Fast incoming balls to volley
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S&V-not_dead_yet
Talk Tennis Guru
No secret: you have to work on your reaction time. Is it on every fast ball? Only those in certain positions? First transition volley is OK [because you have more space]?
Start at the net with your partner feeding progressively faster shots. Find a speed which is comfortable and move into your discomfort zone wherever that happens to be speed-wise. As you get better, that zone should get faster.
Start at the net with your partner feeding progressively faster shots. Find a speed which is comfortable and move into your discomfort zone wherever that happens to be speed-wise. As you get better, that zone should get faster.
spaceman_spiff
Hall of Fame
If you're late, then it means that you're swinging at the ball. You shouldn't really be swinging when you're volleying a ball that is coming in with pace.
I am not swinging, i have no time to prepare the racket face.
spaceman_spiff
Hall of Fame
Here's Bob and Mike practicing volleys while smacking the ball at each other.
If you don't have time to prepare, then there are only a few possibilities:
1. You face opponents who hit harder than the Bryans hit at each other in practice.
2. You're not on your toes with your racket up in front of you ready to move quickly.
3. You're swinging at your volleys.
MajesticMoose
Hall of Fame
A lot of it could purely be your anticipation skills. You need to have an aggressive mindset coming to net and to really be wide eyed to recognize the type of the ball and direction coming off the stings of your opponent's racquet. Short backswing on the volley ESP the forehand volley.
dct693
Semi-Pro
If the ball is being hit at you, and it's fast, there's very little you need to do. An abbreviated unit turn is all that is needed with the racquet face meeting the ball (not swinging at it). For me, the hardest part was internalizing how little needs to be done to hit a volley in those circumstances.
It's like the return of serve in that sense. I used to swing really fast at fast serves, but that a recipe for disaster.
Post a video so we can see what you're doing.
It's like the return of serve in that sense. I used to swing really fast at fast serves, but that a recipe for disaster.
Post a video so we can see what you're doing.
SystemicAnomaly
Bionic Poster
Standing too close to the net? Most of the time, your ready position at the net need not be much closer than 10 feet (3 meters) from the net. You can certainly move in toward the net when executing the volley but your ready position should not be too close. Have seen numerous intermediate players (and lower level players) who camp out too close to the net. Take a look at Blair's position in these videos. Some other good tips here as well:
Do you believe that it is your reflexes/reaction time that is too slow? Or is it more that your ability to move your racket into position is too slow? If the latter, the 2nd video above might help. A non-athletic ready position could be slowing you down. Also, are you moving the racket head too much (thru an arc) without moving your hand and the racket handle quite enough? Notice how Blair turns (30-60 degrees) right away and sets her racket into position to line up to the incoming ball. With this efficient (economical) movement of the arm and racket, she does not appear to be rushed.
A split step and good footwork also helps to quickly set the racket in line with the incoming ball. Note that a properly-timed split step should make you quicker getting to an optimal position to intercept the ball. It should also ensure that you are really watching your opponent's racket and forward swing -- so that you are syncing up to their shot and reading it early.
Do you believe that it is your reflexes/reaction time that is too slow? Or is it more that your ability to move your racket into position is too slow? If the latter, the 2nd video above might help. A non-athletic ready position could be slowing you down. Also, are you moving the racket head too much (thru an arc) without moving your hand and the racket handle quite enough? Notice how Blair turns (30-60 degrees) right away and sets her racket into position to line up to the incoming ball. With this efficient (economical) movement of the arm and racket, she does not appear to be rushed.
A split step and good footwork also helps to quickly set the racket in line with the incoming ball. Note that a properly-timed split step should make you quicker getting to an optimal position to intercept the ball. It should also ensure that you are really watching your opponent's racket and forward swing -- so that you are syncing up to their shot and reading it early.
SystemicAnomaly
Bionic Poster
If reflexes or RT is the problem, you might try some drills to improve that. One drill is to get your self into a proper ready position without a racket. Have a partner drill balls that you can catch with your hand. Medium speed at first and then increase. You can use softer (low compression) training balls (orange or green dot) or even foam balls for this catching drill.
Turn and catch with the ball out front with good volley form (refer to Blair's videos again for that proper form). For balls hit to your left side, turn and catch with the left hand instead of the right hand. For balls hit at your body try to move off the line but diagonally forward, if possible. This movement should put you in a semi-open stance, moving forward, to catch the ball. Look at Blair's footwork video above for some examples of this semi-open footwork.
Check out some Youtube videos for some other drills for improving RT or reflexes. Here are two:
Turn and catch with the ball out front with good volley form (refer to Blair's videos again for that proper form). For balls hit to your left side, turn and catch with the left hand instead of the right hand. For balls hit at your body try to move off the line but diagonally forward, if possible. This movement should put you in a semi-open stance, moving forward, to catch the ball. Look at Blair's footwork video above for some examples of this semi-open footwork.
Check out some Youtube videos for some other drills for improving RT or reflexes. Here are two:
TimeToPlaySets
Legend
Get $300
Pay a coach to fire volley balls at you for 3-6 hours straight.
Also, a huge tip right here
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/volleys-missles-coming-to-your-body-head.588746/
Pay a coach to fire volley balls at you for 3-6 hours straight.
Also, a huge tip right here
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/volleys-missles-coming-to-your-body-head.588746/
Prepare with your racquet in front of you and oriented to hit a BH volley. Then if a ball is hit hard at you, you are ready to block it back. The tough shot is the one at your right hip, assuming you're right handed. Ideally, you slide to your left and hit a FH volley.
Make sure you are on your toes and in attack mode. You don't want to be passive at the net.
Friedman Whip
Professional
Sounds like you're not really ready. You think you're ready but apparently you aren't.
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
Stand a bit further away and hold your racket directly in front of you rather than to the side. Then it only takes a slight turn of your body to be in position to hit the volley. Too many people camp the net and have their racket out to the BH side. They'll never get around to a FH volley in time.
MajesticMoose
Hall of Fame
SystemicAnomaly
Bionic Poster
Agreed. Racket to the BH side on the ready position ok when in the back court. But better to have the racket closer to neutral at the net.
watungga
Professional
Racquet stringbed automatically opens up correctly on every volleys (on both FH/BH sides) if your grip is truly continental.
To help you prepare, simplify your thinking on how you put your racquet in the right place for a volley.
Mind your body and feet later, as they are only critical if you have progress.
1. At first try volleys by catching the ball squarely at the center of stringbed.
2. Mind the position of the grip area relative to the ball impact. That is where you place your grip, ALL THE TIME YOU CATCH A VOLLEY.
To help you prepare, simplify your thinking on how you put your racquet in the right place for a volley.
Mind your body and feet later, as they are only critical if you have progress.
1. At first try volleys by catching the ball squarely at the center of stringbed.
2. Mind the position of the grip area relative to the ball impact. That is where you place your grip, ALL THE TIME YOU CATCH A VOLLEY.
Keendog
Professional
Bumping this for advice. I've used a couple of different racquets the last couple of weeks, one a light 90si and an RF97. The 90 I barely miss a volley but with the RF97 being so heavy and stable, in dubs with a fast serve and heavy return I have trouble taking enough pace off the ball to get it to land in (The return is flat and I am poaching). Thing is with this racquet I don't feel I could hold it any looser, is the answer to actually cut the volley a little. I was taught not to but as people hit harder and faster is it a progression you need to add a little work to the ball?
GeoffHYL
Professional
Are you close enough to the net to hit down at all? Seems that if you are poaching you should be taking the ball above net height, so pace of your volley shouldn't be an issue. If the ball has already dipped below the net then you need to shape the shot. Sounds like your wrist may be too firm.
2 elements for the fix..
- first you have to move faster, that includes better anticipation, picking up queues on where the pass will go, faster footwork etc;
- but the more important element is your volley mechanic. for fast incoming ball you need 'fast power'. without seeing your volley it's an educated guess... many rec players hit the volley with a tight death grip to 'punch' the ball... this is very slow power as you have to move the entire body to create racket speed. Try this instead... with a LOOSE grip, say 2 or 3 out of 10 (by the way this will also allow you to move faster overall)... when the pass comes, put the racket in the path of the ball and squeeze the handle.... this squeeze action engages just the hand/fingers and creates racket speed very fast to produce a solid volley... you can increase the grip pressure from 2 or 3 to anywhere from 5 to 8, depending on how solid you want the volley.
golden chicken
Hall of Fame
One of the tests I do whenever I pick up a racket is mock quick volleys. I find when a racket has a certain weight, balance and swingweight, my racket face naturally stabilizes no matter how fast I need to take the racket back and either stop it and hold firm or punch a little. If the racket is too light or has too little swingweight, I find the tip of the racket swings too fast and I dump volleys into the net. If the racket is too heavy or has too much swingweight, the racket face lags too much and I pop volleys into the air.
Keendog
Professional
I've had a good sleep and thought about it a bit more. It's probable I am not getting the racquet face closed enough in time. I've started choking up the grip a bit more and If they are serving that hard I should probably take a step back and across more so i don't have to reach as much. I think the racquet hits the ball so solidly I just gonna give up on drop volleys
S&V-not_dead_yet
Talk Tennis Guru
Curious
G.O.A.T.
It was more like an external injury!Hopefully it wasn't a heart attack?
I got my racket on his subsequent balls and returned some of them but I felt the jarring on each of them, although my racket is quite a solid one.
fuzz nation
G.O.A.T.
Putting technique aside for a minute, I'm not surprised with your observations after hitting/volleying with the RF 97. That frame is rather hefty, but it's also pretty stiff. In my experience, that can make for a wonderful performer for serve and volley play, but it can also be quite lively and difficult to control with some shots. Feathering an effective drop volley with this sort of frame can be rather tricky because its layout makes it so easy to punch the ball with a lot of authority using a rather compact move.
When I tried the RF 97 on a couple of occasions, that frame very much reminded me of my old ProStaff 6.1 Classics. I switched away from my 6.1's when I was looking for more baseline control and I found more of that with softer options having similar weight and balance as these Wilsons. The RF 97 was certainly a solid hitter, but it was also prone to producing occasional flyers that would explode off the string bed with little or no warning. The 6.1 Classics had the same personality quirk for me.
I think that some folks get some control with these racquets by stringing them with polys or poly hybrids, but my arm can't handle those. I can't go any more firm than syn. gut, but that string is fantastic for me in my softer frames which include Volkl's C10 and O10 325g.
So now I'm curious about what sort of string layouts you're using.
Keendog
Professional
Ageing gut/alu rough. What frame did you switch to?
fuzz nation
G.O.A.T.
My first switch from the 6.1's was over to the C10. The pair I use now have lead added to their handles for just a little extra head-light balance that's most familiar for me.
I've never jumped into the world of natural gut, but maybe that will be something to consider next summer when my schedule ramps up again.
Traffic
Hall of Fame
Just getting back to playing tennis after an injury. I recruited my son 4.5-5.0 level to work with me. At one point, I asked him to hit me at the net with pace. Good practice just to move my body out of harms way and get my racquet head in the path of the ball. He asked me to return the favor but in his case, he was trying to put the ball away with angles and pace.
TnsGuru
Professional
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