That's just so bold it might work. It's funny how these myths such as not getting a stroke from a serve develop.

Regarding my original opponent. She apparently continued fault faulting in the tournment that the original ref was referring to when he gave her notice. She had different refs of course in the tourny, but doesn't sound like any foot faults were called by them either. Somone who had no knowledge of my original match commented that "people don't like calling foot faults around here, do they?" So true unfortunately.

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Ha! I've actually done this in the past, but not for a foot fault.

My opponent kept serving to the middle of the court and then walking in front of the T. Now technically I had not turned, never lost sight of my opponent and they had moved blocking my direct shot to the front wall..... surely a stroke?? Afraid not! I kept having lets called. Eventually they played a ball right on the line, so I picked up the ball and went to serve, much to the disbelief of the referee and my opponent. I pointed out that besides the countless strokes not given, the serve was at fault and that it was my point. The referee being extremely quick, pointed out that you should always play to his call (fair enough!), and that he though the ball was in. I agreed and quickly added that the call must therefore be a stroke as I hadn't turned and my opponent was blocking the path of the ball. The ref replied that you couldn't have a stroke call off a serve! I laughed and threw the ball back to my opponent, saying that if I couldn't have a stroke I'd play the next one to avoid being at a disadvantage. My opponent hit the floor when I drilled the ball into the side wall on his next attempt to serve like this. He was never in any danger as I hit the ball away from him, but the effect was what I hoped. He never hit that serve for the rest of the match!

It was a harsh lesson (and a bit naughty from me!), but my opponent got the message (even if the referee didn't!!). Afterwards we had a long chat about the rules in the post-match meal and the referee still wouldn't accept they were wrong.

It all comes down to points of view, as it would with a foot fault. If the ref doesn't call them or "ignores" the rule completely then there really is nothing you can do except to win the match your own way!

Here's a thought, if the referee isn't calling foot faults, or refuses to acknowledge them even after you've pointed them out, why not serve your next serve from the T? A bit extreme, but it would surely point out the error in their decision making?!?!

All for a bit of fun ;)

Adz

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I like that advice Ray (catching the ball and moving to serve)

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don't get me started!

nothing like getting gratuitous (and incorrect) advice in between games from your opponent!  nothing like sticklers for the rules who make a habit of breaking them.

i would be pointing out to the ref that foot faults are occurring. i know it can be off putting but if the opponent is doing it regularly, watch out for it. when it happens, catch the ball off the serve and walk to the service box yourself.

when you are asked why, tell the ref that it was an obvious foot fault. the worst thing that will happen is that you will lose one piont because the ref does not agree. however, they will be watching from that point onwards.

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As you suggest the foot fault can be hard to judge. Usually the ref will look up to make sure the serve hits the front wall appropriately (as they should), so it can be hard to know where the feet are at the moment of impact. Sometimes though it's more obvious, if the feet are never 'in' and they don't move during the serve.

I agree that the rule is a part of the game and the effect it has on actual play is irrelevant. It should be enforced.

To answer you question - after the ref told my opponent what had been happening I started to ask something along the lines of why he hadn't called any foot faults during the game, but I kind of trailed off because I didn't really want to have a discussion or cause him to be defensive. Being just a club fixture match with no great consequence I didn't want to get too involved in the referring procedure. It did bother me though Especially as this guy is a bit of a defender of the rules and procedures. In the same break between games he told me to let the ball bounce twice before asking for a let.

My opponent made far fewer foot faults for the rest of the match, maybe only one or two, and they were the harder to judge type, so she did basically fix them. After that I was more put off by his weird advice about appealing for a let....

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This is the fault of the referee, especially as he was clearly aware of the situation.

I think most people see the foot fault as a "minor" offence with little or no impact on the game and often feel too self-conscious or embarrassed to point out such a "technicality" for fear of criticism (especially at the club level)... except that it is in the rules and is still part of the game. This may be fine for a friendly game, but not an officiated match.

It is the duty of the referee to uphold the rules and make the appropriate call, be it "out," "not up," or "foot fault," etc. . Otherwise, it means the referee is not doing his job and serves as an added distraction for the players (just imagine if the marker/referee were to announce the wrong score after every rally... very unnerving!). It might not affect the outcome of a match, but it sets a bad precedent.

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I was once in the situation where a competing team had a number of players who were regularly foot-faulting (not sure why, perhaps their coach never noticed). When it was my turn to mark, I warned the player after the first instance that he had foot-faulted during service; thereafter, I called "foot fault" right away. It happened maybe two more times, but the player quickly corrected the error. The foot faults were not always glaring and it wasn't a big tournament, so I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt the first time. Once it was clear that this was a pattern rather than a fluke, I penalized him.

In a sanctioned tournament, this is unacceptable and the tournament director should be notified. In a club tournament or informal event, it might not be worth the effort... better just to stay focused.

Just curious: did you say anything to the referee and/or did the other player stop foot-faulting in subsequent games?

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