Q
A
&
with the
RULES GURU
By Bob Unetich
USAPA-Certified Referee
We’d Like to Hear From You!
Send your questions to
[email protected].
Q: Dear Guru,
We played a
tournament in very
windy conditions.
Just as I hit a clean
put-away smash,
the wind knocked
over the temporary
net. The referee
called a “let” and then
called for a replay. Was
that fair?
A: Yes. The referee was justified in
classifying this as a valid safety issue and therefore hinder in
accordance with Rule 8.C. This topic is specifically discussed in Ruling
4 of the Referee Case Book, which is available on the USAPA website
under the Rules and Referee and then Referee Training Tool tabs.
Q: Dear Guru,
I know a referee calls short serve
faults and that players call the
centerline in matches with
line judges, but who calls the
centerline when there are no line
judges?
A: Players call the centerline
with or without line judges.
Like any other line call,
however, an appeal to
the referee is available.
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Q: Dear Guru,
Does the serving area include the
imaginary extensions of the sidelines
and the centerline or is it the area
inside of those imaginary lines?
A: I’m glad you asked! I’ve heard
players telling other players their
feet must not touch these imaginary
line extensions when they make ball
contact during a serve, but this is not
correct.
Rule 3.A.34 defines the Service Area
as “The area behind the baseline and
on or between the imaginary lines
extended from the court centerline
and each sideline.” This means that
a server, for example, who crowds
the centerline, can have a foot that
touches this imaginary line extension.
Note that it’s the server’s foot that
determines if he or she is in the
service area. This means the server’s
paddle may go over and past this line
without it being a fault.