Ruling on Spring Attack

[Noedig]

One of my players, who is also an experienced 3.5 DM, believes that someone who Spring Attacks can only move directly toward the creature it wants to attack, and then directly away. He believes that you should not be allowed to run around (as in 'C' shaped) the person being attacked without provoking AoO from the creature, even though the feat specifically states that the attacker does not provoke AoO from the creature being attacked.

He believes a creature with Combat Reflexes would get to hit the spring attacker if it moved in this manner.

I disagree.

Thoughts?

[tyckspoon]

He's wrong. That's.. basically all there is to it. Spring Attack simply allows you to split your move action with your attack action; you can use that move action to do anything you could normally do while moving.

[Hirax]

Your friend is talking nonsense. Anything you could do during a regular move action you can do during a spring attack. Spring attack says nothing about whether you need to move in any particular direction. This is probably some made up BS 'rule' for the sake of verisimilitude based on what they visualize in their head when they think of spring attack.

[Noedig]

Ok that is exactly what I thought. Thanks a lot.