About Tracey: “I reffed the Hawaii Senior Games in 2018. (4 days with too little sleep. Bleary. Ugh.) Got my L1 badge in 2022. By mid-2023 I’d reffed 400 games in rec play and tournaments from Mililani to Kailua. Earned my L2 ranking in Sept. 2023. Reffed the Hawaii Open in Kona last month.” (January 2024)
Note: Use the arrow below to scroll through all reader questions
Question: “What happens if I hit the ball, it skims up off my face, and goes over the net onto the other side? Is it fair?”
Answer: It could be fairly painful—I hope not. But the moment the ball hits your body, it’s a dead ball. A fault occurs when the ball contacts you or anything you are wearing or carrying, except the paddle or your hand(s) in contact with the paddle and below the wrist. [USAPA Player Rules Section 7.H.] In other words, if the ball hits your face or hat, bad luck; if it hits your paddle-hand thumb, carry on.
Question: “What happens if I hit the ball and it bounces in my opponent’s kitchen, and then the wind blows it over the net, back onto my side of the court (without my opponent touching the ball)?”
Answer: Short answer: It’s your point.
(Very) Long answer: On windy days this happens a lot (3 times on my court last week).
11.I. Plane of the Net. Crossing the plane of the net prior to striking the ball is a fault. After striking the ball, a player or anything the player is/was wearing or carrying may cross the plane of the net. The player may not touch any part of the net system, the opponent’s court, or the opponent while the ball is still live.
Rule 11.I.1. Exception: If the ball bounces into a receiving player’s court with enough backspin or wind aid to cause it to return to the other side of the net, the receiving player may cross the plane of the net (over, under or around the net post) to hit the ball. It is a fault if the receiving player (or anything the receiving player is wearing or carrying) crosses the plane of the net before the ball has first crossed back over the plane of the net to the opponent’s side. It is a fault if the player touches the net system, the opponent’s court, or the opponent while the ball is still in play.
Sneaky trick bonus: Once the ball has crossed over, reach over the net and tap the ball *into* the net for an unreturnable shot. Make sure that the ball doesn’t hit the net frame on the way down and that the net isn’t billowing, creating replays.
