How to Hit a Solid Volley
The volley is an offensive and delicate shot that can help us finish off dogged opponents who return every ball back. In this video we will be looking at the technique for hitting a solid volley and a drill you can do at home to practice.
What’s Covered in this Video
Footwork: Here we look at how to get into the correct stance to hit our volleys. We will be adopting a closed-stance.
Using the Continental grip: Proven and tested over many years from players around the world, the continental grip is the best grip to use for the volley. If you are unsure of how to hold the continental grip, check out our video on tennis grips!
Open racket face: If you find that your volleys are going into the net, you should open your racket face more. Let’s keep that racket face open for our volleys.
Stable wrist: No need for any wrist flicking. You should keep our wrist locked and stable if you want to hit solid volleys.
Short racket movement: You want to keep your movement for the volley short and punchy. No need for big racket swings.
Common Mistakes
Using the incorrect grip: Often players who are just starting out will try to use the same grip that they use on their groundstrokes to hit their volleys. You want to ensure that you use the correct grip: the continental grip.
Taking back the racket: Some of us may be taking back our rackets, leading us swinging at the ball. When we are close to the net there’s no need to swing at the ball; therefore, no backswing is needed. Just a simple short movement to hit our volleys.
Trying to do too much: Sometimes we may get a little too excited and reach out too far in front of us to hit our volleys. This causes us to be off balance and we will be unable to execute a solid volley. We must ensure that we maintain proper form on all our shots.
Drills
A simple basket and ball drill for you to do at home. Just grab your racket, some balls and any basket-like object you have at home to use as a target. We are going to be trying to volley the ball into the basket! In this video Joseph demonstrates the drill and how it is good for practicing your control and precision with the ball and racket.
"The Philosophical Tennis Player: Thinking Your Way To Winning" offers a unique perspective on the sport of tennis. This book provides guidance inspired by philosophy to help you rethink the game and reach your peak performance. The author breathes life into abstract philosophical concepts, transforming them into tangible strategies everyone can use to become a successful player. Readers will gain insight into the psychological aspects of tennis and recognise the timeless values that extend beyond the confines of the court.
About The Author
Darren Teo is the founder of Play! Tennis, the most Google reviewed tennis academy in Singapore. His passion for making tennis accessible to everyone regardless of their age, experience and ability continues to drive his work at the school. He is a thought leader in LinkedIn with 14,000 followers.