volley help

[commiboi]

In matches, when i play at the net and i volley, my volley shots always go high and sometimes even goes out, how do i fix this. Also, when I play at the net, how do i prevent ppl from just hitting a hard ball past me.


Thanks

[tenisjugador]

Balls are going out for one of several reasons, the most common being swinging in your volleys. Don't bring your racket back at all. If you don't want the ball to get past you, split-step (a tiny hop) right when your opponent makes impact with your racket way out in front of you. Use proper footwork (cross over with your opposite foot) to get to the ball and take it ahead of you so that the racket moves forward the entire time (NO BACKSWING AT ALL). Just in case, as far as basics go, you should be using continental grip, and make sure your racket face isn't tilted too high up.

[Il Mostro]

The wall is your best friend for perfecting volleys. Stand close to the wall and go at it. You will not have time to overdo the back swing (or swing through the ball) and will not be successful unless your strings are in the right position and your wrist is properly hinged. You will also develop a soft touch. I am not one for drills against the wall, but this really works -- and it works without over-thinking. Work your way up to 75+ consecutive good volleys from either side and you will pretty much be *there*. On volleys, the wall forces you to get it right.

[BU-Tennis]

I have, or had, the same trouble on my volleys. I used a continental grip, didn't take a big swing, and made contact correctly but the ball kept popping up. One thing i realized is that the wrist must flex upon impact to absorb the pace of the ball. This can be simplified if you just think about trying to add slice to every volley (except for low ones below the net, they need to be hit up and over) this will keep the ball low and skidding through the court. Watch footage of sampras, navratilova, and mcenroe, they always seem to be absorbing impact and/or slicing underneath the ball. Its important though to not relax the hand with the wrist, keep the racquet firm but allow the wrist to naturally flex, this keeps control but adds just the right amount of underspin.

[junbumkim]

if you volleys are keep popping up, that means you are dropping your wrist or racket head is not above your wrist.

if you keep hitting your volleys long, then you are catching it late.

Keep your elbow out in front of your body all the time with weight moving forward, just try to make the contact with the ball.

[Cindysphinx]

if you volleys are keep popping up, that means you are dropping your wrist or racket head is not above your wrist.

if you keep hitting your volleys long, then you are catching it late.

Keep your elbow out in front of your body all the time with weight moving forward, just try to make the contact with the ball.

Also failure to step into volleys (flat-footed, spread-eagled position) can cause volleys to pop up and have no zip on them.

[commiboi]

I think my problem is that I do not hit it early enough, and I wait for the ball to come to me. Is there a way I can prevent my opponent to just hit a hard ball past me? This always happens to me while im up at net.

[BU-Tennis]

You should wait for the ball to come to you. The racquet moves very little before making contact. If you watch the pros, most of the racquet movement is made after contact has been established. You should hit your forehand volley online with your non-dominant leg(left leg for righties) as this meant that you used a correct crossover step. The backhand is a little more tricky, you have to wait even longer for the ball and make contact parallel or even a little further back with your shoulder. Remember a volley is all about footwork, that's why most people have trouble with it because they don't understand how to move correctly at net. Stay on the toes, don't forget the split step (its even more important at net), and commit to your shot whether it be an aggressive putaway or a delicate dropshot.

Go against a wall or have someone feed you medium paced balls and practice hitting the hardest volleys you can while maintaining good form and footwork. You'll soon realize what you are doing wrong and hot to compensate. It's going to take a lot of experimenting but that is the major goal, once you realize how you have to hit the ball then you can spend the rest of the time perfecting your technique and strategy.

Usually most people are passed at net because they have hit an insufficient approach shot or serve if you are the rare serve-volleyer. Remember the best place to approach is down the line so you can cut off the angle. One thing about playing at the net is that you have to be fearless to leave the shot down the line open. Face it, if they hit down the line they're going to be ripping the ball to try and pass so this makes the shot miss much more and even if you did get to the volley it would be incredibly difficult to handle correctly. So approach down the line, cover the angle, and as where to volley the ball its safest to go back down the line at the player but if you can put the ball away crosscourt go for it.

[es-0]

If you are getting the ball blasted past you, you either a) need to work on your reactions (if you are positioned correctly but are just unable to get your racquet up to the ball) or b) work on your positioning by covering the correct angles created by your approach shot.

If you are positioned correctly but are unable to react fast enough try to stay balanced with your weight on the balls of your feet, split-step as your opponent hits and keep your racquet up in the middle of your chest. Don't let you racquet drop down, if you keep it upright then you'll have less distance to get it to the ball and it will be easier to move it as well.

[kcmiser]

My volleys are the worst part of my game, and I often hit float them out long. However, I recently did some work with my local pro', and found that the floaters were because I was taking the racquet back too far. As the racquet pulls back, the face naturally points more upward, and if you are a bit late, you hit it too high and long. The though the gave me to combat this is to keep the racquet far enough forward that you would always be looking through the back of the racquet.

[Gyrik]

You can't really stop people from attempting a hard shot past you, but you can tempt them over to one side (e.g. stand too far right) so that you know which way they will hit the ball. If they don't fall for it, you're nearby anyways. Don't lean to one side, though. It's best to balance your body before your opponent even hits. While they are hitting, see where the ball goes. As your body is nicely balanced, it should be no problem getting to the ball. I, personally, prefer to just stand in the middle and watch my opponent's movements. With a little practice, you will pretty much be able to predict the path of the ball.

Now the only problem is hitting the hard shot. Don't bother to move the racket at all, but instead stand right up to the net, put up the racket (in the ball's path), and angle it down (and possibly to the sides (don't angle it too much or the opponent gets an easy winner)).

[Gyrik]

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention:
They shouldn't be able to hit such a hard shot (or at least a perfectly accurate one) if you played your advance properly. Either hit a shot they have to run down and hit in an awkward position, leading to an easy volley on the other side. Another way to do this is to do a drop shot, then advance, forcing your opponent to either lob, cross, or hit it straight into you. With a lob, you should be able to get back and lob it over their heads. With a straight shot, just block it back to them- they won't be fast enough to hit another shot. With a cross, run/dive after it and hit it straight down the court (where the opponent isn't (normally)).

[SoloAJ]

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention:
They shouldn't be able to hit such a hard shot (or at least a perfectly accurate one) if you played your advance properly. Either hit a shot they have to run down and hit in an awkward position, leading to an easy volley on the other side.

This was my first thought as to what the problem probably is. If they're blasting passing shots then you probably aren't approaching on the correct shots a lot. If you lay one in the corner and they go on the run, move in, get a good angle, and keep your balance.

You almost certainly won't get a hard hit passing shot if they're on the run and you have good position.

Alternatively, my second thought was that your reaction time is just too slow. But I'd lean toward the first one.

Everything else in this thread is useful to consider as well. These were just my first thoughts.