Topspin Volleys

[winstonlim8]

I've been trying out a topspin volley more confidently now that I'm using a racquet with a much lighter head. I know that traditionally, that's a no-no but I had a couple of good reasons for developing it. I'm still working on it because my new racquet is 1.5oz heavier than my old head heavy one, but it actually feels easier - slightly different timing needed, however.

1.It's easier for me to move forward diagonally and take the volley with no take back but a flat or very slightly open racquet face and a long follow through for topspin - instead of trying to play a more controlled underspin "punched" volley off a low dipping shot near me. I still use a textbook volley if I have to stretch or take more than one step to reach the ball - and I hit my topspin volley (both forehand and backhand sides) only when caught around 3/4 court to three feet or so inside the service line.

2.It allows me to finish off the point quickly when I am watching the ball well and can reach it before it dips below my knee level.

There is no wrist action involved at all. I prep for it exactly like a normal volley and meet the ball almost exactly the same way but followthrough like a regular drive. Admittedly, I don't actually try to hit a winner with power but I do get enough pace off it to either get an outright winner (especially when I hit it at an angle or deep to a corner) or else, I get a very weak return to put away easily.

I have a feeling the ball would sail over the baseline if I tried to hit it really hard but just driving through the volley with a firm but relaxed wrist this way doesn't seem to irritate either my TE or GE.

Has anyone else tried doing this?

Incidentally, I hit high drive volleys with a flat-slice motion. On my backhand side, it's almost like a backhand smash if I get a floater (I use the same technique for a high, short ball on my left as I'm too fat and lazy to run around to play a forehand instead (a much lousier option for me anyway because my high forehands suck.)

I've never been able to hit a high topspin volley off either wing even once.

 

[Topslice]

Why do rec hackers insist on doing things that is too difficult for professionals?

This is a complete fail. Hitting topspin volleys with the same continental grip and prep for a normal volley from 3/4 deep in the court.

Enjoy staying at 3.5 for eternity!

 

[Ballinbob]

I really don't recommend developing a topspin volley... my two cents

 

[wannabe good]

Um, what's a topspin volley? Is that like punch volley? Or is it a drive volley.

 

[HughJars]

I'm just not sure why you would want to play a top spin volley? Whats wrong with a punch or drive?

 

[rdis10093]

by physics, the ball would have to hit the ground first to hit top, or are you talking about like a drive volley?

 

[mightyrick]

Topspin volleys?

I love TTW.

 

[winstonlim8]

Yes, it's a kind of drive volley (see my explanation in my OP). I guess I can take it that no one else has actually tried it then. Okay, I can understand that.

As I said in my OP, I don't try to do it on every volley - only on balls I can reach easily - because I prefer to take a small gamble on getting or losing the point quickly rather than indulge in a bigger gamble that I'm more likely to lose by letting play go on longer if I played it a lot safer.

I know the pros don't do it at all but that's because they don't have to take such risks to end the point quickly. They have consistency, speed, stamina and power. I do not. The longer the point goes on, the more likely I am to make a stupid unforced error because of mental and physical fatigue.

I guess I didn't explain anything very well in my original post.

Once I have it down pat, I'll try to get a friend to make a video to show what I mean and then I'll post it on Youtube and post the link here for everyone to view it and critique or criticise to their heart' content.

And Topslice, getting to 3.5 is an achievement for me at this point in time so I'm really not going to worry about the rest of eternity. And playing tennis in a way I enjoy is more important to me than worrying about winning everything all the time by playing safe...except maybe in Doubles because I can't control what kind of even more stupid things my partner is likely to do (like suddenly squatting down and screaming "YOURS!" when the ball goes over his head, for example, or trying to pass the net man with a 6-foot high "passing shot" down the line.)

Oh dear, I guess I'd better not ask if anyone has tried a squatting or kneeling smash, judging from the responses here then.

 

[dominikk1985]

Topspin volleys?

I love TTW.

a topspin volley is a common shot in the pro ranks against slow balls. It is like a normal topspin hit in the air. It is also called swinging volley or drive volley. The first players who used it a lot were the Williams sisters ( who trained that since they were kids to deal with moonballers) but Agassi and fed also used it occasionally.

I would not really recommend it for rec players though.

 

[TimeSpiral]

a topspin volley is a common shot in the pro ranks against slow balls. It is like a normal topspin hit in the air. It is also called swinging volley or drive volley. The first players who used it a lot were the Williams sisters ( who trained that since they were kids to deal with moonballers) but Agassi and fed also used it occasionally.

I would not really recommend it for rec players though.

Everything you said was great until that last bit.

The swing volley is a specialty shot, but there is no reason the rec player shouldn't try and learn it (at a certain point). If you're a rec player, and you can develop a reliable swing volley, it will almost certainly become an advantage for you.

 

[fuzz nation]

Don't take it too hard, amigo. Some of the gang here enjoy the insulation of the computer screen when poppin' a 'tude. Not that you need to generate a formal ignore list, but keep that salt shaker handy so that you can take any advice here with a grain or two.

The swinging volley is a rather devastating shot. I haven't really tried to hone one myself, but when a rising star named Maria Sharapova was using it as a teenager some years ago, I think that a large number of tennis nerds got a look at the effectiveness of a new weapon.

I grew up playing serve and volley tennis in the summers on grass courts, so that meant learning a strong traditional style of volley. The full swinging volley is apparently something that needs to be practiced like any other shot, but I also hit a one-handed topspin backhand. If I work on a swinging volley at some point in the future, I'll probably only try it on my forehand side.

Your description sounds like a combo of a traditional volley with a follow through more in keeping with a ground stroke. Hard to know if this is going to make for some significant issues in your technique without seeing them (no pressure in terms of posting video). But if you like going after this sort of shot, you may want to get more cozy with the full swinging volley to complement the more traditional volley that keeps things more compact and controlled.

 

[mightyrick]

I would not really recommend it for rec players though.

That's the point. A lot of recreational players here think they need a bunch of these kinds of shots and skills to win matches.

And then those same players will post frustration-filled threads about how they got destroyed by a "pusher" who focuses exclusively on getting in position for the incoming ball and getting it back deep with a safe, easy-paced forehand... and waiting for the next ball.

A lot of folks here could learn from the skills of such a player.

 

[dominikk1985]

Everything you said was great until that last bit.

The swing volley is a specialty shot, but there is no reason the rec player shouldn't try and learn it (at a certain point). If you're a rec player, and you can develop a reliable swing volley, it will almost certainly become an advantage for you.

I would rate myself maybe about 4.5 (there is not such a system in europe but I played some competitive tennis as a kid) and I can hit a drive volley but it is by no means a high percentage shot for me.

in most situations a normal volley or let it drop works just as well with less risk.

 

[willeric]

I think what is being asked is if you ever hit a topspin volley with a continental grip. I don't think he is asking if you hit what is commonly referred to as a "swinging volley".

"Swinging volleys" (using same grip as ground strokes) is a very useful technical for finishing off slow or attackable balls. I would say anyone from 3.5+ would consider using this.

Hitting topspin volleys using a continental grip would be difficult due to not being comfortable with the face angle and stroke. The face angle would have to get closed way down. Also it would be a strange arming motion to get topspin. However, there are players that hit forehand topspin shots with a continental grip.

 

[TimeSpiral]

I think what is being asked is if you ever hit a topspin volley with a continental grip. I don't think he is asking if you hit what is commonly referred to as a "swinging volley".

"Swinging volleys" (using same grip as ground strokes) is a very useful technical for finishing off slow or attackable balls. I would say anyone from 3.5+ would consider using this.

Hitting topspin volleys using a continental grip would be difficult due to not being comfortable with the face angle and stroke. The face angle would have to get closed way down. Also it would be a strange arming motion to get topspin. However, there are players that hit forehand topspin shots with a continental grip.

If that's what is being asked, then the answer is obviously: yes, you can hit a TS Volley with a Cont grip.

 

[Topslice]

So much fail in this thread.
There is a difference between a volley, swinging volley, drive volley, and what the OP is talking about a topspin volley with continental grip.

Volley=good
swinging volley=useful in certain situations
drive volley=useful in certain situation
topspin volley with continental=Probably the most important shot on a court, can not understand why no pro does this on volleys in the 3/4 court.

 

[winstonlim8]

Thanks for your responses, everyone.

Dominik, Timespiral & Willeric,
I don't disagree with any of you. But as I've explained in my OP, I don't hit a swinging volley. I just don't have the hand-eye coordination to do that. I drive my volley with no takeback. (Fuzz_nation, got it right. See below).

Since I don't set out to powder the ball but focus on meeting it firmly and then just following through with a high swing, I am actually using my opponent's pace and not purposely generating any of my own. As I said, if I tried to do that, the ball would probably sail into the back fence.

My priorities when I hit a topspin volley are -
1.proper technique
2.control
3.placement

I do admit that my Continental grip is a bit closer to the Eastern backhand grip however, because I hit a lot of high backhand volleys with a flat slice swing much like a backhand smash but taken a bit further in front so that I can get my shoulder into it. Maybe that's why my so-called Continental grip works for me.


MightyRick,
I didn't actually set out to develop or learn it as a skill at first. It just happened naturally a couple of times when I was caught in no man's land and got confused about what I should do. I actually wanted to play a proper backhand volley but since the ball was low, I was mentally funked out (low blood sugar and electrolyte loss) and simply reacted. I ended up preparing for it like I would for a normal volley, met the ball and then just finished with a high follow through like a drive without thinking at all. I guess I did that because the backhand drive is the only stroke I have that I might imagine to be a natural shot for me...even if I had to spend six months learning to hit it properly waaaay back then.

Since hitting the volley that way worked for me both times, I thought I'd better practise it off both sides so that it would work just as well other times. As I mentioned in my OP, I only use it now when I can reach the ball easily. I don't try to hit every volley that way. That would be a little flashier than my lack of talent, hand-eye coordination and poor concentration could deal with.

And I don't complain about being beaten by pushers nowadays as anyone who's ever read one of my first posts at TTW would know. http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=479072&highlight=pushers

My attitude is that if people beat me, then it's because they're better players. And if they have lousy looking strokes, then they're better players with lousy looking strokes. I don't have any ego about how having prettier strokes than other people should translate into being a better player than them. It's who wins or loses the match that determines which person is the better player as far as I am concerned.

See, having lousy hand-eye coordination, poor stamina, and no talent or proficiency at any form of sport does have some uses after all.

Don't take it too hard, amigo. Some of the gang here enjoy the insulation of the computer screen when poppin' a 'tude. Not that you need to generate a formal ignore list, but keep that salt shaker handy so that you can take any advice here with a grain or two...

Your description sounds like a combo of a traditional volley with a follow through more in keeping with a ground stroke. Hard to know if this is going to make for some significant issues in your technique without seeing them (no pressure in terms of posting video). But if you like going after this sort of shot, you may want to get more cozy with the full swinging volley to complement the more traditional volley that keeps things more compact and controlled.

Fuzz_nation,
I don't really worry if people choose to post with attitude. God knows I'm sometimes guilty of it myself.

You've got it right about what I do. I don't think it makes much of a difference to the rest of my stroke techniques as it isn't my usual way of volleying, especially when I'm closer to the net (I do it the proper way then) since I learnt to volley the proper way when I took up tennis and didn't even think about topspin volleys until about a year ago only, when it happened by accident a few times. As I said, now I do it when I can reach the ball easily and I do it to get a bit more pace and make it harder for my opponent to reach the ball.

I certainly won't try to post any videos until I can actually do it much better with my new racquet. I'm having trouble adjusting to the different heft as I used to play with a very stiff, very head heavy racquet. My new BLX Pro Tour is about 7 or 8 points head light strung and even though I've added just a bit of weight at 10 and 2 o'clock on the head, it's still at least 5+ points head light. I don't have the necessary talent to forget years of muscle memory easily and make the adjustment in a week or two, but I do have to do it or live with both TE and GE.

As I mentioned at the start of my OP, I'm just starting to do topspin volleys again because I'm adjusting to the new racquet now and feeling a little more confident with it (beating a pusher for the first time ever helped a lot for sure).