Let please!

Can you call a let and then still play the ball?

That was a question at the Advanced Juniors coaching session this Saturday. Well a lot of people think that playing the ball means that you have put up with the interference or blocking and have played on so the rally continues and you can't ask for a let. But the real rule is that the rally stops at the point when you call 'Let please' and the referee should look at the position then to decide on the let call. So in a way it is irrelevant whether you can't stop your racquet in time and actually hit the ball.

Don't expect people to follow this rule since it is fixed in peoples' heads that you can't ask after hitting. Hitting the ball does harm your claim for a let since it shows that you can actually reach the ball. But the rules say you should have space for a complete shot aimed at the front wall. This includes a reasonable follow-through so if you don't think you had that then they are crowding you and you deserve a let - or a stroke.

Some people also have a rule in their head that if it was a clearly a penalty stroke to you but you can't stop yourself and your racquet hits the ball then you can only have a let. I can't find that in the rules - so long as you called for a let before the racquet hit the ball and so long as it is clear you weren't playing a proper stroke then you should be able to get your penalty stroke. But I suppose the hit-no-stroke idea is a reasonable rule-of-thumb for a referee so best not to argue about it.

Remember that you can't go back on a let call and then say you were playing on if it works out that your half-hearted shot wins you the rally! The rally stops at the point of the appeal. And if the referee disagrees that you were badly impeded in your play then it will be 'no let' in any case.

The new rules give us all a responsibility to try hard to keep the rally going - we have to make every effort to get to and play the ball. Provided of course that your opponent is also making every effort to get out of the way. So getting to the ball but then calling a let and playing a half-hearted shot does not fit in with the spirit of that rule. A referee may ask you not to make a habit of doing this. Better to make a big show of not playing the ball.