Tag: tennis volley

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Tennis Strokes

Through the years I’ve given lots of tips regarding specific strokes and tactics. I think it’s good, once in a while, to step back, get general, and look at the basics. Below are some basics to the main strokes in tennis. You’ll see a theme in all of them, consistency.

Serve – Starting the point. That is the main purpose of this stroke. It is also the most important thing to remember. Start the point. Players at all levels get caught up trying to do too much with their serve and forget that to win your serve, you’ve got to get it in (preferably on the first serve). So how do you get it in? 1. Take a little off of it. The pros can blast aces, you can blast faults. 2. Reach up and hit the ball at the highest point you can. If you climb a ladder to the point where you contact the ball, you can see more of the service box over the net. The higher you hit the ball, the better your chance of hitting the box. 3. Add topspin to your serve. Use a continental grip (like holding a hammer), swing up with a motion from about 7 to 1 on the clock face.

Forehand – Once again the name of the game is consistency. And once again, one of the best ways to be more consistent is with topspin. With topspin you can hit the ball harder and deeper in the court, and give your opponent a difficult ball to hit. Use a western or semi-western grip (like holding a frying pan) and swing from low to high. Your follow through should go over your opposite shoulder.

Backhand – You guessed it, get it in. This one’s a little trickier. One hand, two hand, slice, drive. Your skill level and type of backhand determine the exact technique, but consistency is still the number one priority. 

Volley – Most people make the volley more difficult than it needs to be. Use a continental grip (like holding a hammer). Keep the racket out in front of you, step forward, and punch or block the ball. There should be little to no back swing.

 Overhead – There are a few important things to remember here… 1. Get the racket up into the ready position (back scratch position)  2. Turn your body sideways to the ball (similar to the serve stance).  3. Point your other hand at the incoming ball. This will force you to turn your shoulders and get the racket arm in the loaded position. Remember to keep your feet moving and use small shuffle steps to adjust to the flight of the ball.

Remember, consistency only comes through practice, focused practice. So get out there and practice the basics!

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Be a Closer at the net

A sure way to win more doubles matches is by closing in to the net so that you can finish(win) points by hitting un-returnable angles. By moving forward, racket up and ready, you can volley the ball from a higher point, producing better angles. When done correctly, your volleys will be off the court before your opponents can make a move for them. The best news is, that the closer you are to the net the less you have to swing.

I had the pleasure of watching Dennis Van Der Meer demonstrate this principle in a most unique way at one of his tennis facilities in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. It was an amazing site, especially since he was winning points at the net against a high level junior player…WITHOUT A RACKET. Van Der Meer grabbed the lid from a water cooler, held it in front of him and had the junior player blast ground strokes at him from the baseline. He stepped diagonally forward, pointed the lid in the direction he wanted the ball to go and proceeded to put away volley after volley! By meeting the ball at a high point, in front of his body, close to the net, he was able to hit the ball at an angle that was off the court, into the fence in many cases, before the other player could move.

   Of course even with perfect technique, success also depends on your opponents trying to hit passing shots, not lobs. If your opponents have good lobs, or exceptionally good passing shots(low and/or away from you), you may have to adjust your court position/strategy.

 Generally speaking, the doubles team that can close in on the net and create winning volley angles, wins the match. Practice this strategy with your partner and watch your winning percentage grow

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Tennis Volley form

keep a ball up your sleeve to help

  Keeping your upper arm close to your body is important for a good volley. It keeps the shot compact and stable. A  good way to practice this is to put a tennis ball under your arm pit and hit a few low volleys. If the ball falls out, your arm is moving too far away from your body.

This exercise also emphasizes another aspect of good volley form. It forces you to generate power by stepping diagonally forward with your body instead of swinging. Spend a few minutes fine tuning your volley form with this exercise and watch your volley consistency soar. Spend too much time with this exercise and watch your arm pit “sore”.

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Slice Approach shot

Since we have been talking about the slice backhand the last 2 weeks, let’s explore one of the ways you can use it. One, often overlooked, offensive weapon in tennis is the slice approach shot. A slice approach stays low, giving your opponent a hard passing shot to hit. Plus, after hitting rallies of topspin balls, an opponent will, many times, overrun an approaching slice, causing an error. Lets examine the execution.

An approach shot is one used as you come forward towards the net. Normally you would chose this shot when you are moving forward to get a “short ball”(one roughly in the middle of the court), but you could hit an approach shot when returning a serve or in the middle of a ground stroke rally. One mistake or misconception that some people have is the need to come to a stop when you hit an approach shot. By definition, you are approaching the net….moving forward. You don’t want to take away that court position advantage by stopping the forward momentum to hit the approach shot. So how do you hit an effective approach without stopping and without running through it? The answer depends on whether it is a backhand or a forehand approach.

  1. Backhand slice approach-“dance to the net”..use a karaoke step to hit the approach while continuing your forward momentum. This step allows you to continue forward momentum while putting your body in the correct, closed position (body perpendicular to the net) for hitting a slice backhand. See the video below for a great demonstration of the karaoke step versus the “inside step” on a backhand.
  2.  Forehand slice approach-“power volley” the approach…the stroke is basically a forehand volley with extra punch. The key is to studder step as you come forward so that as you hit it, you are stepping into the shot with your opposite leg (left leg for right-handers, etc)

 

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Poaching

Poaching

   Now that we’ve worked on your volley the last few weeks, lets put it to use in doubles. Poaching may be one of the scariest moves you’ll make on the tennis court, but to be a good doubles player, it’s essential that you learn to do it well. There are four critical elements to poaching: positioning, stance, timing, and direction. Let’s take a look at each of them.

  1.  Positioning-most players stand too close to both the net and the alley to poach successfully. For best results, stand right in the middle of the service box. In this position you are right in front of the returner, who will immediately consider you more of a threat. You are also in position to intercept any return not hit perfectly crosscourt.

  2.  Stance–lower your center of gravity by widening your feet and bending your knees. In this stance you will be more balanced and able to push off to go in either direction, right or left.

  3. Timing–take off for your poach either just before or right as the returner is hitting the ball. This way you are making your move when the returner is concentrating on hitting the ball so they won’t notice you (or even better, notice you and make an error on the return).

  4. Direction–always move diagonally toward the net. Players often just move sideways(usually because they are already too close to the net). By moving forward as well, your momentum helps you punch the volley, helping to resist the urge to take the racket back for power.

 I hope these tips help you develop good poaching technique. Remember, practice, practice, practice. That goes especially for the timing part of the poach. Developing good timing on the poach will yield big results in points won.

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Backhand Reflex Volley

How to volley bodyshots

Have you ever had a shot hit right at your body when you were at the net? They are tough to handle.

The best way to hit a reflex volley on a ball hit right at your body is with a backhand grip. With a backhand you can hit balls from your chest to your right hip (for righties), and, of course, anything to your left. In contrast, the forehand volley has a much more limited range and can only handle shots on your right side.

Remember, we are talking about a reflex volley, one where you don’t have much time to react. To execute the backhand reflex volley:

  1. Make sure you always have your racket up in the ready position (chest high and pointed in front of you).
  2. Raise your elbow so that you can move the racket face in front of your body to block the ball.

Check out our previous tip, Punch the volley, for pointers for when you do have time on the volley.

The reflex backhand volley can keep you in the point, and possibly save you a bruise or two. Remember to keep that racket up and in front of you to give yourself more time on the volleys.

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Punch the volley

Some players avoid the net for fear of getting passed or they just lack confidence in their volleys. We’ll deal with fear of failure later, for now lets work on your volley.

The key to the volley is making the stroke compact.

  • keep your racket up and in a ready position, pointed straight ahead slightly above waist height, racket head higher than handle (this is very important)
  • split step(bounce lightly on the balls of both feet with body facing forward) as your opponent hits the ball
  • turn your shoulders as you read the incoming ball, keeping your racket within your shoulders 
  • step diagonally/forward in the direction of the incoming ball with the opposite foot  (example..ball is coming toward your left side, step that way with your right foot)
  • punch the ball by using a short forward swing(with little or no back swing) with a firm grip and wrist
  •  let you body’s forward momentum provide the power
  • volley the ball away (choices-between opponents, at net man’s feet, or angled away from both opponents)

Instructions are great but nothing beats video to show you how to do it right.

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Bunt the short ball

Last time we talked about hitting an aggressive approach shot off of a short ball. This week we examine what to do when you can’t quite reach the short ball while it is at a good height for an aggressive shot. Why can’t you hit an aggressive shot on a low, short ball? Because your forward momentum,  close proximity to the net, and the low height of the ball make it very difficult to swing slow enough to control the ball and keep in the court.

The solution is to bunt the ball. The bunt is basically a volley while running forward. Let’s look at the bunt.

  • As you run forward, your momentum provides all the power you need (no swing needed)

  • Run with your racket out front and push through the ball at contact (like a volley)

  • Aim the ball deep if your opponent is coming in or drop shot them if they stay back

The bunt will help you control the ball when you are at a full forward run, stay in the point, and up your winning percentage.

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Angle your Volleys 

short, angled volleys work well on a deep opponent

   Most of us only want to hit one volley in a point if we can help it. Give your opponent a second look at you at the net, and you may not get a second volley. That’s why a short, angled volley can be effective in ending the point. The angled volley is easiest when it is hit from higher than net height. If the ball is lower than the net, you’ll have to hit a drop volley to angle it. Not an easy shot.

  The best way to set yourself up for a point-ending, angled volley is to plan your approach. A deep ground stroke, especially to the back hand corner can give you time to get close enough to the net to put away the weak return from above the net. Just watch the ball and point it toward the side line. With your opponent deep in the back hand corner, this should be a winner.

  For related tactics see previous tip, “1-2 Tennis Punch”