The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-10
Champion VosheN Advances IN Bronx Tennis PLAY
FOOT FAULTS ARE LIKELY
TO MAKE USUAL TROUBLE
solution OF Vexed Question Does Not Seem to Be in
Sight Yet, Although National Association Has
Asked That Rule Be Enforced

the feet during service. The player
who does creep in a little even IL 1t Ia
only few inches. gains that much In
his rush for the net and II taking ad-
vantage Of his adversary. an advantage
which 1t Is difficult for the opponent to
prevent.
The modern game makes II more than
ever necessary for most players To rush
to the net at once when they are serv-
ing In order to assume the attacking
position before the other man gets that
advantage The American twist SER
vice also has tendency to draw the
server forward as he hits the ball, and
he often loses his balance In makina
the stroke, so that II IL necessary to
take AT least one quick step forward
into the court In order to recover him
self
Among tennis players there is nat
ursl impa fence to get started forward
after serving, and no time can he lost
in getting under way to prevent being
passed by the other man before the
net IL reached in safety. II ls no easy
task either to decide when such
PLAYER makes n foot fault and when he
serves lawfully. No matter how much
the rules might he altered to make
the point palmer foot FAINT occurs
only when tho ball leaves the racket be-
TORE something else happens.
Under the present rule II Ia when one
foot passes into the court. touches the
base line or crosses over the base line
IN the air. The umpire cannot watch the
feet and the racket at the same time,
and II ls difficult to depend on the
eye alone to time both. A better way
In to pull the hrim OF your hat down
over your eyes until YOU cannot see the
racket at all and concentrate the at
tention on the feet Then listen for
the sound Of the ball on the racket.
and with only one point to watch. you
generally can Cell whether the car
first hears the sound or the eye secs
the foot cross the fine.
There are several kinds Of foot faults
which the umpire must watch for, and
all are equally penalizcd although the
PLAYER il not equally guilty In each
case. rell has a habit Of nervousiv
liftirg and replacing his loft foot just
before he serves After he looks up NJ
the hail he often inches in little and
his toe touches TIE line. We gains ~
tie ~ II. hut II is nevertheless a foot
fault. Whitman used to do tho same
thing and some other players have this
bad habit.
Hackctt plar,. his left foot on tho
ground carefully and safely behind the
Line. but leans far over the line IN his
hurry In start on a rush Tor the net,
especially I'm doubles, and sometimes tho
right foot In the air IL over the line too
soon. Mclaughlin, with his terrific
American twist service. bends far back
A. he strikes the ball ard IN order =
pteservc his balance throws his right
foot ont in front. and sometimes this
gets over the line TOO soon. Now ard
then the umpire comes across = player
who is palpahly breaking the rule
that his right foot actually touches the
ground inside tho court before the bail
leaves the racket. hut such cases az
rare
Nor is the umpires task an easy on.
when he tries to question the foot faults
OF a prominent player only a few years
ago | heard one of the greatest doubles
players in tho country object TO the DC.
cison Of an umpire who had foot faulted
him The umpire WAS clearly right In
his decision. but tho PLAYER comnentcu
4udihly so tho crowd could hear the re-.
mark which he addressed 10 his part
ror "Why, he doesn't know foot Gsul,
from 4 footprint"