drop volley

[lendl lives]

played some nice 5.0 dubs this weekend and i was hitting some heavy heavy balls off the ground. then this kid stopped volleying them back deep. and started hitting these sweet drop volleys. i had more trouble hitting these shots back. so i want to learn this shot. i've been trying it and i can't seem to hit anything but a deep volley back. (tour 90 @ 70lbs luxilon). any advice?

[papa]

Was he at net hitting these "drop" shots or was he just "slicing" them inside the service line from his baseline? To me anyway, a "drop" volley is more of a net situation using little or no swing then something one hits from deep in the court.

[lendl lives]

he was at the net hitting drop vollies not drop shots.

[RoddickRulez]

i also would love how to find out how to hit a drop volley

[Brettolius]

no offense, but you're not really a 5.0 if you can't hit a drop volley. i'm not talking about pulling them off CONSISTENTLY against big hitters, but a 5.0 KNOWS how to hit drop volleys and can hit them relatively often.

[lendl lives]

B that is not very helpful. everyone has strokes they want to improve or develop.

[kevhen]

This weekend while hitting baseballs in a batting cage, I took some bunts and remembered how to catch the ball while bunting to keep it from going very far. My drop volley needs lots of work but I think this cushioning and absorbing of the ball on contact is a crucial part of the drop volley and what I am planning to work on. Am I on the right track? Good luck with your drop volley too.

[JackD]

Kevhen you are on the right track. To hit a "drop" volley off a hard hit ball probably the most important thing to do is have a loose grip. You'll also need to open the raq face a bit to help slow down the shot and keep it short. If the ball comes in hard and you squeeze hard your going to hit the ball back deep. I would also recommend using this shot on low balls (below the net). If the ball is above the net and you close in you should be able to aggressively angle your volleys off the court. The low balls you have to hit up on anyway so loosen your grip and relax, if your a 5.0 you'll get the feel in a pretty quick. Good luck.

[lendl lives]

the bunt analogy seems like a good one. do you guys think about imparting spin?

[kevhen]

The difference with a good bunt is you get slightly on top of the ball so you don't pop it up and then sort of pull away as you make contact to asborb the ball so it doesn't roll all the way to the 1st or 3rd baseman. You can't really put spin on a bunt but on a drop volley I think you are going to angle your racquet back while your absorb the ball so that it creates backspin so it doesn't roll forward toward your opponent after it bounces as it clears the net by a foot or two in height and goes just a few feet into their court..

[gustavo33]

tour 90 with luxlilon. 70 lbs?
just let the ball hit the strings.. no power there

[lendl lives]

LOL. obvioulsy vollies are not my strenght.

[Brettolius]

lendl lives: yeah, you're right. sorry man.

[papa]

Well, you might try chocking up on the racquet in addition to keeping a pretty loose grip. Although I agree with JackD for the most part, even when you angle certain shots you have to make sure your grip isn't too tight so the ball doesn't fly the sidelines. I also think its similiar to bunting with the exception of in baseball one is always using two hands so its easier to absorb the shock - my opinion.

[danniflava]

For me, when I'm at the net, I hit drop volleys when somebody tries to put the ball at my feet. I just stick my racquet in from of me and angle it to pop just over the net. It's relatively easy for me, and I'm not even a net player.

[Phil]

lendl lives: yeah, you're right. sorry man.

Actually, Brettolius, I was going to make exactly the same comment until I saw that you beat me to it. Your comment is legitimate. The drop volley is not the easiest shot to hit, but a "5.0" will at least have an IDEA how to hit one. Maybe when he said "5.0 doubs" he meant that each player was a 2.5, or that all players on both sides, combined, equalled 5.0, making each player a 1.25!

[Paunchy Gandalf]

Soft hands, loose wrist, let the racquet face open up on impact with the ball.

[papa]

Doubles teams are generally rated using BOTH individuals ratings as mentioned by Phil - and they don't have to be the same either. For instance you might have a 4.5 and a 3.5 playing as an 8.0 team. I've never seen all four added together because it doesn't make any sense.

[lendl lives]

******** punkasss punks.

[lendl lives]

sh*t talkers on the internet. punks.

[kevhen]

It is a good point though. What is a 5.0 player doing at the baseline when playing doubles? I know I play baseline doubles alot at the 4.0 level but Bungalo Bill will tell you to get your butt to net and cover that drop volley. 5.0 doubles is almost always played at the net from the 5.0 doubles I have watched.

But we can all keep practicing our drop vollies regardless.

[fastdunn]

I wonder what would happen if I try to catch(or grab) the hard hit passing shots
with my racquet. I'll probably failed to do that and end up hitting this "unintentional,
possibly framed deadly drop volley" as a side-effect, ha ha ha.

By the way, I have seen 7.0 doubles playing from the baseline, including
the Olympic male tennis final and Wilmbledon lady's final last year ???

[kevhen]

Yeah doubles can be played from the baseline even at the high levels but not if your opponent is repeatedly beating you with drop vollies. Then you know your passing shots aren't good enough and you need to get to net.

[Kaptain Karl]

In doubles, the team who controls the net ... controls the match. Get your butts to the net!

The drop-volley tips you've gotten are good. Tell us how your practices go....

Wanna take the match? Take the net.

- KK

[Phil]

sh*t talkers on the internet. punks.

Hmmm...sounds like someone's been found out.

[Brettolius]

hey man, i was being sincere in my apology. but you can't expect to claim something and then immediately, in the same paragraph, disprove what you just wrote. that's like saying " yeah, i'm an architect, but i just can't figure out these damn lincoln logs..."

[lendl lives]

well hitting a drop volley at your 3.5 tournaments is a little different from trying to hit a drop volley on a shot from a 5.5 player who blasts the ball at you. for the record i play mainly 4.5 league tennis but i'm also on a 5.0 team.

[Xevoius]

So he was hitting some sweet vollies? Do chickens have massive talons?

Gouliet!

[Brettolius]

lol @ xevious, with the dual reference! gouliet!! btw, it took me 2 1\2 hrs. to finish the shading on you're upper lip.

[Camilio Pascual]

I watch a lot of college tennis in person. There are some pretty good baseliners out there who are pretty inept at volleying, even worse than Jelena Dokic. It's not just a matter of not executing, there are basic technique flaws, usually incomplete bending of the knees and/or wrist. When forced, a lot of them approach the net like it's made of plutonium. I can believe there are 4.5 and 5.0's out there who don't know or use the right technique. Academy tennis strikes again.

[Marius_Hancu]

Well, one needs a nice racket absorbing motion:
Safin
http://www.safinator.com/volley.html

[Kaptain Karl]

... Academy tennis strikes again.
Yup. :: sigh ::

- KK

[PugArePeopleToo]

Has anyone done this drop volley drill? You and your partner face each other accross the net, you hit a medium pace volley to him to start the drill off. Instead of hitting the volley right back as the usual case, he has to volley the ball twice on his side, the first volley sort of simulate a drop valley, in another word he has bend his knees and follow through and hit a controlled shot that send the ball right in front of him, then he should hit a medium pace volley to you, and you have to do the same thing.

I was at a weekend clinic, and the instructor had us do this as a drop valley drill. Since I was never known for my valley, drop or otherwise, it took my a while to get going.

[Marius_Hancu]

Instead of hitting the volley right back as the usual case, he has to volley the ball twice on his side, the first volley sort of simulate a drop valley

Good exercise.

I am using a double impact exercise for the guys I am coaching, but for teaching footwork and control, on FH and BH:

- light exchanges at the net (service area), with impact, no volleys
- coach plays one impact
- student plays two impacts
- coach plays either BH or FH
- student catches the ball in the racket on his FH, by taking it back a short distance, not full takeback, damping the impact in the racket, lets it drop to the ground right in front of him, moves quickly to the right and hits a BH back to the coach

[BreakPoint]

Using a flexible racquet with a lot of feel helps, too. For example, I can hit amazing drop volleys using a Yonex RDX 500 Mid. No matter how hard the other guy hits the ball at me, I can just take all the pace off of the ball and drop it over he net. I think something to do with the flexible throat on that racquet. With my PS 6.0 95, drop volleys tend to pop up a bit more and go a bit deeper.

BTW, playing on a 5.0 league team does not make you a 5.0. I know plenty of 4.0 players that play on 5.0 teams. I also agree that any 5.0 should know how to hit a drop volley. Even most 4.0's I play can do it.