Bungalo Bill
G.O.A.T.
Cindysphinx said:I play a lot of doubles. I'm 3.0.
I had an incident about 6 months ago that has given me post-traumatic stress syndrome, I think. See, I was playing a social match with former teammates. A 2.5 lady was across the net in the service box. The ball came to me, and I hit a high volley exactly as I had been trained. I stepped into it and gave it a powerful punch, but I tend to have no directional control on my volleys. I hit my friend square in the face with the ball.
After she sat on the bench for a while rubbing her eye, we all took the court again. Another high volley came to me, and I punched it again. This time it whizzed by her ear. I was so spooked that I stopped volleying anywhere near her, which left me volleying to the deep person because I'm so bad at angling volleys off the court.
Ever since, I've had a lot of trouble understanding what I'm supposed to do with those high volleys. I can try for the net person's shoes or the open court behind them, but I can't guarantee I won't launch another one of those scud missiles. I'm usually focusing more on technique than placement when I volley.
So. Should I avoid hitting at the net person (even if that's the best way to win the point)? Is it ever OK to hit at the net person? Whose fault was it when my friend got hit? How does all of this square with "short-to-short," anyway?
Cindy
Cindy,
The bottom-line to all of this is you ned to practice your technique and your placement. It is obvious that you were not intentionally going after the person but at the same time, if you misdirected some balls on your volleys, you shouldn't go and scrap your tactics.
There really is no fault, it is part of tennis. If you're at the net, expect to be buzzed, hit, or passed. The same goes for all players at the net.
You did what you were suppose to do. Keep practicing hitting down at the feet and to improve your consistency and placement.
It could also be you are simply trying to hit your volleys too hard. Thinking to putaway every single ball you get even if it is out of your strike zone. This is something you need to work on and to learn that the volley is mainly done by the motion of your body with the emphasis from your racquet.