Private Lessons
The Volley: More Types and Tactics

by Scott Murphy

Being a successful volleyer means being able to handle a variety of shots and tactical situations. We looked at some of these in the last article. Let’s examine more of these types and tactics:

• the half volley
• the swinging volley
• the lob volley
• the body shot.

The Half Volley

A half volley is, of course, a volley-oriented shot that takes a bounce before you hit it. Most people think of this exclusively as a "short-hop" shot, but as far as I’m concerned, wherever it is, as long as it bounces first and you hit it like a volley, it’s a half volley.

Most half volleys require that you use a short backswing, contact the ball on the rise, and follow through towards your target. The only exception would be on a high bouncing ball near the baseline. In this instance, because you’re well back in the court, a bigger backswing, and a long, straight out forward swing would be a must.

The short hop half volley, made when the ball bounces right at your feet, is a very important shot to have in your tennis toolbox. Although it probably occurs most often during a transition from the baseline to the net (serve and volleyers know only too well), it can occur anywhere on the court.

Newcomers to this shot are often intimidated by it and at the slightest hint that the ball will land at their feet, they’ll retreat in an effort to take a full swing. (Sometimes, in fact, if you can’t comfortably short hop the ball and there’s time, it IS better to pull up and hit a groundstroke). But this is truly one of those shots that, once you get it, you can’t believe how relatively easy it is.

When learning this shot I have my students try and relate to a sound cue of "ba-bump." The "ba" represents the ball hitting the court, and the "bump" is the ball hitting your strings.

There should be no delay between these sounds, which reflects the ball hitting the strings almost immediately after it hits the ground. If there’s a delay between the sounds, it means you’re either leaning back, or stepping back and lifting your racquet to buy some time. At that point, this type of half volley will be out of sync. Consequently, the shot will actually become more difficult because you’ll be playing it too defensively. Remember, that in all other aspects this is basically like hitting a low volley that bounced the moment before you hit it.

The Swinging Volley

The swinging volley is no longer a cutting edge shot in today’s game. It’s simply a groundstroke that’s hit before the ball bounces. Some people would argue that this shot is nothing more than an excuse to avoid learning how to REALLY volley; that it’s more an aberration of a dyed in the wool baseliner finding him or herself in volley country.

However it may have evolved (Andre Agassi, the Williams sisters, and Monica Seles come to mind), I think it’s a shot that can be used to great effect, but certainly not one that should be used exclusively as your volley.

This is a shot that has "point ender" written all over it, although not to the extent that you forget about good balance, timing and the mechanics required of a solid groundstroke. It’s not something you should try on a ball below the net, and in fact, just like a traditional volley, shoulder height is really the best spot to hit it.

I personally use it most often as an approach shot and hit it just like my topspin forehand. It’s also a good shot if someone had you pinned at the baseline with high, looping balls. You sneak in, crack one out of the air, and then close in on the net.

Lob Volley

The lob volley is played over an opponent who’s also at the net. You tend to see it more often in doubles. You need to feel the ball and hit the shot with some touch and a little underspin.

The most common scenario in singles is when a player rushes in on a short ball and his attempted pass is intercepted and lobbed back over him. This takes advantage of his forward momentum and the fact that it’s difficult to make a direction change. It’s a great ploy, as long as you get the ball over your opponent's head. If you don’t, you’re looking down the barrel of an overhead in close proximity.

Body Shots

What should you do when you’re at the net and a ball is hit right at your body? The main criterion is the amount of time you have. On a slower ball you can move around it and hit what amounts to a fairly normal volley. For instance, if you are a right hander, step to your left with the left foot and then swing the right foot around behind the left to create the necessary room. With time, you can even push off the right, or back leg, to further energize the shot.

When there’s little or no time to side step a body shot, a backhand volley is required. Although this is usually a pretty defensive shot, it can literally be a lifesaver.

Keep in mind that this won’t be your garden-variety backhand volley. The arm will be bent throughout with the elbow leading to the outside.

It’s important to really firm up the wrist. Most of the time, it will amount to nothing more than a block, but as you get better at it you may be able to move the racquet forward.

People sometimes ask me if there’s a better way to volley incoming balls that have topspin or underspin. With topspin, my first advice is to try and play it before it drops appreciably. Low volleys are tough enough, and with topspin, the lower it gets, the nastier it is to play. Wherever you wind up playing it, be sure to keep your wrist firm and don’t try anything fancy.

With underspin, the first thing is to resist the temptation to try to clobber it, because it’s usually coming slowly. The most effective underspin pass is one that stays low and has little pace, gives you nothing to work with and yet tempts you to make something more out of it than you should.

This may be a good time to play an angled drop volley, however, most of the time you should try and play it deep or hit a short angle and be ready to play another volley. As a matter of fact, when it comes to placing the majority of your volleys, you’ll be in good shape if you can hit them deep, angled short, or possibly a combination of the two. The great players usually play the high percentage volleys and expect to play a second one.

At the start of a match, if I know nothing about an opponent except what I learned in the warm-up, I will set a precedent of volleying to the open court to see how he responds. Players with great speed will often do very well in this situation. Either way, it sets up the option of wrong-footing them. It’s very important to do this at least occasionally, otherwise your opponent will get a comfortable head start in pursuit of your volley. You have to keep them guessing!

It’s been said many times that the volley is the simplest and easiest shot in the game. Well, maybe if you’re right on top of the net and your opponent throws up a lollypop. The reality is, before the volley becomes a solid part of your game, it takes as much know how, practice, and hard work as any other stroke. Ultimately, the road to becoming a competent volleyer is fun, challenging, and exciting; you won’t regret it and you’ll be a better player for it.

Next: How to practice the volley and some of my favorite drills for developing the shots we’ve covered in these articles.

Scott Murphy is from Marin County, California where he started playing tennis at age 5 in a family of tennis nuts. Both of his parents were major influences in his development. He also took lessons from Marin legend Hal Wagner and former top 10, Harry Roach.

He's a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley where he played baseball and football but continued to work on his tennis game with the renowned coach Chet Murphy.

Scott Murphy directs the Nike Tahoe Junior and Adult Tennis Camps at the Granlibakken Resort in Tahoe City, California.

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