Reward offered for anyone who has seen the stealth fault. Every day on every court it materializes but it is unseen by all there. No one can catch the dirty little bugger in action it seems. During the 2002 National Pickleball Championship held here at the Villages “The Stealth” caused more complaints than any other. So in 2003 the NPC put officials in every court to watch for good old Stealthy and there were some claimed sightings but few every validated. If you will look under “Stealth Faults” in the dictionary you will find this description: (stelth/fol-te// by Georgie). The Stealth Fault begins at the end of one’s leg and comes in all shapes, colors and sizes. If a stealth fault is brought to the attention of the perpetrator, it causes wide-eyed glares, body posturing that a professional contortionist would be proud of, and an immediate heated verbal denial by most. A rare floppy-eyed pouting by the guilty has also been reported”. In pickleball the stealth fault is known as a “non-volley zone foot fault”.
Let me share with you some of the history of the non-volley zone or NVZ. In the beginning there was none. You could walk right up to the net and “sock the toot” out of the ball. Bullies remembered that badminton, from which pickleball has its roots, had a 6 foot zone in front of the net and this gave them an idea. They created a 6 ½ foot “penalty zone” and said no volleys could ever be hit inside this zone. The size of the penalty zone is now 7 feet and it has been renamed the NVZ. Three years ago I researched foot faults by reading every book (all four of them) on the rules of pickleball. “The OTHER Racquet Sorts,” by Dick Squires barely mentions the NVZ but some of the pickleball history in Squires’ book was quite interesting to read. “Pickleball for Players/Teacher,” by Joyce M. Curtis has one short paragraph on the NVZ but please don’t go out and buy this book because it’s “awful.” I have a copy and I’ll pay you a small fee to take it off my hands. “The Official Pickleball Handbook,” by Mark Friedenberg has more to say about how to hold the paddle than it does the NVZ. “The Official Pickleball Tournament Rulebook,” by the USAPA, United States Amateur Pickleball Association, has four short paragraphs on the NVZ (same as The Village Rules). I read these books to discover one simple thing -- Who calls foot faults? Not the first thing is printed in any of these books that clarify that responsibility. So, I decided to call the three men (Joel Prichard, Bill Bell and Barney McCullum) who invented this game back in 1965 and ask “Who calls foot faults?” Joel and Bill have passed away but good old Barney is alive and still playing in the Seattle area. He said, “The same players that make line calls on their own side of the net. Now go away and don’t bother me again.” (I’m sure given enough time I could grow to like Barney). That means you call it on yourself or on your partner. The folks on the other side of the net (called opponents) who may, or may not have a better view, have no say unless asked. Here is what I suggest you do because I know you want to be fair. If you are playing at the NVZ and hit a winner against your opponent, look down immediately to see where your feet are and if you see a foot on or over the line (or think one might have been) call a fault on yourself or your partner. Your honesty is your reward for having seen the elusive Stealth Fault. | 
