Bad calls. What is a bad call? A bad call is a wrong call. Do you realize calling a ball in that is out is a bad call?

I've been told "I'll give it to you"? And I replied, "I don't want it"?

I will take what is mine and I want no "Gifts." Not to mention, I am not interested in being a party to a players bad call in the name of "generosity."

It is not "Generous' or an act of a "Gentleman" to "Give" a call. If the ball is out, it is out. Just yesterday I was playing with a man who called numerous balls "In," when he knew they were out. I will explain.

I lob. He is at the net. He figures the ball will go in, even says great shot as he turns around to chase it, but then on seeing it land he realized it landed out. He was shocked because he thought by how it originally looked that it was going to be in. He did a double take, looking at me, then the line, then me, then the line, and then signaled "in", with a sigh.

It was clearly out, he knew it was out, but for some reason he chose not to say what he knew, he doubted. Is this the right thing to do? The rule is , "If you do not know for sure, then the call goes to the other party." But if you know it is out, then it is out.

So how is calling a ball "in" that you know is out a good call? ...........It isn't.

It is a bad call.

The notion that because I gain a point I should "Thank" him is false. The game is not about gaining the most points. If it were then one could justify doing anything to gain those points. The game is to do what is right, to do what you know, and not doubt what you know.

All conflict a player comes to within the game of life is from doubting oneself. If you know something why doubt it?

It goes something like this, and this happened yesterday with the same man...... I served...it passed him down the center line....it was clearly out....He saw it was out....he looked at me and I was already in motion from serving and he mistaken that as me believing the serve was in.....and some lie came to him explaining why he should just call it in....He knew it was out...but the lie explained that for some reason he should doubt what he knew.... He called it in....He eventually won that game, but that is not the point.

He knew the ball was out...he called it in.... and as all persons who doubt do..., he then tried to turn it into a virtue claiming he will "Give it to me.".........I don't want your doubt call.....I will take what is mine..... and if a ball is out, it is out. I told him at the end of the game he made two bad calls.... and that bad calls are when you know a ball is "Out" ... but you doubt this knowing and call it "in....."

At first he claimed it was "Too close to call..." But when I pointed out the exact points he admitted he knew they were out... and shrugged. It is this type of person that will carry with them after the game the fact that they doubted themselves, and to avoid facing they doubted themselves they try and turn it into a virtue as if they were a nice guy for "Giving" me the call. I don't want your gifts...I will take what is mine.. If a ball is out and you call it in....this is a bad call...If a ball is in and you call it out...This is a bad call.

A couple games later he was serving to me, and he hit a serve that at first looked like it was going in. Then I saw it was out. The same lie came to me...."Maybe it was in"... and doubt began to creep into me...but I knew it was out...If I had to bet $100.00 on the call, I would lay even money on "Out." But for some reason this doubt comes...but I made the right call...."Out"....

Two games later it was my add. He is serving to me again... and serves a passing shot that looked almost exactly like the last one....almost....and I immediately called it out..... but I knew the ball was in, and it was not like the last one...But he served the second serve already and we were playing the point, I won that point giving me the game. But I knew his original serve was in and I told him so, and that it was his point. He did not hesitate... He knew it was in too...and went to serve the deuce...He did not say "Thank you"...I did not say "I will give that to you..." Because those words are not needed when you make the right call. I did this not because I am a nice guy. Simply because I know the real game is being honest and I prefer not to have conflict.

I have seen singles matches (mainly adult matches) where both see the ball is out. The receiving player calls it in, and the other player says "Thank you," because he knows the ball was out. And both seemed to believe in some peculiar way they were being magnanimous. It is a pretty simple game. If the ball is out...you call it out...If the ball is in you call it in...There may be a doubt that comes to you... and you have the choice to go with the doubt or to do what you know.

There is no such thing as "Thank you" for making the right call. There is no such thing as "Giving" a person a call.

You either know the call and you say what you know...or you know the call and you choose to doubt this knowing for a lie...your call.

All the troubles of man comes from his unwillingness to do what he knows....

Out,

.........................................................

In response to this article I have been asked "What about those that call "in" balls "out."

And to this I have the following response............

No matter what calls another player makes once you start making judgments as to what they should or should not have called, you are now lost in the mental instead of being aware of the game at hand.  It is not your call to make and it is impossible for you to know what is right for another player to do. You do not know how they saw it and you do not know their conscience.

I myself play and have been faced with a player who believed I called a ball out that was in, yet I know it was out. Perhaps even sometimes I may see it wrong, but honestly that was my call. And when I see an opponent call a ball out on me, that seems "in" ,  I don't let myself believe the "Thoughts" which claim I am being cheated. And I surely do not take the next step and  believe they were intentionally cheating me. 

I am on the court to do what I know is right, and if I do that, staying focused on the game at hand and not lost in the mental "Thoughts" which try and distract me in many ways, then I am satisfied at the end of the day. But this includes calling balls that are out....out, and not doubting yourself, and calling balls "in" that are "in", or simply keeping my focus on the match as opposed to the many distractions offered.

All it takes is for one person to accuse you of cheating when you know you are not,  to see how unwise it is to accuse another person of cheating. The truth is only the player making the call knows what is right for them to call. They are right on top of it and no cross court or sideline view is better. They may even see it wrong, but make the call they honestly know to be right.

Ryan

Ryan Wolfington

VegasTennis.com

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