Serve 'n Volley
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Jonny S&V
Hall of Fame
I'm 5'10'' 1/2, and I S&V every first and 3/4 of my second serves. I chip and charge 1/2 the time. I win about 4/5 of my matches in USTA matches and even more in high school.
obnoxious2
Semi-Pro
S&V can be effective if your a 5'4 or a 6'3. It's all about placement with pace. The hardest part is after you know you fired off a great serve and you're charging in to remember to split step and move to where the ball will be going instead of continually rushing forward.
Thanks for the perspective...what about limitations with respect to shortened reach?
Hi, wyutani. That's kind of what I have been thinking...that being shorter is a relative disadvantage regardless of style. Reach is always a limiting factor whether at baseline or at net; however, I just wanted to poll people's thoughts on whether the limitation goes up exponentially at the net (i.e., running down a shot at the baseline is "easier" than reaching up for a high lob or sharp passing shot.)
I appreciate you articulating your experiences with serve & volley. Sounds like it works for you!
Jonny S&V
Hall of Fame
Yeah it has. Im trying to improve my groundstrokes so I can keep up with the other groundstrokers, but so far I feel I still can't.
Quickness is pretty important--I agree. Quickness can overcome a lot of shortcomings.
How about the serve? I would think a powerful pinpoint serve would be the most important element. That's actually the biggest limiting step in the whole equation, isn't it? Getting to net without having to eat the ball? A shorter guy would have a tougher time getting the torque/leverage required for the serve.
Any thoughts?
tennisdad65
Hall of Fame
I am 5-10 and s&v a lot, and come to the net at the first chance on opponents serve.
1) learn a reliable slice first serve that stays low. very tough to pass off low slice serves. you can get a decent 50-60% first serves on slice.
2) Throw in some topspin first serves too. the % is higher on topspin, but easier to get passed too.
3) 2nd serve will be topspin/kick and you could come in on these some of the time.
4) work on your return chip&charge and approach shots. slice, underspin, flat approaches rather than topspin.
5) Play against weaker opponents, and gain confidence in 1-4..
6) play doubles
1) learn a reliable slice first serve that stays low. very tough to pass off low slice serves. you can get a decent 50-60% first serves on slice.
2) Throw in some topspin first serves too. the % is higher on topspin, but easier to get passed too.
3) 2nd serve will be topspin/kick and you could come in on these some of the time.
4) work on your return chip&charge and approach shots. slice, underspin, flat approaches rather than topspin.
5) Play against weaker opponents, and gain confidence in 1-4..
6) play doubles
I am 5-10 and s&v a lot, and come to the net at the first chance on opponents serve.
1) learn a reliable slice first serve that stays low. very tough to pass off low slice serves. you can get a decent 50-60% first serves on slice.
2) Throw in some topspin first serves too. the % is higher on topspin, but easier to get passed too.
3) 2nd serve will be topspin/kick and you could come in on these some of the time.
4) work on your return chip&charge and approach shots. slice, underspin, flat approaches rather than topspin.
5) Play against weaker opponents, and gain confidence in 1-4..
6) play doubles
I think that's all great advice--thanks. Why do you think a kick serve is easier to pass? Seems like Edberg did just fine with it :wink:
i'm just 5'8 and i SV also, although i am still learning it. the thing is, at the 4.0 level, guys are not used to seeing it! it forces your opponent to come up with the goods, or the point is going to be yours in a hurry. it's VERY effective against a player who is not quite as good as you are. if you stay back, you'll still win, but unless you hit the ball huge, it will take 4 to 10 strokes to win a point. SV might only take you 2 strokes to win it! it takes his time away from him. also some players totally break down if you start doing SV plays, because they start going for waaaaay too much as soon as they see you coming forward. they PANIC.
...and you've nailed it on the head as to why I see serving and volleying as so attractive--efficiency!
thx
tennisdad65
Hall of Fame
Kick serve may work against a one hander or guys your height, but 2HBH guys who are taller than you will eat your kick serve up. Gives them a nice angle to hit down into the court.
It is hard to imagine Edberg being too effective against Djokovic or Murray. Early 80s McEnroe's low swerving slice would still give anyone fits even today.
Its great to have more options: a low slice (~3-3.5 feet), topspin (~5 feet), and a high kicker
The toughest one to master is the old low swerving slice, but it is worth it for s&v. This is different than the topspin-slice that most folks hit these days.
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Bungalo Bill
G.O.A.T.
A shorter player may have some problems in reach and getting lobbed.
If I was playing a short volleyer, the first thing I would be doing is lobbing when I got the chance. This would force them to run back and forth. My plan would be to wear out their legs.
They also could present some weakness in their ability to extned their arms to cover some passes. However, the main weakness would be their ability to cover the lob.
With all of this said, a shorter person can develop their footwork, footspeed, and leg strength to cover as much net as possible. They can also work on targeting their volleys and their technique to close any gaps in their ability to cover the net.
All in all, the S&V's main strength will be in their serve. Being a shorter player, that might present its own set of problems.
To be quite honest, I wouldn't recommend a shorter player to be a S&V given the above. I would recommend taller players that have quick feet, are mentally brutal in their toughness, with a good strong first and second serve to be S&V's. That is not to say baseliners are not mentally tough. I am referring to their toughness because the S&V style is physically demanding due to the constant sprints one is doing. Over a match, this can be mentally draining and your legs can feel like rubber towards the close of the match.
Given that I believe volleyers need to possess outstanding lower body skills, this might be the demise of them if their legs give out. The first place we will see this is in the loss in power and sharpness of their serve which sets up the volley.
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Even if you don't serve and volley every point, I think that it is very clear from the pro tour that having the ability to serve and volley some points really improves the rest of the games because it makes the return of serve (probably the hardest shot in tennis) even more difficult.
Regarding height- at 5'10" I do get a lot of lobs, but I also have a good overhead (only missing about 1 out of 3 these days.) I will admit though, that I will get winded hitting a couple of lobs in a row.
I do think height helps reach, but I also find that height hurts on low shots, whereas I have a lot of confidence in my half/ low volleys
Regarding height- at 5'10" I do get a lot of lobs, but I also have a good overhead (only missing about 1 out of 3 these days.) I will admit though, that I will get winded hitting a couple of lobs in a row.
I do think height helps reach, but I also find that height hurts on low shots, whereas I have a lot of confidence in my half/ low volleys
