I love listening to you two and the topics are very interesting. However, the constant repetition of “like” gets to be very irritating. Maybe it’s my age? Just a thought.
Some tips for when you get the rec play mismatch: 1. Don’t be D!(#. (This covers body bagging grandma, lobbing the player in a knee brace, celebrating your easy pickle, etc.) 2. Figure out ways to improve your game without dominating. (Practice your third shot drop or backhand, hit consistent serves at the same spot, serve to their forehand making it slightly harder each time, stay back and practice defense, etc.) 3. Spread the Love (Hit regular shots at the weaker player and the hard ones at the strong player, play the close ones, go for placement over speed, etc.)
To me the term "targeting" implies hitting hard at a lower level player. I prefer to think I am challenging a lower level player to handle a dink to the backhand side, a firm shot down the middle, a wide serve, or even a ball that should be a put away, but can they handle that.
There's too much ambiguity when you say "rec play". Are you saying it to mean that it's not a money game? Or that the skill is a certain lower range? Or that it's "4 on 4 off"? It's unclear. You both give your opinion of yes or no but you're not clear on which definition it's for For example: a "4 on, 4 off" game means you're leaving the court no matter what. So targeting a weak player to win 11-0 is pointless(and yes, bad etiquette, 100%) because winning the game doesn't matter, it's not fun for anyone, nobody is improving, and the game ends very quickly. Completely different story if winner stays because then winning becomes the priority and yes, targeting a weaker person, body shots, or lobbing over senior citizens is all OK, whatever it takes to win. The good/bad etiquette should ultimately come down to the question: "Do we keep playing if we win?" Also, where are you getting these forum questions? I'd happily post some opinions in there if I knew I could get some valuable opinions and responses on them
I am not comfortable with how Andre was punished. It’s not even whether he was guilty or not but that with all the talk about the amount of cheating going on that one person has been singled out and charged a high $$$$. Feels like a UPA money grab to me. UPA needs to get act together and enforce across the board all regulations and figure out the paddle situations to avoid subjectively on who’s paddle is okay or not.
I agree. This seems like the kind of penalty that would be reasonable if he had tried to sneak the paddle through testing and then used it in competitive play. This was clearly a mistake, the punishment is waaaay too harsh.
As far as Andrei is concerned, I don't see how he could have gotten away with playing with "a foreign substance" on his paddle previously, especially since the refs touch each paddle before the match even if they are already approved that morning. Compare that to the players that are playing paddles that pass in the morning and then they beat them up with lacross balls to make them hot, which literally can't be checked since there are no paddle challenges anymore.
If you think refs can always detect when a foreign substance is applied, you might want to look up the baseball pitcher Gaylord Perry. And why is Andrei applying something if he doesn't intend to play with the paddle? What would be the point? It's a good message to all of the players to just say "hey, DON'T DO THIS".
I don't buy Daescu's excuse. I can't imagine not being aware of which paddles I'm submitting for testing to use in a tourney. My only issue with the penalty is that the rules and ramifications aren't clearly published. I think a 6months to 1 year suspension is more appropriate for the infraction. I'd say the $50K and 60day suspension is pretty lenient for a top pro.
I think you misunderstood the question about beating someone 11-0. Their point was don't absolutely destroy someone in rec play and then start wildly celebrating because of the win. And I couldn't disagree more with you on targeting a weaker player in rec play. Rec play is for everyone to have fun. If you are playing in a way that prevents others from having fun you should go play somewhere else. You are clearly too competitive for rec play
Pure nonsense. Are you keeping score? Then it is a competitive game. If you want to play with a bunch of people that don't keep score and are completely non-competitive, then you're going to have to make an effort to find that group. Most people that are playing a game where you keep score are going to play to win, and to expect anything else is extraordinarily unreasonable.
Well I feel sorry for the people that you play with. Most people play to have fun. Yes I try to win but picking on someone because they aren't as good as their partners is not fun for me or them.
You shouldn't, I'm getting messaged daily with partner requests, and frankly most people play with my mindset, not yours, otherwise we wouldn't be keeping score. Personally I LOVE being the weakest player of the four and being "targeted". You get a lot of balls and it is a great way to improve.
@vanadyan1674 I don't doubt your getting hit up for competitive play. However, In rec play, icing out the stronger player just to win is sad. They also waited in line to play...now they get in a game where they are just a spectator and then have to wait again. THIS is why stronger players don't come to open play, instead they form their own private groups, otherwise they'll never see a ball. Shame.
@@Vanessa-pe2xs That is like saying you shouldn't put your best defender on the opposing teams best shooter in a game of pickup basketball. Its patently absurd. It is a competitive game, and there is a strategy to it. You are certainly entitled to handicap yourself with these arbitrary unwritten rules if you wish, but it is really silly, and you definitely shouldn't expect anyone else to do it.
I saw another response from Andre and it said the foreign substance was on it for his practice partners to use against him to simulate the spin pros have on the ball. He didn't use the paddle, they did. It sounds like it got put in with the other paddles by mistake and was never intended to be tested or ever used. I prefer to believe him and that his intensions were good, and he didn't mean for it to be put in to be tested. A hard lesson learned. An appeal process in this would be helpful.
The point many people make about AD is to ask "how is his situation different from any other paddle that fails testing?" Especially now in light of the Joola Gen 3 scandal.
Hey senior citizen here. Let me tell you we’ve got lobbing going on all the time in our PB club😜. We know how to turn and back up even if not always executed perfectly. And for those less than mobile seniors (in their 80s) .. they make up for their lack of mobility with killer serves and spin. They are doing okay for themselves. I don’t think it’s a matter of should you lob or not but if you are playing well above the skill level of others it’s not gonna be fun and you may want to soften your game to keep game going- but lobbing itself- fair game and I enjoy practicing responding to a lob. 😀
I don't lob anybody in rec play unless / until they lob me. Once they lob me I don't care if they are on crutches I'm going to make them run for the rest of the game. I also completely agree with Barrett that I am not actively worrying about bagging my opponents. They have a paddle too, if you don't want to get hit, get your paddle up. I have a Gen 3 Magnus, and I am clearing it with the people I am playing with. If anyone has a problem with me using it I just put it in my bag. Most people don't seem to care.
