Volley grip?

[michael_1265]

After years of forgetting to change my volley grip for the backhand and floating it, I have decided to use the continental grip for both. for those who do this, does it make your forehand volley feel a little unnatural? Is there any way you have to compensate in your volley technique to make this work?

 

[Giannis]

What do u mean change your grip for backhand volley? Continental grip is what most people use for both forehand and backhand volley.

 

[michael_1265]

What do u mean change your grip for backhand volley? Continental grip is what most people use for both forehand and backhand volley.

I currently change grips from forehand to backhand volley. I am trying to use just one grip.

 

[Giannis]

Stick with continental grip for both forehand and backhand volley. The reaction time is too short when you are at the net to be able to change grips too.

 

[LeeD]

As said, almost everyone who can volley successfully uses ONE grip, a continental of some sort. Some use conti towards eForehand for every volley, some uses pure conti, some use conti towards eBackhand for every volley.
There is no time to change, and your volley grip does NOT have to be the same as your service grip. It'd be nice, but doesn't have to be.
You can't volley with conti because you have not played enough tennis yet. EVERY good volleyer uses some sort of conti variation.

 

[rkelley]

After years of forgetting to change my volley grip for the backhand and floating it, I have decided to use the continental grip for both. for those who do this, does it make your forehand volley feel a little unnatural? Is there any way you have to compensate in your volley technique to make this work?

As others have said, you should use just a continental grip for your volleys on both sides. You don't have time to change grips, and it's actually the better grip to use anyway. On your volleys you want the racquet to face open (i.e. facing toward the sky) when you hit the volley. That open face helps imparts the backspin that a good volley should have. The continental grip allows you comfortably attain that open face on both sides. It's also way, way easier to hit low volleys with a continental again because your racquet face is naturally open.

Specifically for the forehand turn your body about 45° toward your forehand side keeping both hands on the racquet. The racquet will rotate around with your body. That's your backswing. Don't take the racquet back any more than that. Move the racquet forward towards the ball and, in general, step with the non-dominant foot (i.e. left foot if you're right handed). Your racquet face will be naturally open and that's a good thing. Your stroke toward the ball should be short. The contact point is a bit in front of your non-dominant knee that you have stepped forward with. The stroke moves somewhat downward to help impart backspin, but it is not a chop down, but more forward than down. Once you start your stroke and have the racquet angled the way you want it, maintain that angle and you move the racquet forward.

Dave W. Smith's book, Tennis Mastery, has some great stuff in it with pictures. There's also lots of good youtube videos of pros hitting. Edberg, Sampras, and Navratilova are great ones to watch.

Dave also recommends practicing a volley by catching a beanbag with the racquet that someone tosses at you. That drill will help you keep your racquet face open and also encourages you to keep your racquet out in front since you're trying to catch the beanbag instead of hitting it.

Rich

 

[fuzz nation]

I currently change grips from forehand to backhand volley. I am trying to use just one grip.

The good news is that you've made your own discovery here. Continental will do it for pretty much all of your volleys along with a "turned up" wrist (the way it turns when you throttle a motorcycle). After you hit a few thousand volleys like that, it ought to start sinking in.:shock:

 

[michael_1265]

Thanks for all of the great answers and information. It reinforces that I have made the correct choice. I played doubles with the "big boys" last night (the three best players on the 4.0 team and me, a first-year 3.5), and I volleyed pretty well. One thing that I've become really atttuned to in the past year is my grip. Little modifications of the grip depending on where I am and how I am hitting the ball have become very routine.

 

[fuzz nation]

It may also be helpful for you to think about how far up the grip you place your hand, along with your grip position in terms of continental, etc. Most players today do a lot of slugging from the baseline and naturally place their hand at the bottom of the grip so that the racquet is more free to swing, but priorities change when we move forward to take over at the net.

Choking up on your grip by maybe an inch or so when you set up at the net can give you a quicker, easier way to put a good move on the ball when you volley. If you noodle around with this on your own for a bit, you may find that you start to instinctively choke up on the racquet when you move in for CQC (close quarters combat). I've done this since I was a squirt using hefty wood racquets, but it's still a useful habit for getting better racquet maneuverability up front where we need it.

Whenever you're stretched and reaching for the ball, it's usually natural enough to hold the racquet right down at the end to get better extension. But volleying with control is enhanced when the hitter maintains an "L" between their forearm and the racquet throat. For those shots, maximum reach isn't a top priority, but choking up for better racquet control can help with overall volley control.

 

[michael_1265]

It may also be helpful for you to think about how far up the grip you place your hand, along with your grip position in terms of continental, etc. Most players today do a lot of slugging from the baseline and naturally place their hand at the bottom of the grip so that the racquet is more free to swing, but priorities change when we move forward to take over at the net.

Choking up on your grip by maybe an inch or so when you set up at the net can give you a quicker, easier way to put a good move on the ball when you volley. If you noodle around with this on your own for a bit, you may find that you start to instinctively choke up on the racquet when you move in for CQC (close quarters combat). I've done this since I was a squirt using hefty wood racquets, but it's still a useful habit for getting better racquet maneuverability up front where we need it.

Whenever you're stretched and reaching for the ball, it's usually natural enough to hold the racquet right down at the end to get better extension. But volleying with control is enhanced when the hitter maintains an "L" between their forearm and the racquet throat. For those shots, maximum reach isn't a top priority, but choking up for better racquet control can help with overall volley control.

That's something I've never thought about. I have a big wingspan, so I don't give too much up by choking up a bit. Thanks for the tip.