Net Game worth developing?

[Ballinbob]

I'm a solid 4.5 aggressive baseliner with a huge forehand and serve, and win around 60% of my matches at the 4.5 level. Anyway, the other day I thought to myself, "What if I followed that dtl topspin forehand to the net...?" Right now my volleys are below average. I just never really thought of following anything to the net. I'm happy with my game, but if having a good net game will help me then I think I'll give it a try. If it wont help that much then I'll probably just stick with my current style of play. I also have a pretty good kick serve, and was wondering if s&v with a kick serve would be worth trying? I really am clueless about net strategies. My whole game is based on big serves and forehands, and I think its time to add something new.



Thanks for the help

[ollinger]

Why wouldn't it help....more ways to win points. And when you get older you won't be able to play so much (or any) singles and will need those volleys for doubles.

[nacolo]

Go fot it, practice hitting volleys, it is fun to watch and fun to hit and very little energy to spend.

[Ballinbob]

I know that it helps, but enough to spend a month or more practicing it? Would my time be better spent working on consistency for ground strokes ect? And why would you need more ways to win points when your current method works just fine? You see where I'm going with this?

[Headshotterer]

yes, or else your enemy will hit a drop shot 2 u each time

[Ballinbob]

yes, or else your enemy will hit a drop shot 2 u each time


Oh no I never thought of that!!:shock:

[DaKinG]

It will help.
You never know what kind of situation you can get into.
Try to get your volleying to be at least "average" since you say it is currently below average.

[rabidturtle]

I like winning easy points, don't you? btw How can you be a 4.5 without having a good volley? Do you ever play doubles?

[ollinger]

Agreed....read the definition of a 4.5 and you'll find volleying prowess is included. And if your current game is that wonderful, how do you lose 40 percent of your matches?

[Ballinbob]

I like winning easy points, don't you? btw How can you be a 4.5 without having a good volley? Do you ever play doubles?

Easy points? It seems like you have to have a perfect approach to win easy points at the net. I don't play doubles, just singles. You dont need a good volley to be a 4.5. Like I said, my serve and forehand can do the trick against 60% of the other 4.5 players in my area. Look at Roddick for example....horrible volleys but still ranked #6 in the world

[Ballinbob]

Go read the definition again and you will also find that a 4.5 player can cover his weaknesses well. And I don't know what you mean by "if your playing style is so wonderful...". This is the way I play, doesn't mean I'm going to win 80% of my matches. I still got alot of things to work on and Im not perfect by any means.

[CoachingMastery]

You have to consider a few things: one, will you, at some point, be able to beat higher level players with the game you have? In other words, would your weapons, (serve and forehand), be strong enough against a player who can slice and dice you? Or, one who can attack your backhand?

The point is, you may or may not improve your chances at this higher level with an improved volley. However, it certainly can't hurt! Look at Roddick who has a huge serve and darn big forehand. He is trying to gain a net game. Yet, he is not 'wired' to be a great net player like a Federer, for example.

This said, let me add this: if you do have a big serve and forehand, yet don't have the means to finish the point off by closing in and taking advantage of those assets, then the time (or times!) will come where you will have an opponent who can hang with you in these areas and either simply outlast you or be the net player you aren't.

It is rare to see a true 4.5 player not have a net game that is fairly established. (I know, there are many, many exceptions and you certainly sound like one of them!) Yet, learning to volley well, won't take away from your current weapons, except for, maybe the time spend working these shots will take time away from working your current weapons.

My fellow pro and former opponent Robert Vanthoff, who worked with Steffi Graf once told me that people always asked why he didn't develop her backhand. His response was that instead of working her weakness, he worked on her strengths and made them even bigger.

While I don't believe that everyone will fit this mold, I think you need to explore your volley with a good instructor and give it some time to gain an affinity for, and see if indeed you might be a very good volley player to back up your weapons. It would be worth a few months at least to try something that may make you a better player for the rest of your playing life!

Something to think about, perhaps?

[BullDogTennis]

goodness, its 110% worth it!

[Oxford]

Some day you will run into a strong pusher that can chase down everything you send over... and you will wish you had a volley game. I found that out the hard way :oops:


ox

[SystemicAnomaly]

Agreed....read the definition of a 4.5 and you'll find volleying prowess is included. And if your current game is that wonderful, how do you lose 40 percent of your matches?

50% of the players that play in a 4.5 tournament are going to lose in the first round. 50% of the pros also lose in the first round of a tournament. From that perspective, 60% isn't all that bad. But you are correct, volleys should not be neglected by a 4.5 player (not even by a 3.5 player since many of them also know how to hit drop shots).

[andreh]

It's a no-brainer. The more strategies you have in your repetoir the more opponents you will be able to beat.

[Ballinbob]

thanks for everything guys. coaching mastery, that post was especially helpful. You guys are right though, 90% of the people I play have a better net game than me. I'm also beginning to think that my not-so-great volleys is the biggest reason why I've been at this level so long. I'm an average 4.5 and can hang with most of them, but when it comes to those top guys i always get beat. I'll try and upload a video within a couple months of my volleys and some match play to get some feedback. Once again thanks for everything, and hopefully you'll hear back from me soon.

[fuzz nation]

Good luck with the process!

You'll need to keep after it for a while to get comfortable with taking charge up front, but it will definitely give you an advantage against players who are your equal at the baseline. You also touched on an important aspect of the net game that will make a huge difference in your success which is a solid ability to transition forward. Good approach shots generated at the right time will allow you to get to the net in good shape instead of stepping into your opponent's line of fire. If you can deliver good topspin or backspin approaches, your volleys will often be easy put-aways.

[JakeHCoker]

I'm just now working on my net game, but I can already tell how much it's helped. Especially in doubles! I say go for it.

[Ballinbob]

Thanks guys.
I talked to my coach about this and he was surprised by my question, for we never really worked on volleys much before. We spent an hour assessing my volleys and it seems that I'm not stepping in. I found I could hit my volleys fairly consistently, but they never had much pace. My coach told me to step in with the opposite foot? so for a backhand volley you would step in with your right foot. Is there a better technique for getting pace on volleys or should I work on this first or what? Thanks