step to the alley, PIVOT and step towards the alley with your back to the net. It'll hurt less.

 

[Hewex]

I saw a guy this weekend standing inside the service line who got drilled in chest, just about the heart with an short overhead. The guy who hit him is a little guy, but built like a freakin tank. They both handled it the right way. The tank guy apologized gave the guy who got hit as much time as he needed to recover and the 'hit' guy didn't blow up. I've never seen anyone get hit harder on a tennis court.