Your opponent never has to "run right around your body to get to the ball" unless he has deliberately positioned himself so that you are in the way of a direct path to the ball.  If he honestly misjudges the ball and moves so that you are now interfering, he is still even at that point entitled to a direct path to the ball.   This is not a case of "created interference" in the sense of 12.7.4.

Back to top

I dont like the idea of boasting, I find its a cheap shop. But I do use it a couple times a game randomly to throw my opponent off

Back to top

Dont forget about reverse boasts from the back of the court, from a drive that has been overhit!

I find that usually comes off good when the opponent isn't watching and theyve drifted too far back.

Only thing is you have to make sure they have drifted back, otherwise you risk hitting them if theyre right on the T. (in which case, you shouldnt be trying that anyway :P)

Back to top

aprice - with the reverse boast, of course it depends where it is hit from, eg front court, return of serve, mid court.  The striker is entitled to all the requirements of Rule 12 - Interference, and have freedom to hit the ball no matter where it is.  Once having struck the ball the incoming striker must also then have free access to the ball.  The fact that it is a reverse boast does not mean the player does not have to clear the ball.  What the incoming striker does have to show is that they could have got to the ball. Reverse boasts are best hit from about mid court (when the opponent is held behind and there is plenty of room for the player to get to the ball) or on the return of serve (when the server is held from returning to the T, normally because of their lose serve).

If any boast for that matter is not low and tight as the ball comes off the front wall, it is pretty useless.

Back to top

I was interested to see that you always put the onus on the reciever of the reverse boast to make every effort to get to the ball, in my experience a lot of reverse boasts played in the front court cross over in front of the player who hit the shot, i.e. if they stand on the T the ball will end up bouncing off the front wall and onto the floor in front of the T.  To me they have in essence hit the ball back into themselves just by a more circuitous route so surely they must make every effort to get out of the way of the ball.  This may not be such a problem in more advanced players who keep the reverse boast tighter to the side wall but frequently i feel i could take two steps forward from the T to hit a reverse boast but my opponent is stood on the T in my way.

Back to top

Back to top