Does S&V have an advantage at the club level?

[Golden Retriever]

I tried S&V the other day(usually I just go to the net for shaking hands) and I was pleasantly surprised. I beat a guy convincingly whom I lost to all the time. I did it quite sparingly just coming in on 1st serves and good approach shots. If the volley wasn't struck well I wouldn't hesitate to retreat back to the baseline. He apparently was a bit shaken up by my net approaches and giving me a lot of sitters to put away.
Now that gets me thinking(again.) Does S&V (and approach & volley) have an advantage at the club level? Since they are,
1. not used to people coming to the net.
2. don't have good returns and passing shots like the pros.
At the pro level, S&V is being made ineffective (arguably even on grass) because of the returns and passing shots. But at the club level that doesn't hold true anymore so wouldn't S&V still have an advantage. You get to take the ball much earlier and you have a lot more angles to work on when you volley and that's a huge advantage. Of course that advantage goes away when you can't even reach the ball like at the pro level. But at the club level you can reach the ball and that should be good news for S&V (and approach and volley.)

 

[kevhen]

I know I struggle more with good S&Vers. It's usually hard to break their serve so we often go to tiebreaks or deeper into the set than usual.

I have tried it myself though and don't feel like I have a solid enough volley yet as I get caught too often reaching for those low vollies or hitting defensive half volleys.

But it does work against those weaker players who panic when they see someone moving to net and then will try to rip the ball either long or into the net. Sometimes just the added pressure alone will win you the match.

 

[Camilio Pascual]

As compared to pro tennis, I would say it gives a huge advantage because I see so much more of it, and done successfully, than at the pro level. I think pushing and S&V are the better styles at club level and the aggressive baseliner doesn't seem to impress too many people at club level, though it seems to be the dominant style in the pros, especially in the WTA.

 

[kevhen]

Yes, the typical club player is usually the aggressive baseliner trying to imitate the pros whether it's the best style for him or not.

 

[SB]

It depends. (Of course it does!) Personally, I love to play against s&v players, because I like a target. Sometimes I don't focus that well in groundstroke rallies, or I get impatient, or I just choose the wrong shot to hit. But when someone comes in on me, I know what to do and the element of choice (my downfall) is taken away. That really helps me.

When I have to play someone who is a consistent AND aggressive baseliner, then I am the one who serves and volleys, or chips and charges. So often that player doesn't like hitting slice, and they'll overhit, or if I come in, I can take control of a cat-and-mouse point. If that player can beat me from the baseline AND the net, then they are just better.

I guess the benefit I have is a truly all-court game, which is one reason I sometimes have trouble with too many options. When my opponent narrows some of my options, I am grateful, because I can usually adapt successfully.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

Yes. More club players should serve and volley. The club game compared to the pro game is very different. At the pro level, the pros can rifle passing shots with ease past incoming aggressers which left the serve and volleyer style reinventing itself.

At the club level, you have some guys that can hit good passing shots but they are still defendable. Of course, you will meet those certain players that will match up well against a S&V style but the majority of players will consider the S&V style a viable threat.

If you have quick forward movement with soft hands and quick feet, can toss the ball out in front on the serve and can hit the serve down the middle strong, you will do well learning to S&V.

 

[dozu]

S&V, or all court play gives a player a weapon. If my opponent doesn't have the power to hurt me from the baseline, then he is going down for sure. Without net pressure, I can slice my bh or roll my fh deep cross court 9 out of 10 times... even I may have to float my shots a little bit.

Now if he has a net game, that is a different story. I have to be careful hitting those floaters.

That's exactly how I play my game.... I don't have power to hurt a solid 4.5 player from the baseline.... so I don't even bother trying... If I serve I come in behind it 50-75% of the time, depending on the surface... if it's second serve or my return game, then I just hit 3/4 pace rally shots until he cough up a short one.

Psychologically a put-away at the net is more devastating to the opponent psychie.... it has the "in-your-face" factor. I have played against baseliner with lots of power and can hit winner from deep back.... somehow I don't feel hurt as much as seeing a net-rusher angle the ball away before I have chance to set my feet. It's a helpless feeling.

 

[andreh]

In a word: yes. I have one friend who never beats me because he freaks out when I approach the net and misses. I could beat him w/o a racquet just by rushing to the net.

I have another friend who also plays offensively. He doesn't freak out. Our matches are even and quite fun.

 

[kevhen]

All court is fun since you have many options available to you, but it does takes more practice to keep all those options sharp and to instinctly use the right option at the right time and to learn when to incorporate any new options that you have been working on. But once you have done that, you have many ways to beat many different opponents and you will usually only need one or two of them to beat each opponent.

 

[ma2t]

Those thinking of taking up S & V style need to keep in mind that being passed will happen (even at the club level) but that doesn't mean the strategy isn't working overall.

 

[kevhen]

Yeah, self-doubt will creep in when you get lobbed and passed one too many times or when you just start shanking those volleys. S&V is not as easy as it looks.

 

[dozu]

the average club player practises volleys too little... he starts the warm up with the most comfortable shot he has.. the forehand groundie. he hits the backhand groundie when the ball goes to that side.... after he picks up balls at the net, he WALKS BACK to the baseline and again start practising his most comfortable shot - the forehand groundie.

during warm up I spend at least half of the time at the net. volleys are more demanding than groundies, less time to react, and less margin for error. it actually deserves MORE practice than ground strokes.