Reboot Your Game: The Volley

Dave Smith, Senior Editor

If you establish the goal of making significant improvements to your tennis game, whether it be a new-year’s resolution or simply a recognition that you have not gained ground on your opponents, you must develop a definitive “blueprint” on how to implement improvements and make them permanent.

In my 35 years teaching tennis, I’ve seen countless players with the best of intentions make the commitment to improve only to witness them fail to make any significant progress. The reason for this failure can be due to many issues, not just one swing or stroke element. And that is the problem, they often fixate on only one element when, in reality, there are many things contributing to their stagnation. In addition, players often don’t know how to train for the changes they want to implement, nor do they know how to integrate changed strokes into competition.

While some players may indeed recognize what they should be doing, because of previously ingrained patterns, and other factors, players don’t know how to effectively drill a shot to make it become competent. And, human nature being what it is, these players soon revert to their ingrained, less effective but more comfortable stroke patters.

The Volley

Within this series, we are going to start with addressing the volley. When I watch players play the game, there are usually two strokes I can observe and quickly determine a player’s ability. These two strokes are the second serve and the volley. I’ll save addressing the serve for my next article. However, with regards to the volley, I only need to watch one forehand and one backhand to essentially determine a player’s level of play. While it is true that many players can play a competitive game of singles with a low-level volley (assuming they have significant groundstroke expertise), doubles play is certainly dependent on being able to volley well in order to compete at higher levels.

Also, because the grip used on the advanced foundation volley is similar to that of the slice backhand and forehand, the drop-shot, and even the lob and serve (because the lob and especially the serve at advanced levels are hit with continental grips, which advanced volleys also use), if a player is using the more rudimentary eastern forehand and backhand grips, it is almost certain they will not be proficient in these other strokes as well.

Key Points

As most players have heard or read at some point, the continental grip is the grip-of-choice among skilled players for the volley. Yet, if this is true, why is it so many players don’t use it? The answer is simple: the continental grip is a weaker grip in that the hand is not behind the racquet, and therefore is not as comfortable as the stronger eastern grip. In addition, because the elements in using the continental grip are usually foreign (turning sideways as opposed to facing the on-coming ball, waiting for the ball longer, and associated footwork patterns), players simply find the continental grip very perplexing.

So, the first step in learning the volley—as well as the other strokes that use the continental grip—is to gain a true familiarity and comfort level with this very important grip. When I’m working with beginners, the first grip we practice and the drills we use all focus on the continental grip. And, in working with players who are struggling with the volley, this is also the first step.

Bounces and Catches

While the continental grip is arguably the most difficult grip to master for most players, this should in no way be a limiting factor. It is so easy to gain comfort and familiarity with this grip if players do some very basic drills…drills that can be done literally anywhere!!

But the first step, even before we attempt any drills is to know how to find the continental grip. If you already know this grip you can move right to the drills. If not, check out this short video clip where I’ll describe ways to find the grip easily and without fail.

Down and Up Bounces

These first drills are relatively simple. However, many players don’t do them correctly or don’t do them in a way that ensures the drill is effective. The first drill is “down bounces,” and the second drill is “up bounces.”

While you are working the grip in the up bounces drill, you can also establish an advanced foundation practice of the backhand volley by keeping your elbow straight while making your up-bounces.

Advanced Bounces

Advanced bounces include the following: Down bounces trying to bounce the ball onto a target; up bounces by making ten bounces near the throat of the racquet, ten in the center, ten near the tip of the racquet and repeat. (While obviously we don’t try to hit away from the center of the string bed, this intentional control of the ball in this manner really fine-tunes the student’s ability to control the racquet.)

“Catches”

You can add difficulty and racquet control even further with the catching drill. Toss the ball up with the racquet and simply catch it over and over again. In addition, you can practice catching on each side of the racquet, simulating forehands and backhands.

These very simple drills done for only a few minutes several times a day will quickly allow a student to gain both comfort and familiarity with the continental grip. In addition, the drills strengthen the wrist and fingers of the student as they do these drills. Increase the number of bounces and catches to increase the degree of confidence with these grips. An added benefit, these drills help train hand-eye coordination as well!

Volley Technique

These bouncing drills described above actually do a great job in training the student in the dynamics of the volley in general. Here is a list of key position points you will want to check off as you develop your new volley technique:

1. Keep the racquet head up relative to the angle of the wrist

2. Keep the hitting arm straight on the backswing, contact and finish on the backhand volley

3. The volley is a slight high-to-low stroke but it is not a chopping motion. As you develop the volley and are able to handle harder hit, and lower hit balls, the slice volley becomes a very important concept.

4. Turn sideways: a 90 degree turn on the backhand side and about a 45 – 70 degree turn on the forehand side. Drive forward with the front foot at contact. This footwork will have some variation as a player begins to play at higher levels, but the training of this footwork will facilitate the player's development.

5. Set and Hold: This concept is to "set" the racquet face to the desired target on the turn; after contact, hold this contact point position for a moment after the volley is hit.

6. Keep your back foot back. If your foot steps through at contact, your body will open up. This may cause you to pull the shot or end up decelerating the volley to prevent this action.

Toss and Block Drills

Another set of drills I like (and again, these drills don’t require a tennis court) are what I call “Toss and Block” drills. Just as their name implies, two players can use a single racquet and a single tennis ball to do every drill. (Awesome for training large groups of players in limited space!) The idea is simple: One player tosses a ball to a player who volleys it back to the tossing player. There are so many variations and expansions to this simple drill that it can be used to train beginners to highly skilled players. It can be used to teach not just the volley but the half volley as well as groundstrokes…all without the use of a court.

Here is a list of drills you can do as well as things to work on:

1. Toss underhand to the backhand volley. The player working on the volley starts in a ready position facing the partner. For beginners, the player can turn early and set the racquet early ("Set and Hold" principle as described above), find the ball and block it back to the tossing player. This drill can be worked on the backhand or forehand side. Repeat at least 20 times. If working with another, switch roles and repeat.

2. The next level would be to add a slight slicing action to the above drill. Use the arm to move the racquet downward (not the wrist).

3. Having the tossing player hold their hand up immediately following the toss to train the player working on the volley to aim at the hand. (This is a more advanced stage of the drill as the action of making the volley while paying attention to the target hand in their peripheral sight is an advanced skill.

4. Alternate the tosses from forehand to backhand volley is the next level, again, using the tossing player's hand as a target after each toss.

5. Tossing high and low volleys is the next skill level, training the player to bend the knees to get low and still keep the racquet head up.

6. Finally, random tosses to all volleys is the next step.

Make sure you are maintaining good form during each of these drills. The nice thing about toss and block drills is the player can really focus on the technical parts of the shot; there is no net, no opponent, and no penalty for a miss, only the chance to replicate the same shot over and over.

This drill can be extrapolated to include half volleys and even groundstrokes. Using a short stroke, this drill can effectively work these shots in a controlled situation. I’ll discuss the groundstroke methodology and strategies in the next set of articles.

Half Volley

While the half volley is in reality closer to a mini-groundstroke in the action of the racquet, it still integrates the continental grip in its execution. Because a player that is coming to the net must be ready for the fastest potentially hit shot, the player needs to be using the continental grip. The half volley is hit, however, with a slight topspin action coming up with the ball off the bounce instead of the slicing action associated with the volley.

On-court Drills

On the court I always start my students hitting sharp, crosscourt angle volleys. There are several reason for this teaching strategy:

• It facilitates the use of the continental grip faster
• It trains players that strength is not needed for the volley
• It is a more manageable shot than hitting deep crosscourt or deep down the line
• It makes players become more dimensional as it teaches that they don’t have to just hit deep

Building upon the angle volley, I add movement to drills. This teaches the player to “reach with the feet not with the racquet”.

There are hundreds of drills you can employ to help solidify your volley technique. Please review the many volley articles and drills found here in the TennisOne.com Lesson Library.

Conclusion

The volley is a fairly simply stroke yet there are many things that players do that not only make the stroke more complex, but literally prohibit them from mastering the forehand and backhand volley and taking them to higher levels.

Here is a brief list of common mistakes players do when working on the volley:

1. Bending the Elbow on the Backhand Volley — This action causes the player to take the racquet back too far, lowers the degree of leverage the arm can provide, and often lead to tennis elbow.

2. Facing the Net — As we learn growing up, we tend to face oncoming objects in order to catch them. (Think baseball or football or just about anything tossed to you) The volley is a stroke that works best when we move our arm across our body. Facing the net on the volley causes the player to push away from the body thereby diminishing the optimal force you could apply, diminishing the angles that are available, and simply limiting virtually every advanced component of the stroke.

3. Hitting too Flat — This is very common. Players often believe they have to square the racquet face to the ball for the volley. Unfortunately, most volleys we hit are dipping as they come towards us. Thus, any ball hit with a flat racquet face will reflect downward off that face. We see this a lot when player is faced with a shoulder-high volley, hitting flat and then wondering why the ball wound up in the bottom of the net!

4. Not Hitting with Enough Slice — Hitting with underspin on the volley does many positive things: A) Slice takes velocity off the ball and allows a player to firmly direct a low ball upward to clear the net yet still keep it in play. B) Adding slice, even on higher balls, allows a player to drive the ball with a firm stroke and not have it sail out. C) Slice can increase the ability to hit more severe angle volleys without hitting them wide.

5. Changing the Racquet Face — Many players dish, flip, slap, roll or change the racquet face within the contact phase of the volley. This, obviously, changes the racquet face at the most critical point of the volley. Remember the phrase, “Set and Hold” as this will help players avoid this common flaw in their volley technique.

I suggest you do some research and review many of the ProStrokes and volley lessons in the Lesson Library here at TennisOne. There is a wealth of information at your fingertips that can help you develop your volley into a true weapon!

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Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Dave Smith's article by emailing us here at TennisOne .

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