[gvttc general] Important Table Play Etiquette Review & RESET

[ANDRE MARONIAN]

Greetings,

I’m sending this note out as a way to regroup and standardize some key play etiquette items that need to be reviewed every few years as we attract a batch of new players.  This is always great news!

Last night, during Monday league I counted at least 8 different incidents where players that were not playing caused clear interruption to players that were playing by either walking through their court while a point was going on.  One time, toward the end of the night, I witnessed 2 players trying to grab a table to just practice walk through 3 matches that had active points and they didn’t even try to stay close to the barriers.  It became clear that this note was needed.

Keep in mind, we understand that Monday & Wednesday leagues tend to house a new batch of great players each year so it’s on the experienced players to pull new players aside and guide them to better the club atmosphere.

A few points to consider ….

- If your ball ends up in another court, it’s always best to make sure a point isn’t going on and then make eye contact with the player in the other court to determine who should get the ball.
- NEVER call a let for another match if your ball ends up in their court as it’s up to the two players playing to decide
- Do not yell across 3 tables for a ball that ends up down there while points are live on tables between you and the table your ball is at.  It’s distracting to those in a point.
- For those hitting a ball back to the one in need, also be mindful that you don’t just hit the ball across multiple tables that have points going on.  Take a look and wait until points are over in between you and where you intend to send the ball back to.
- The tables that are near benches can be tough to play at because those waiting get up and down often.  If you’re getting up from a bench to play at a table further down, again be mindful of the match going on and wait to get up until the point is over.
- Standing around benches.  If you plan to stand near a bench, it’s important that you stand along the same line as the bench and that you don’t creep into the playing area.  Last night we saw players standing inside the barriers in the corners and more.  I saw it clearly bothered match players
- Go Around.  This one sounds obvious but for whatever the reason we need to mention it.  If you’re trying to get to a bench on the other side of the playing area, it’s always best to go around the outside non-playing area as opposed to walking through all the matches that are going on.  Yes it takes a little longer but it frustrates players in matches when they have to hold off serving for the traffic going by and worse, when points are happening and the walk through still happens.

There are many points we could address but if the club veterans could take time to pull new players aside when different etiquette matters need to be addressed, we can keep improving our play atmosphere.  It’s also important for new players to be open to the advice and to know that we don’t judge you as we were once the same way.

As a suggestion, it’s never a bad idea to visit the Classic League to watch some of this in action.  We’re not always perfect but players get very picky about etiquette and how it can interrupt the flow of the match.  We deal with the above much less and it might be worth it to see along with other value added etiquette and techniques.

Sincerely,
Andre Maronian
President GVTTC


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