Etiquette - When the Rally Ends

Frustration. That word says it all, doesn't it. Frustration over missing a shot you've made a thousand times in the past. Frustration over just failing to get to a ball before its second bounce. Frustration over getting your partner killed by popping up a simple dink. It happens...to all of us. Where we differ is our reaction to the frustration. What sometimes gets lost in the immediacy after the play is that people will remember you less for the bad play than for the bad behavior resulting from the bad play.

The right way to handle frustration is to stop. Stop playing. Stop running. Stop swinging. Stop complaining. No one cares. Stop doing what your frustration tells you to do. Instead, catch the ball or go pick it up. Hand it or tap it to the next server. Compliment your opponent for a good shot. Then move on.

The most important part of our great game is safety. Continuing to play by hitting a ball out of frustration creates a risk of injury for the other players. They have a tendency to ease off and drop their attention, and may even turn to walk to their positions, after a rally ends. Hitting the ball after the rally ends can result in someone getting hit. It is, simply put, poor sportsmanship to risk injury to someone else when the ball is dead.

Remember, the memory of the game will fade. The memory of injuries and bad behavior will last. In the end it is only a game.

Catch the ball.