Volley

A volley in tennis is a shot in which the ball is struck before it bounces on the ground. Generally a player hits a volley while standing near the net, although it can be executed farther back, in the middle of the tennis court or even near the baseline. The word derives from M. French volée meaning flight.

The primary objective of the volley is to go on the offensive and cut the amount of time for the opponent to react. Another advantage is that a player eliminates any possibility of a bad bounce from an uneven surface such as on some grass and clay courts. Also, if near the net, a volleyer has a wider choice of angles to hit into the opponent’s court. However, quick reflexes and hand-eye coordination are required to execute this shot. The primary means of countering a volley are the passing shot and the lob.

Generally, a player who advances to the net in the serve and volley type of game will make the initial volley fairly near the service line. The player will then move closer to the net in hopes of making a put-away volley for a winning point. It is difficult to hit an effective volley in the area between the baseline and the service line, consequently this is often called “no man’s land”.

A regular volley is hit with a short backswing and a punching stroke. While standing at the net, a player usually has no time to take a long backswing. When the ball comes at less pace, though, the volleyer can take a longer backswing to impart more force on the ball, which is called a swing volley. A player can also touch the ball lightly, so that the ball will fall just after the net. This is known as a drop volley.

Another type of volley is the drive volley. This is hit with more backswing and follow-through than a normal volley. Effectively this is a volley groundstroke and a very aggressive shot, giving your opponent less time, and can be used as a way to approach the net (approach shot).

To be effective and safe, a volley should be either (1) a drop volley that barely passes the net so the opposing player will not be able to get to it, or (2) a very sharply angled shot so that again the opponent will not be able to get to it, or (3) a hard shot that bounces very near both the opponent’s baseline and the sideline and that serves as a set-up shot in anticipation of a weak return by the opponent. Any other volley will permit the opponent to get to the ball in plenty of time to make an aggressive return shot, either a lob or a passing shot.

The lower the ball comes at the volleyer, the harder it is to hit an effective volley. In such cases, a player maybe better off to let the ball bounce and immediately hit the return on the rise rather than attempt to volley it. In this case the racquet contacts the ball almost at surface level. This tennis shot is named a half volley although it is actually no longer a volley, given that the ball has not been intercepted before it bounced. It is one of the more difficult shots in tennis as it requires both quick thinking and good reflexes; John McEnroe, Patrick Rafter and Leander Paes were considered masters of it.

The Continental grip is the most commonly used grip by professional tennis players. This grip can be used both in a forehand volley and in a backhand volley. This means that you don’t have to change your grip if you use a forehand and a backhand volley alternately. This makes this grip more popular than the other grips.

Some players use the Eastern forehand grip to hit a forehand volley, but the disadvantage of this tennis volley grip is the fact that if you want to hit a backhand volley stroke in your next shot, you need to change your grip to a continental grip.

This can be very confusing and time consuming especially for beginners.

Tennis Volleys are normally played on the net, thus its shot preparation is basically shorter compared to other shots such as groundstrokes. This makes an appropriate tennis volley preparation crucial. Late preparation can lead to a rushed shot resulting to poor executions. One of the most important tennis volley tips is to be well prepared by anticipating your opponent’s shots. Another tennis volley preparation tip is to limit your opponent’s shot choices or options so that you can react to the ball quickly. Instead of giving your opponent 5-6 shot options, limits it to 2-3 options.

There are some ways and means for you to be able to anticipate your opponent’s shots. The first thing your can do is look into and analyze your opponent’s tendencies and patterns. You can also study hints from your opponents through their shots or strokes.

Another tennis volley tip to anticipate your opponent’s shot is for you to develop or improve your correct perception of the ball’s path and spin. And lastly is to anticipate your opponent’s shot based on their court position.

Aside from anticipating your opponent’s shots, a quick response time span is also vital for a tennis volley. Developing this skill gives you a big advantage at the net considering how quick and fast tennis volley exchanges are. This skill is more vital in tennis doubles matches considering the frequency of tennis volleys in a doubles tennis match. But it is also of equal importance in a singles match especially if your opponent is a good net player.

A quick and fast response time involves your reaction time and your execution time. Your reaction can be explained as the time spend by your brain to process your opponent actions or shots made and channel that massage to your motor for the type of shots to prepare. On one hand, your execution time means the time you spend to execute the appropriate return of your opponent’s shot.

Most skilled players’ average reaction time (from the point the ball is released to the start of racket movement) is between 226 milliseconds for forehand volley and 205 ms for backhand volley. One way to improve your reaction and execution time is to do a split step. Some tennis volley tips on how to properly time your split step is explained below.

There are several ways to practice the proper tennis volley footwork preparation. Another essential tennis volley tip is to perform a timely split step and focus your balance as early as possible. For best results, you have to execute the split step as soon as your opponent makes contact with the ball. This is for you to establish your base of support.

In fact, most professional players are able to execute their split step in such a way that the execution is perfectly timed just after the opponent’s ball contact. The split step is also important for you to be able to move quickly and react to your opponents return flawlessly. A timely split step also gives you the proper balance your need to execute your return properly. In this type of footwork preparation, timing is essential.

Regular practice on tennis volley tips is necessary for beginners and amateur players to achieve the perfect split step timing. Being able to execute a well-timed split step allows you to move to the net quickly and at the same time hit the proper return. The split step is the most important footwork preparation in tennis volley shots.

These tennis volley tips show the importance of proper technique on your tennis volley. Most tennis volleys are hit with the use of a short racket swing. This abbreviated racket swing can be done by just bringing the racket back without taking a backswing. This technique is best to use when you are on the service line while executing your tennis volleys.

The second tennis volley tip is to keep your tennis volleys compact. The racket arm should not go past your shoulder point. To be able to produce enough power on your tennis volley, a perfect weight transfer should also be accomplished.

Proper weight transfer also varies between a low volley and a high tennis volley shot. In a low volley shot, the weight transfer should happen before contact while in a high volley shot, weight transfer should happen during contact. This weight transfer signifies your timely weight transfer from your back foot to your front foot.

These volley tennis tips put more emphasis on the position of your racket head during the contact. At contact, the racket face must be in a slightly open position. This means that the racket face that comes in contact with the ball must be slightly facing upwards or towards the sky. This racket face position at contact can be used either in a forehand or in a backhand volley. This position is a commonality amongst all world class volleys.

A common problem among club players is late reaction time. This causes their racket face to be positioned is a “dish” manner (racket face facing upwards fully).