What is the best way to counter a3/a4 or h3/h4 in opening?

I keep seeing a3/a4 or h3/h4 being played and I'm not sure how to counter it properly. I feel like there should be something I can do to take advantage because it doesn't really do anything in the beginning of the game. I guess it defends the ruy lopez. a4 and h4 are totally random to my eyes. I'm an amateur so sorry if these are bad questions.

Thanks you in advance.

Things they don't do:
-Control the center. Take advantage of this by placing some pawns in the center.

-Develop pieces. a5/h5 doen't really help develop the rook, because after you play d4/e4 the rooks 'developing' square (h6 or a6) is covered by your bishop (c1 or f1). A bishop for a rook would be favourable for you.
Since they dont develop pieces you should start developing yours with d4/e4 to help bishops or nf3/nc3.

-Help the king get to safety. This goes hand in hand with development but It doesn't get them closer to castling, so make your king safer than theirs.

Just develop normally. The other player has basically wasted a move and handed you the advantage on a plate. There's no need to bust a gut looking for a forced win.

attack the centre with your usual developing moves

Alright, so just develop normally. It is just a little irritating. 

Thank you for the help.

Resign!!!

LOL

Play d5 or e5, they're just trying to draw you into something unfamiliar. 

a4 or a3 or h3/h4 are bad moves...so occupy center with ur pawns develop kinght bishop ..start attack try to catch enemy king in center...u can prepare for ur game with CPU or any engine gor this kind of moves

Good info! So what if the player keeps advancing the wing pawn(s) down the side? It's so frustrating eventually having to respond by abandoning center development!

You could try the 4 move mate i did that once

Thanks! I'm relatively new to the game. It's frustrating trying to focus on the center and develop pieces with the intention of expediting castling while being distracted by the opponent's a, h pawns. I feel like a boxer trying to box using sound fundamentals while the opponent keeps distracting with "oh, look at the hand grenade over there!" distraction tactic! Everyone says it should be easy to beat someone who wastes moves -- losing tempos -- by repeatedly moving one or two pieces in the opening. I guess I'll just have to figure it out with growing experience. Thanks! Any other thoughts?

H5

That would be a terrible move

I looked up such games in a database that includes beginners' games. Here are the generalities I saw that could be made...

(1) After 1. P-R4 (meaning 1. a4 or 1. h4), Black has a choice of: (a) completely ignoring the move and playing the default e-pawn game via 1...e5, or (b) Playing the center pawn on the opposite side as the pawn move (meaning 1. a4 e5 or 1. h4 d5). An advantage of this last strategy is that players weak enough to play P-R4 often follow it with R-R3 whereupon Black wins the exchange (and therefore the game) already at the 2nd move with ...BxR.

(2) After 1. P-R4 P-M4 (meaning 1...e5 or 1...d5), White tends to follow one of these ideas: (a) Push Variation--what you mentioned--where he moves the same rook pawn another square; (b) Plays a middle pawn move as if he never intended to play his first (stupid) move; (c) Moves the opposite rook pawn in the same (stupid) manner (meaning 1. a4 2. h4 or 1. h4 2. a4).

(3) If White uses the Push Variation as described, then Black has two main choices: (a) Block that pawn with P-R3 so it can't advance farther and cause problems; (b) Ignore the push and move the other center pawn out to form a center pawn duo of ...d5 and ...e5.

(4) If Black chose to ignore White's second push of P-R5, then White commonly plays another push with P-R6. In that case Black has two common responses: capture the white pawn with NxP (meaning ...Nxa6 or ...Nxh6), or play P-N3 (meaning ...b6 or ...g6) to render that overadvanced pawn useless with intent to capture it later.

Here are some screen snaps of opening moves and statistics to show what I mean:

a3 is not a bad move, it takes black out of his books and forces him to think from the start. Objectively it would be =  but it is easy for black to try to go on tilt and try to punish white, even though he has done nothing wrong.

Best reply maybe g6 to cut across whites usual plan of going b4 and fianchettoing the Bishop, but even so black just equal, and as GMs are so fond of telling us all openings are now equal

Really great stuff. Many, many thanks!!!