Volleying with 2 different grips.

[dman72]

My volleying sucks. I have good movement, a good wingspan, but I tend to "pop the ball up" way to often when using a continental on both sides because I use too much arm and not enough shoulder. I understand that I should work on that aspect of the volley.

After reading an article on "turbotennis" saying that this guy Roy Emerson used different grips on FH and BH volleys, and he was a great volleyer. So, last night I decided to try using Eastern FH on forehand and something in between continental and eastern backhand on bh volleys. It was very effective against the guy I was playing, although he doesn't hit the ball very hard. But against heavy hitters, I probably wouldn't be coming to the net unless my opponent was on the defensive. It doesn't really take that much to switch grips. Does anyone else do this?

 

[ogruskie]

I use continental grips on both sides.

I used to pop the ball up very frequently as well. I think its because I was tilting the racquet face at an angle right below the ball, making it "trampoline" off the strings. Now, I basically try to keep the strings parallel to the net, and as soon as the ball flies to my forehand, I step in and use arm + shoulder to deflect the ball.

Edit: Don't worry about sucking. Several months ago, when I went to volley, the ball would simply smash against the frame and drop to my feet. It takes practice practice practice to get good.

 

[paulfreda]

Vic Braden, famous tennis instructor, addressed this issue in one of his early tapes. He showed that one can switch grips much faster than changing stance which one grip requires. So if it works and feels good to you, why do you need to ask permission ? Just kidding of course, but do what works for you.

Cheers

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

In Roy Emerson's day, the age of wood rackets,switching between FH and BH grips were quite common, possibly even the norm. You may very well be able to execute the grip changes much/most of the time when playing singles at many levels of play. However, doubles may be another matter if you are engaged in fast net exchanges.

Modern players will often employ a very subtle grip change for volleys. Many will use a continental for the BH and make a minor change to a semi-continental for the FH -- the grip change is so slight that it can sometimes be accomplished with only one hand on the racket. However, I recommend that you always get the 2nd hand back on the racket ASAP after each volley whether you employ a grip change or not -- this should help you get a good, partial shoulder turn and should provide you with much better feedback on the location and orientation of the racket head.

 

[Nellie]

You can always find examples of players that do things not by the book. I think Roddick changes grips on his vollies.

It sounds to me that you are hitting the volley with the ball too far past/behind you. I would not be tempted to change grips as a
bandaid for other technique problems.