A proper tennis volley technique will allow the tennis player to effectively hit the tennis volley with little to no effort. The swing shape of the volley technique is very simple, and almost no backswing is required.

The Tennis Volley Explained

What is the Tennis Volley, and why does a good tennis volley give a tennis player so much of an advantage?

A tennis volley effectively hit with good placement will have your opponent scrambling to get your forehand volley or backhand volley. The tennis volley is usually hit after the approach shot. The tennis volley is often hit midway in the air, while approaching forwards toward the net. The tennis player is usually somewhere between the middle of the service box and halfway close to the net at the time the player hits the tennis volley.

Tennis Volley of Pete Sampras

Keys to the tennis volley technique

A good initial split step, is key on the tennis volley technique. This places the tennis player in a wide and low base of support on the split step. The split step also readies the tennis player to react in any given direction of the passing shot. In addition, the split step effectively balances the player to hit the tennis volley technique appropriate for the shot situation.

The second key to tennis volley technique is reacting on-time and positioning the feet to drive the tennis volley forward. The entire body’s momentum should be moving forward at the time of impact, thus allowing the tennis player to continue the move forward.

The third key to tennis volley technique is having an aggressive mentality. This means that the volley technique is an aggressive shot, not a push or a rally shot. The point should be finished within one or two shots at the net. Anything more and any good tennis player will have hit put a passing shot away.

The third key to tennis volley technique is having an aggressive mentality. This means that the volley technique is an aggressive shot, not a push or a rally shot. The point should be finished within one or two shots at the net. Anything more and any good tennis player will have hit put a passing shot away.

The fourth key to tennis volley technique is fluid tennis footwork. Proper tennis footwork on the volley technique goes hand in hand with the forehand and backhand volley. This means that the tennis footwork needs to be fluid and small sprinting steps should be made.

The fifth key to tennis volley technique is incoporating the body into the tennis volley. Volley technique is not a wrist or arm shot. Making sure to stay low on a low volley, keep the racket head up and don’t prematurely drop the racket head (which will funnel the ball long or in the net)

Volley Technique is Powerful, Compact and Fluid

The volley technique must be powerful, compact and fluid just like the rest of the groundstroke technique.

Great tennis volley allows a tennis player to finish the point at the net after the initial approach shot. A weak tennis volley, on the other hand will leave a tennis player like a sitting duck, allowing an opponent to drill the tennis ball right back.

Forehand Volley

The Forehand Volley is an essential part of an all court game for every tennis player. The tennis volley is often hit when the opponent attempts to pass on to the forehand volley side. This tennis stroke must be kept simple in order to be made effective.

Pete Sampras had one of the best forehand volley in the history of tennis. His forehand volley was graceful, smooth and deadly. Roger Federer’s forehand volley technique is also world class. These two professional players use their tennis volley to great success in helping them finish points on their terms.

A good forehand volley is neccessity in order to play an attacking game, otherwise the baseline game will be your only option

What the keys to a good Forehand Volley

The forehand tennis volley is hit with all five keys mentioned above for a great tennis volley. The forehand volley is no exception. Typically, on the forehand volley there will be little to no swing.

The first key to the forehand volley in tennis is keeping the racket face up while the lower body must maintain a low and strong base of support. The posture on the body must be upright, and the swing path should be limited. Only a small takeback is needed, and most of this will be completed with the initial turn of the body.

Backhand volley

The volley technique on this tennis stroke must be compact in a similar fashion as on the forehand volley. The tennis volley technique must be kept compact, especially on harder hit balls. The momentum of the body moving forward will usually impart additional power needed to power the backhand volley, and little to no additional swinging is necessary. The backhand volley can be thought of as a block, rather than a swing.

Tennis players who attempt to swing on the backhand volley end up with poor results. They often hit the ball late, and are jammed on every shot and unable to effectively hit a powerful shot that they are looking for.

Volley Technique

Volley technique in tennis has to be made simple. Great net players have excellent finesse, and soft hands. The tennis volley is not a rigid or explosive stroke, rather it is a compact and fluid motion. At times, depending on the situation the tennis player must adjust the racket face and wrist angle to direct the tennis volley in the appropriate direction with the correct amount of spin and depth.

A tennis volley hit deep is better than one than lands short, potentially allowing the opponent to make a passing shot. A tennis volley hit with sharp angle will also force the opponent off the court increasing the chance for a forced error or a second put away tennis volley.

The volley technique of the pros are excellent models for every tennis player looking to improve tennis volleys. There is little acceptable variation on volley technique as it is in groundstroke technique, so adhering within the exact volley technique will improve your results on the tennis court.

Learn to Hit a Forehand Like Roger Federer

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The post The Secrets of Volley Technique appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Whether on TV or in person, the Federer Volley is admired by fans around the world for its perfection and flawless volley technique. While the Federer Volley is admired by many, few players can hit this shot with consistency.

Many players are reluctant to approach the net, lacking confidence in their volley technique and court coverage. This is unfortunate because many points can be easily won at the net.

One modern player who has gobbled up his fair share of points at the net is Roger Federer, and a quick look at the Federer Volley technique can help players at all levels.

Roger Federer has been called by some experts the greatest player in men’s tennis history, and the reason is not entirely based on his won-loss record or number of major championships won.

Federer has earned that distinction in the minds of many because of his superb all-around game. His serve is formidable, his forehand lethal, his backhand a work of art, and his volley nearly flawless. In short, there are no holes to Federer’s game, no areas that a player can attack. The Federer Volley is one of the elements of his game that strikes fear into the hearts of opponents.

Before digging into the exact Roger Federer Volley technique, let’s first discuss the mental aspects of the volley.

Many players are reluctant to hit volleys because of bad experiences they had in the past. Perhaps as a child first learning the game, you were hit by a ball or two or three when standing at the net during a drill to practice your volley technique.

You never forgot that feeling of the ball hitting you square in the mouth or eye, and that painful memory has formed your game even into adulthood.

Sound far-fetched? Ask a player who is young and fit why he or she does not go to the net, and you will be surprised by how many refer to an earlier bad experience there.

Why Learn From the Roger Federer Volley Technique?

If you have not been smacked by a ball in the nose at the net, then you truly have no excuse not to venture there from time to time to win easy points. Yet, other players avoid the net like the plague for several reasons:

1) They watch the pros and see that they rarely, if ever, go to the net. They then conclude, “If it’s good enough for the pros, then that style is good enough for me. I’m going to stay back.” The reason the pros don’t go to the net is because they do not even have time to approach the net in many cases. The modern game of tennis at the professional level is built on raw power.

Racquets are more powerful, as are the players. Professionals often do not have the time to get to the net and they also have great confidence in their ground strokes. They are thus willing to grind out points from behind the baseline.

You, however, are not a professional. Some of your opponents hit soft shots that you could devour at the net. Your opponents also will be stupefied if you break out a serve-and-volley game for a few points per set. You might not win all of the points that you pursue at the net, but you will win more than one-half if you use sound technique. That leads to the second reason why players do not go to the net:

2) They lose a few points there and conclude that the gamble is not worth the risk.

This occurs many times with players at a lower level. A coach tells them to proceed to the net to win some fast points. The first time a ball whizzes by their ear and lands in, they conclude that the net is not a fair wager. What they don’t realize is if they win four points and lose two, they are still far ahead with their gamble. No player should let a few good passing shots or lobs discourage them from going to the net. In fact, those two possibilities can be greatly reduced when sound strategy and technique are employed, which leads to the third reason why so few players incorporate the volley into their games:

3) They lack total confidence in their volley technique.

Players who have gone to the net from time to time and never practice their volley believe that it is far more difficult than a groundstroke to execute. In fact, the opposite is true. The volley motion is easier than the groundstroke. What is required, however, is focused concentration and an eye on the ball. With that introduction, let’s break down the Roger Federer Volley technique. For a more graphic explanation, several videos are available online showing how Federer hits his volleys.

Technical Elements of the Roger Federer Volley Technique

Balance:

Roger Federer begins his volley with his head centered over his feet, enabling him to move gracefully and quickly at the net. You, too, should have your feet spread a bit and your shoulders facing the net to be in maximum ready position. Your racquet should be in front of you unless you have guessed to which side your opponent will hit the shot.

Federer‘s Volley Technique, once he begins the motion to strike the volley, extends his left arm for greater balance, much like a figure skater or skateboarder. He does not keep it tucked into his body when hitting a forehand volley.

Racquet Up:

The Federer Volley features the racquet moving forward from a high position, with the racquet head above the wrist, ensuring stability. The backswing on a volley is, of course, limited. Take the racquet back just a bit and be ready to strike the ball. You will avoid punching the ball by executing a nice follow through in a moment. The entire efficacy of the volley is based on using the speed of the approaching shot against your opponent. Because the ball has not struck the court and suffered the slowing effects of friction, it is coming at you at a greater speed than normal, in all likelihood. That’s why you’ve been afraid of this shot for all these years!

Head still:

This is the most defining part of the Roger Federer Volley Technique. The head must be still and the eyes following the ball all the way into the strings. As you watch the Federer Volley on tape, you will see his chin almost touching his right shoulder as he watches the ball into the sweet spot of his racquet. Most errors on volleys can be attributed to the player moving his head and eyes off the ball too quickly. This will result in a mis-hit that can further discourage your volleying efforts. Practice keeping your head absolutely still when you hit volleys.

Patience:

Federer never springs forward to strike his volley too soon. In many cases, the ball is coming too quickly towards him for him to wait even a millisecond. However, on other shots, the ball hangs in the air for a brief moment and he waits until it is close to his racquet before moving towards it. Many other volleys are ruined because the player rushes the motion. Federer almost never does this.

Follow through:

This motion is not just for the ground strokes! It is equally important for the volley. Federer often whips his racquet all the way around his body after a volley to ensure that he does not simply punch the ball weakly.

Knees bent:

The Federer Volley is also characterized by the relaxed posture of Mr. Federer. He never appears to be panicked by the ball zooming towards him. He keeps his knees bent and is able to go low and dig ankle-high volleys out because his knees are already supple. Be sure not to simply bend at the waist when a volley is below your belt. You must bend your knees to hit a solid volley. As you bend, your eyes will be much nearer to the ball, a necessity for a volley to imitate the Federer Volley.

Modeling the Roger Federer Volley Technique

Armed with these points in mind, you, too, can have much greater confidence in your volleys and use the stroke to great effect as Roger Federer does. If your opponent pops a ball up or hits one so weakly that it will barely clear the net, consider that shot to be an open invitation to run to the net and punish the ball. Do not get too eager, though. Keep your balance, have your racquet above your wrist, maintain a still head, wait until the ball is upon you and follow through with bent knees to do your best imitation of the Federer Volley.

Learn to Hit a Forehand Like Roger Federer

If you want to jumpstart your forehand and play like the PROS, check out my 70+ page Tennis Ebook that will immediately show you how you can take your forehand to the next level.

The Modern Forehand Domination Ebook is guaranteed to improve your tennis technique, and increase power, topspin and accuracy of your tennis forehand!

Modern Tennis Forehand Ebook
Learn How to Hit a Forehand Like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic

The post The Roger Federer Volley Technique Explained appeared first on Tennis Instruction.