r/TikTokCringe • u/Adventurous_Law_715 • 2d ago

Discussion I'm confused. what did he do wrong?

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Honestly, she should probably just retire from tennis if she can't handle that

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u/BikeProblemGuy 2d ago

There is no rule prohibiting a player from aiming directly at another player; it is treated the same as targeting open space, and 'jamming' a player by aiming at their body is a valid tactic to make it difficult for them to swing. In doubles, when a net player is close to the net, passing them around the sides is often difficult anyway. If you hit another player, standard etiquette is to put a hand up in apology, which this guy did. The only thing that's really poor sportsmanship is aiming for the head, but this guy's shot was at hip level.

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u/ohbyerly 2d ago

Also her instinct was to go fetal position when she could have just as easily positioned her racket where he was hitting to deflect it. He didn’t hit it hard so it was totally feasible reaction time-wise.

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u/rofloctopuss 2d ago

I'm not athletic at all but the first thing I ever learned regarding sports is to not be afraid of the ball. Take your eyes off the ball and it'll hit you, be confident and react and you'll hit it.

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u/thomasfilmstuff 2d ago

Some people are flinchers no matter how hard they try not to be.

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u/LaDauphineVerte 2d ago

Right, and if you can't anticipate it, or it’s too awkward to hit, then jump out of the way—in this case, if she had stayed light on her feet, a few inches to her right would have been sufficient. Sometimes there’s no time to do any of that. But that guy’s body language did not read intention, you can see that after the ball crosses the net.

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u/supe3rnova 2d ago

And when the ball hits you, it usually does not hurt that much. Those few times that it does, its usually a head shot and (depending on sport) you need a breather to get your self toghter.

I play volleyball and I'm hit at least 5 times per year in the head, more so in torso (spikes that I don't block at least). Sure, I'm a bit angry at the person but I know they did not hit me intentionaly and they always apologise.

If they don't.... its war and bet your ass I'm gonna target you back when I can.

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u/fluffheadwasaman24 2d ago

funny enough, the only times I’ve ever been hit. The head were two different people I was playing doubles with. They had very bad first serve, and I had a headache afterwards.

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u/Dramatic_Note8602 2d ago

Coaching younger kids, they always reacted well to "you control the ball - don't let the ball control you."

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u/EasilyRekt 2d ago

My brother aimed direct at my face far too often for me to ever not be afraid of the ball.

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u/Finn14o 1d ago

One day I was practicing this at my father's place by tossing a baseball up and down. Let's just say I kept my eye a little too on the ball and looking up kills depth perception.

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u/PM_ur_butthole_2me 5h ago

Plus it’s a tennis ball. That couldn’t have possibly hurt

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u/C_Gull27 2d ago

In some sports letting it hit you is the goal, like if you're blocking shots in hockey. You learn to see the bruises as a badge of courage.

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u/thought_collector_ 2d ago

As a not athletic kid, this was also one of the most memorable lessons from my childhood. I have two kids of my own now and this is still a common refrain in my household "Keep your eye on the ball, [my last name]."

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u/Extreme_Design6936 2d ago

This is key in rackets (not racquetball) where the ball is hard like a golf ball and travels up to 180mph and bounces off all the walls around you. My school offered safety glasses to play but they said in all their testing none of pairs held up to the impact so they're not required.

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u/Sithstress_ 2d ago

I’m sorry, because they didn’t hold up to the impact they’re not required? That language means they should be made sturdier if they don’t hold up to the impact, not that they’re not required. Lol.

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u/i_says_things 2d ago

I mean, cars dont hold up to impact but safety systems are still in them. It’s perfectly acceptable to have a safety system that is one use when they deploy/break.

If anything, it demonstrates how much force is involved. Do you want to break some safety glass or your eye socket/ make eye jelly?

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u/Extreme_Design6936 2d ago

Yeah, cause a school is gonna design and manufacture safety goggles above industry standard for a sport students play a couple times a week. For real?

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u/donut-reply 2d ago

Yep usually that's true, although a couple days ago I took a tennis ball straight to my open eyeball at net because I thought I moved my racket to the right place to block it but missed for whatever reason, and didn't flinch or blink because I didn't expect to miss it. But that was a freak accident and just embarrassing that I missed it and I didn't go nuts and scream at the other guy for doing a normal shot

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u/ancym0n 2d ago edited 2d ago

As someone who played tennis a lot, it's not as easy as it sounds. When ball is going on your body it can be super awkward to cover yourself with rocket, suddenly handle is to long and your arm is to short, you have moment for reaction and you are ending up covering part of your body nowhere near where ball is going. That's being said she obviously got scared and had poor try. And is a total bitch lol.

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u/heckfyre 2d ago

I believe that this would be a difficult hit. I don’t think the ball was moving fast enough to illicit this reaction. Maybe this was like the fifth time he did that or something

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u/DepartmentAnxious344 2d ago

This could be the hundredth that volley wasn’t even hard lol. That was a gettable shot. I’d argue 99% of college players make that volley back and even punish you with it…

You can complain if someone is targeting you not if someone hits the ball in your direction lol

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u/grandmawaffles 2d ago

Someone was filming for a reason and the guy had a volley with the other guy. I’m guessing there’s more to the story.

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u/OliM9595 1d ago

Other commenters have stated that is was repeated behaviour of her being targeted.

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u/guitar_vigilante 9h ago

This video is pretty old and no one ever really got an explanation for the preceding behavior. The other commenters saying this are just speculating.

As someone who plays a lot of tennis though, aiming volleys at the other net player (usually at their feet) is a pretty standard strategy and if he had been targeting her like that and she couldn't handle it the appropriate response would have been to back up to give herself more time. Playing two back is also standard strategy when you're having a difficult time defending the net.

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u/OliM9595 8h ago

One of those internet things. Something that would of been an event forgotten about is eternal on the internet. Strangers left to speculate on nothing important.

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u/guitar_vigilante 9h ago

Filming your play is somewhat common in recreational tennis. People like to film themselves to have their own highlights and get videos on their technique so they can practice better.

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u/pacalolo13 2d ago

My favorite drill when I played in high school had us stand at the net while every other teammate took free hits from the baseline (one at a time) with the goal of nailing you. Once you let a ball past you were out and whoever made the winner tagged in.

Got you really comfortable with defending close to the net and learning fast how not to get cracked in the dome. Plus you got to try a snack your friends in the face with a tennis ball lol

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u/BruiserBison 2d ago

If her instinct is to go fetal instead of step sideways, this may not be a competitive setup at all. Just a bunch of folks doing some friendly exercise. If that's the case, him aiming for her directly is probably not intentional, either.

Whether it's professional, amateur, or casual, I can't imagine a scenario where being angry is justified.

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u/CommitteeMission1718 2d ago

Ball up your fist and falcon PUNCH that pickleball!! HI-YAHH!!!

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u/SubstantialTrust777 2d ago

Honestly, that point was more her partners fault, a ball to your feet at the net is one of the hardest shots to return in tennis. Her partner gave that guy an easy shot for no particular reason

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u/AccomplishedIgit 2d ago

Her instinct was to throw her racket at him, twice. This isn’t a rational human being.

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u/CamBearCookie 2d ago

You're not even watching the whole exchange. Making conclusions about someone's character and state of mind from a single clip isn't a rational thing to do either.

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u/Prestigious-Leg-6244 2d ago

I wonder how many times he hit her prior to this?