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Paul Kovac	See if you can Stump the Ump... E-mail questions to Paul Kovac - your friendly on-line USATT umpire. Please note: Questions which have answers that are easily found by consulting the rules may not merit a reply.

Q: On occasion I may vocalize durring the play, maybe saying "Yes" or "Allright" and my opponant grabs the ball in the air and yells "My point". It really ruins my enjoyment of the game. Is there a degree of verbality that's acceptable or none at all?

- submitted by Anonymous

A: There is a limit to what you can say or do during play. Only a qualified umpire can decide what's within the rule and what's not. In any case, unless you you use offensive language or say something which could bring the sport into disrepute, a qualified umpire would stop play and give you a warning before penalizing you by awarding point to your opponent.

- answered by Paul Kovac - your friendly on-line USATT umpire