Evening star., 1915-05-21
FOOT FAULTS ARE HELD LIKELY
TO MAKE THE USUAL TROUBLE
Solution ofVexed Tennis Question Does Not
Seem to Be in Sight, Although Officials
Have Asked That Rule Be Enforced.

Now. on the very threshold Of the
season in lawn tennis the question Of
foot faults should be most seriously
considered with a view to amending
the ways of the average tournament
player. writes Parmly Paret in the
New York Sun. For the last twenty
odd years this subject has been fruit
full source Of discussion, but. despite
all the efforts. official and unofficial.
that are being made to prevent it..
there were as many foot faults COM
mitted last season as ever.
Good resolutions have been made
again this winter. and the secretary of
the U. S. y. L. T. A. announced that
Every effort to bring about the care
full observance of this rule during the
coming playing season will be used by
the executive committee, which will
welcome the cooperation of all club
officers in connection with tourna-
ments held under the sanction OF the
national body. If every club holding
an authorized tournament will make a
special effort to secure for it's tourna-
ment foot fault committee and Will
have such committee carefully study
and post itself as to just what consti-
tutes a foot fault and then rigidly en-
force such rule material good VIII be
accomplished in connection with the
legitimate interests of the game.
reouests that ali clubs giving tourna-
ments with the sanction Of the U. S.
n. L. T. A. include in their printed
notices direct information that the foot
fault rule must be observed and copy
tournament announcement
But no matter how strongly this roo
ommendation be put. nor how. closely
a1,,ha EuRReS1tOn
designate umpires to watch the feet Of
the serving players. It Will be dimcult
to weed out this worst OF all evils from
which the game suffers without tho
sincere cooperation of the players
themselves Only a few years back
former Champion Larned was one of
tho keenest in trying to stop foot faults:
what constituted the misplay as well
as an enthusiast in the campaign
against 1t. He took different view OF
At one of the biggest tournaments
two or three years ago Larned went
nm to a certain metropolitan player. an
expert Of the first flight. too. and took
him to Task in the following vigorous
way, see here. Jack."-his name was
not Jack. however-""you wouldn't
cheat at cards. would you? You
wouldn't deliberately take a dishonest
advantage of a friend you were play
ing with. would you: Wen; Wen; Wny W
know the rule requires that both feet
must be behind the base line. and when
YOU step on the line or inside court
before you finish serving you are
cheating in tennis"
This may be an extreme view of the
matter. for it is doubtful If one player
in ten who footfaults in serving does
so consciously or Intentionally. but
there is no doubt that it can be avoided
with a little more care in watching
the feet during service. The player
who does creep in little. even II it is
only a few inches. gains that much In
his rush for the net and Is taking ad-
vantage of his adversary. an advantage
which 1t 10 difiicult for the opponent
to prevent.
The modern game makes 1t more than
ever necessary for most players to
rush to the net at once when they are
serving in order to assume the attack
ing position before the other man gets
that advantage. The American twist
service also has a tendency to draw the
server forward as he hits the bail. and
he often loses his balance in making
the stroke. so that 1t Is necessary to
take At least one quick step forward