AboutRob Chabot Expertise Racquetball. Know all the rules, etiquette, etc. Am familiar with equipment and am active on the applicable newsgroups when I have time. I can be of service to players up to the "advanced" level. Have been playing since the mid 1980s.
NOTE: I cannot answer questions on "what kind of racquet should I get?" This is like asking "what kind of dog or car should I get?" There are so many factors I do not know where to begin - how long have you been playing, do you prefer a top heavy or frame heavy racquet, how often do you plan on playing, etc. I recommend you find a pro shop that allows you to "demo" (borrow) racquets. You can usually borrow racquets for one to three days. A borrowing fee may be involved - and if you end up buying the racquet from that shop, it will usually credit you the loaner fees you have already paid against the purchase price of the racquet.
Experience Won the Ohio State University Intramurals tournament ("A" Division) six out of six times entered.
Question QUESTION: Rob, the situation is this: right-handed players in a friendly singles match, player A hits a cross-court low backhand shot, player B stretches low to return and then is still in motion and attempts to jump up (or roll, Situation 2) thus avoiding being hit by the returning ball. Player A, meanwhile located right behind player B, calls a penalty hinder because he did not have a straight shot. Player B argues it should be a replay hinder because he was attempting to move out of the shot. Which player is right?
ANSWER: My quick (and uninformed) answer is guided by your first sentence:
" ... right-handed players in a friendly singles match ..."
Key phrase is "friendly" <-- if this is truly the case, just play the point/serve over! :-)
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Getting back to your main question --> I'm not sure if I understand the Q. Can you re-explain the scenario to me? My confusion arises from the sequence as described.
1) Player A hits backhand cross court
2) Player B stretches low to return and then is still in motion and attempts to jump up (or roll) (<-- please define "roll" - not sure what you mean by this)
3) Player A, meanwhile located right behind player B, calls a penalty hinder because he did not have a straight shot.
Did Player B hit the ball in step #2? If he did, where did he hit it? Down the line/parallel to the side wall on his side? And after he hit it, he stays right next to the side wall in front of Player A who has moved to his side of the court? I'm having trouble 'seeing' the scenario ...
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QUESTION:
Player B did hit the ball but his forehand return was lousy and the ball went by him as he was jumping up (normally he would have rolled since his move was basically a half-dive, but seeing the ball bouncing straight at him he made an attempt to avoid it and thus jumped). Afterall, the ball went dtl on his side, within the 2 ft between him and the wall. Player A did not hit (but could have), calling an avoidable hinder instead.
Answer Going by the letter of the rulebook, the scenarios below appear to be the relevant passages. (I am including the passages here for reference purposes.) One of them is a 'replay' hinder (sometimes incorrectly referred to as an "unavoidable" hinder") and the other two examples are "penalty hinders" (sometimes referred to as "avoidable hinders").
Based on the scenario you describe above, I would vote for "penalty" hinder. You do indicate that Player A "could have" hit the ball. This COULD be a mitigating factor IF the scenario in 3.15(a) (below) is in effect. However, without seeing the play in person or on tape, I would still go with "penalty" hinder since - if I understand the scenario, Player B was in front of Player A, somewhere along the right wall. The scenario, as described, sounds like 3.15(a). Player A needs to have a clear shot straight down the line AND the ability to have a cross court shot if he wants to take it. My experience is that some players will crowd the line - in other words, they'll give the other players the 'down the line' shot ... but will 'crowd' that down the line shot so that a cross court shot is practically blocked. I've learned the best way to make someone move is to "accidentally" hit that player with the ball. If your forehand or backhand is good enough, you'll leave a welt on the other player such that he will move the next time the situation arises. Of course, this is always and never anything other than an 'accident.' :-)
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3.14 - Replay Hinders
A rally is replayed without penalty and the server resumes play at first serve whenever a replay hinder occurs. Also, see Rule 3.15 which describes conditions under which a penalty hinder might be declared and result in loss of the rally.
(a) Situations
6. Safety Holdup. Any player about to execute a return, who believes that striking the opponent with the ball or racquet is likely, may immediately stop play and request a replay hinder. This call must be made immediately and is subject to acceptance and approval of the referee. (The referee will grant a replay hinder if it is believed the holdup was reasonable and the player would have been able to return the shot. The referee may also call a penalty hinder if warranted.)
7. Other Interference. Any other unintentional interference that prevents an opponent from having a fair chance to see or return the ball. Example: When a ball from another court enters the court during a rally or when a referee's call on an adjacent court obviously distracts a player.
(b) Effect of Hinders. The referee's call of hinder stops play and voids any situation that follows, such as the ball hitting the player. The only hinders that may be called by a player are described in rules (2), (5), and (6) above, and all of these are subject to the approval of the referee. A replay hinder stops play and the rally is replayed. The server resumes play at first serve.
(c) Responsibility. While making an attempt to return the ball, a player is entitled to a fair chance to see and return the ball. It is the responsibility of the side that has just hit the ball to move so the receiving side may go straight to the ball and have an unobstructed view of and swing at the ball. However, the receiver is responsible for making a reasonable effort to move towards the ball and must have a reasonable chance to return the ball for any type of hinder to be called.
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3.15 - Penalty Hinders
A penalty hinder results in the loss of the rally. A penalty hinder does not necessarily have to be an intentional act. Replay hinders are described in Rule 3.14. Any of the following results in a penalty hinder:
(a) Failure to Move. A player does not move sufficiently to allow an opponent a shot straight to the front wall as well as a cross-court shot which is a shot directly to the front wall at an angle that would cause the ball to rebound directly to the rear corner farthest from the player hitting the ball. In addition, when a player moves in such a direction that it prevents an opponent from taking either of these shots.
(b) Stroke Interference. This occurs when a player moves, or fails to move, so that the opponent returning the ball does not have a free, unimpeded swing. This includes unintentionally moving in a direction that prevents the opponent from making a shot.
(c) Blocking. Moves into a position which blocks the opponent from getting to, or returning, the ball; or in doubles, the offensive player who is not returning the ball hinders or impedes either defensive players’ ability to move into a position to cover the pending shot that comes into play.
