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Serve and Volley Your Way to Better Tennis!

Dave Kensler - Peter Burwash International (PBI)

Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi competed against each other 34 times in singles. Sampras won 20 of the encounters; Agassi the other 14. Why is this fact important?

Because in tennis, whether singles or doubles, if you get control of the net first you will win 2/3 of the points - At any level. This assumes of course the player at net is not blowing easy volleys or missing overheads. Instead, these players are putting away the shots they expected to when they approach the net or are forcing their opponents to come up with great shots to win points.

Sampras, the serve and volley player, won almost exactly (One more win would have done it) 2/3 of his matches against Agassi, the baseline player! As great a player as Agassi is, it is simply too difficult to stand at the baseline and hit passing shot after passing shot or great lobs against a serve and volley player like Sampras.

It always surprises me when I give a lesson to someone who has been playing tennis for a number of years but still doesn’t know how to serve and volley i.e. “It seems too advanced for me” is a typical comment I hear. Or, “My serve isn’t good enough” or “My volley isn’t good enough” or “I am not fast enough” are other common replies. I even hear this one, “I am 3.0 player and my teaching pro tells me you should not start serving or volleying unless you are at least a 3.5 player!” Personally, I would never limit a student of mine with such “advice.”

I have taught the serve and volley to people within their first month of learning to play tennis! Once they learn the serve and the volley, then it is just a matter of putting them together. After the serve is in play, if a person can learn to move side to side hitting ground strokes, then they can also learn a far easier movement strategy - Run towards the net and hit the ball!

If you can Throw (Serve) – Run – Catch (Volley) then you can serve and volley! It is that simple! In fact, that is the most basic approach I use to teach the serve and volley. I have someone throw a ball from a serving position on the baseline; then run towards the net and either catch the ball they just threw which I have hit back to them or; catch another ball I have hit to them.

If you want to raise the level of your play in tennis, at some point you have to work on “shot combinations” i.e. Two different strokes used one right after the other, Approach Shot – Volley would be one. So is Volley – Overhead. The Serve and Volley is also a two shot combination. In my opinion, the earlier in your tennis playing career you can introduce shot combinations to your game, the quicker you will learn to become a better player.

For the sake of this article, let’s assume you can serve and you know how to volley but maybe haven’t combined the two shots as part of your playing style. Or maybe you already serve and volley but could use an additional tip or two. Some players need more help with the technical aspects while others it may be the strategic issues. Here are some suggestions and advice:

Grips: In a perfect world the best grip to use when serving and volleying is the Continental. Using this grip, you can serve, volley, and hit overheads all with the same grip! If you use two or three different grips to execute the sequence, it can become more complicated. However, you can still serve and volley using different grips; it just may be a little more challenging.

Where to hit your serves: Serving down the center will limit the angle of the return the receiver has. If you serve out wide, the receiver has the option of hitting down the line or crosscourt. This applies to singles or doubles.

How to run to the net: Many points are lost while serving and volleying not because people can’t serve or volley but rather because they take a poor path to the net.

For Singles: Geometry 101 - You can’t cover the entire court. So your goal is to bisect the angle of the return or in other words, put yourself in the middle of the angle the receiver has to hit their shot. The easiest way to do this is simply follow the path of your serve to the net i.e. Be right behind the ball! Many tennis players mistakenly run to the middle of the court rather than the middle of the return angle. There is a big difference!

For Doubles: Forget what applies to singles! Your partner already has half the court covered. From where you are standing to serve (Assuming a typical position half-way between the doubles sideline and center baseline mark) run straight ahead. Many people lose points because they run towards the middle of the court only to have the return hit crosscourt into their alley.

Purpose of the first volley: Generally speaking, the purpose of the first volley is not to win the point, unless you get a nice, high “floater” from your opponent! The first volley is usually a set-up for the next shot, and if executed well, will be the final shot to end the point - Either another volley or an overhead. Expect to have to hit another shot after the first volley.

Have a plan: I remember reading an article about Rod Laver and how he would decide where his first volley would be going before he hit his serve!? Meaning he had a two-step plan already in his mind - Where he would hit his serve and where he would hit his first volley. It didn’t matter where the receiver hit the return, in his mind Laver already knew where he wanted his first volley to go.

How is this an advantage? It made Laver a “proactive” serve and volley player versus “reactive." The latter being someone who hits a serve and runs towards the net only to decide where to hit the first volley once they see the type of return coming to them.

Other shots to work on: Without question you will have to practice your half-volley because opponents are going to hit some returns at your feet. Also, your overheads will need to be solid because opponents are going to try to use the lob either off your serve or first volley.

Don’t stop coming in if you are having problems: It is fascinating how tennis players will be playing poorly from the baseline yet continue to stay there. Yet when they lose a few points on a passing shot, great return, or some blown volleys, immediately they abandon the serve and volley strategy. You won’t win every point serving and volleying any more than you will win every point staying at the baseline.

Serve and volley on key points: Obviously your confidence level and the ability of your opponent will dictate how you handle big points, however, the thought process behind using the serve and volley on key points is that it forces the opponent to hit a good shot. If you serve and stay back, they can simply float a return into play if so desired; but if you are coming in they have to do something extra with the return.

Keep the receiver guessing: Hardly anyone, even the best pro players serve and volley on every point. If you can add it to your game or make it better, then you create uncertainty in the mind of your opponent. They don’t know whether you are coming in or staying back. Uncertainty leads to confusion and confusion leads to mistakes!

Practice Tips

1. Start off by simply practicing the two shots together. Hit a serve; come in and hit a volley (Have your teaching pro or friend try to return balls right to you). No points, no competition, no additional shots or play. This is essentially a 3-shot drill, serve, return, and volley. This also gives the receiver a chance to work on controlling their returns i.e. Aiming for your backhand or forehand; hitting it high or low, and so forth.

2. If I had to pick the most common problem people have when learning the serve and volley or why they struggle with their current serve and volley, it is because they don’t know how to volley while moving! They only work on their volley while standing still at the net with an occasional side to side drill. A key element to the success with this shot combination is to hit a volley while moving forward. A simple challenge I use with my students to help with this concept is once they serve their goal is not to let ball hit the ground again on their side of the net!

If you are going to play a baseline game you have to learn how to hit ground strokes while moving (Better players are going to make you run to hit the ball) and it is no different with serving and volleying. This is one of those “markers” in tennis which will take your game to the next level. Learning how to hit successful shots while moving.

Make the serve and volley part of your game and you will add a winning dimension to your style of play!

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Dave Kensler has 23 years of teaching experience with Peter Burwash International (PBI), the most successful international tennis management company. PBI directs tennis programs at 60+ exclusive resorts and clubs in 23 countries and has taught over 3 million students in their 30 year history. For information on PBI tennis destinations and employment opportunities please go to www.pbitennis.com. All PBI Tennis Professionals play with WILSON racquets and wear WILSON shoes.