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.

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The main objective of a tennis volley is to surprise your opponent since this shot limits your opponent’s reaction time. Thus it is considered as an offensive shot. A tennis volley shot also minimizes the bad bounce effect especially on grass and clay courts. In addition, playing a volley (especially if you stand near the net) gives you a wide array of angled shot choices which can be very difficult for your opponent to return. If your opponent does return the ball, normally it is a weak one.

To be a successful volleyer you need to have quick reflexes and you need to have perfect hand-eye coordination. Below are some tennis volley tips for players seeking to improve the forehand and backhand volley.

Tennis Volley Grip Tips

The Continental grip is the most commonly used grip by professional tennis players. This grip can be used both in a forehand volley and in a backhand volley. This means that you don’t have to change your grip if you use a forehand and a backhand volley alternately. This makes this grip more popular than the other grips.

Some players use the Eastern forehand grip to hit a forehand volley, but the disadvantage of this tennis volley grip is the fact that if you want to hit a backhand volley stroke in your next shot, you need to change your grip to a continental grip. This can be very confusing and time consuming especially for beginners.

Tennis Volley Preparation Tips

Tennis Volleys are normally played on the net, thus its shot preparation is basically shorter compared to other shots such as groundstrokes. This makes an appropriate tennis volley preparation crucial. Late preparation can lead to a rushed shot resulting to poor executions. One of the most important tennis volley tips is to be well prepared by anticipating your opponent’s shots. Another tennis volley preparation tip is to limit your opponent’s shot choices or options so that you can react to the ball quickly. Instead of giving your opponent 5-6 shot options, limits it to 2-3 options.

There are some ways and means for you to be able to anticipate your opponent’s shots. The first thing your can do is look into and analyze your opponent’s tendencies and patterns. You can also study hints from your opponents through his or her shots or strokes.

Another tennis volley tip to anticipate your opponent’s shot is for you to develop or improve your correct perception of the ball’s path and spin. And lastly is to anticipate your opponent’s shot based on his or her court position.

Anticipation in a Tennis Volley

Aside from anticipating your opponent’s shots, a quick response time span is also vital for a tennis volley. Developing this skill gives you a big advantage at the net considering how quick and fast tennis volley exchanges are. This skill is more vital in tennis doubles matches considering the frequency of tennis volleys in a doubles tennis match. But it is also of equal importance in a singles match especially if your opponent is a good net player.

A quick and fast response time involves your reaction time and your execution time. Your reaction can be explained as the time spend by your brain to process your opponent actions or shots made and channel that massage to your motor for the type of shots to prepare. On one hand, your execution time means the time you spend to execute the appropriate return of your opponent’s shot.

Most skilled players’ average reaction time (from the point the ball is released to the start of racket movement) is between 226 milliseconds for forehand volley and 205 ms for backhand volley. One way to improve your reaction and execution time is to do a split step. Some tennis volley tips on how to properly time your split step is explained below.

Tennis Volley Footwork Preparation Tips

There are several ways to practice the proper tennis volley footwork preparation. Another essential tennis volley tip is to perform a timely split step and focus your balance as early as possible. For best results, you have to execute the split step as soon as your opponent makes contact with the ball. This is for you to establish your base of support.

In fact, most professional players are able to execute their split step in such a way that the execution is perfectly timed just after the opponent’s ball contact. The split step is also important for you to be able to move quickly and react to your opponents return flawlessly. A timely split step also gives you the proper balance your need to execute your return properly. In this type of footwork preparation, timing is essential.

Dynamic Tennis Volley Footwork Practice

Regular practice on tennis volley tips is necessary for beginners and amateur players to achieve the perfect split step timing. Being able to execute a well timed split step allows you to move to the net quickly and at the same time hit the proper return. The split step is the most important footwork preparation in tennis volley shots.

Tennis Volley Technique

These tennis volley tips show the importance of proper technique on your tennis volley. Most tennis volleys are hit with the use of a short racket swing. This abbreviated racket swing can be done by just bringing the racket back without taking a backswing. This technique is best to use when you are on the service line while executing your tennis volleys.

The second tennis volley tip is to keep your tennis volleys compact. The racket arm should not go past your shoulder point. To be able to produce enough power on your tennis volley, a perfect weight transfer should also be accomplished.

Proper weight transfer also varies between a low volley and a high tennis volley shot. In a low volley shot, the weight transfer should happen before contact while in a high volley shot, weight transfer should happen during contact. This weight transfer signifies your timely weight transfer from your back foot to your front foot.

Tennis Volley Contact Tips

These volley tennis tips put more emphasis on the position of your racket head during the contact. At contact, the racket face must be in a slightly open position. This means that the racket face that comes in contact with the ball must be slightly facing upwards or towards the sky. This racket face position at contact can be used either in a forehand or in a backhand volley. This position is a commonality amongst all world class volleys.

A common problem among club players is late reaction time. This causes their racket face to be positioned is a “dish” manner (racket face facing upwards fully).

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Behind their domination of the world’s doubles tennis game, they are known to be constantly using tennis volley exercises in practice to hone their forehand and backhand volley technique.

Although the modern professional game has become dominated by powerful baseliners, the volley remains an important part of the game. The best players in the world all have the ability to come in to the net and finish points with easy volleys. They can set themselves up because of the power of their ground strokes.

They may not do it as often as players in the past did but having this ability still makes them more dangerous than other players. In doubles, the serve and volley game is still the best strategy to use. So if you really want to become a more complete player, learning to volley is an important part of this process.

Tennis Volley Exercises to Perfect your Forehand and Backhand Volley

Tommy Haas Demonstrates a perfect forehand volley: Excellent initial foot pivot allowing the body to be sideways while maintaining forward momentum

Many players do not volley as much because they have insufficient physical strength in their arms and wrists. There are a few tennis volley exercises that you can do in the gym or at home to gain more strength in these areas. The wrist can be strengthened with grips and ball squeezing exercises. There are also weight training exercises for the wrist and forearm that are useful for developing better volleys. These are the following:

• Wrist curls – holding a light dumbbell, place your forearm on a stable surface with the wrist hanging off the edge and the palm facing up. Curl the dumbbell up and back down.
• Wrist extensions – this is similar to the wrist curl, except that the palm if facing down. Lift the dumbbell by extending the wrist up and lower it back down.
• Wrist abduction and adduction – hold the dumbbell with your thumb on the upper side and perform a motion as if you were hammering a nail.
• Forearm pronation and supination – hold a dumbbell bar without weights or only a light weight attached at one end. Twist your forearm back and forth, pronating and supinating. Use the full range of motion.
• Arm exercises like bicep curls and tricep extensions are also useful to provide stability and protect against tennis elbow.
• Shoulder exercises, especially those targeting the rotator cuff can help you hit high volleys better. These include internal rotations and external rotations.

Tennis Volley Exercises #1: Flexibility for the arm

Tennis volley exercises should also include stretches for the wrist, arm and shoulder. Flexibility is just as important as strength in the development of proper technique and for the prevention of injuries like tennis elbow, rotator cuff tears and tendonitis of the wrist. Shoulder and wrist injuries have wrecked many a tennis player’s career.

There are also drills to improve your volleying ability. Hitting against a wall is one of the best tennis volley exercises. You can do this in your garage or even inside your own home.

Tennis Volley Exercises #2: Wall Drills

Stand anywhere from 3 to 6 feet away from the wall and simply volley the ball back and forth. You can keep the ball on your forehand side, backhand side or do alternating sides. You can also do patterns like 3 forehands then 3 backhands.

You are free to be creative with this aspect. The main thing is to hit the ball as many times as you can. This is a great exercise that develops your feel for the shot, quickens your reaction time and improves your hand-eye coordination.

Tennis Volley Exercises #3: Consistency Drills

Keeping a sustained rally of forehand and backhand volleys with your partner at the baseline allows you to ingrain the correct technique and feel for the tennis volley shot.

To develop consistency and get used to the feel of taking the ball out of the air, you can simply rally using volleys instead of ground strokes. You can rally from halfway between the service line and the net or further back. Try to set a goal of how many shots you can keep in play. Just as in hitting against the wall, you can create patterns too, like forehand-forehand, forehand-backhand-backhand-forehand, etc.

However, volleys are not rally shots. As much as possible, volleys are offensive shots and some tennis volley exercises should help you apply more force on this shot. You should be looking to end the point with the shot or set up your next volley for a winner.

Uou should not be coming in to the net to defend. As such, the best and most effective volleys are hit when a player is moving forward. However, position play is even more critical than on ground strokes. When you are at the baseline, you have generally have more time and you can even run around one side to hit the ball with the other wing on certain occasions.

You do not have this option up at net. Any small opening will leave you stranded as you get passed by your opponent. Therefore, aside from moving forward on the volley, you should quickly recover to a position that bisects the possible angles of your opponent’s reply. A good drill for this is the V drill.

Tennis Volley Exercises #4: The V Drill

You are fed the ball to either your forehand or your backhand that you have to volley. You move diagonally forward to intercept the ball but recover quickly to the centre service line after every shot.

Tennis Volley Exercises #4: The Romanian Volley Drill

The Romanian drill is another one of the tennis volley exercises that also trains a player to move properly. In this drill, the players stand just inside the service line and volley the ball back and volley the ball back and forth while side skipping back and forth from one side line to another. It is for more advanced players but a more basic version can be done for lower level players. Instead of rallying, a coach can feed the ball to a player while progressively moving him over from one side line to the other and back.

Volleys also need much finer racket head control. Whether you are trying to hit the ball hard or soft, controlling the racket head is vital for effective net play. Tennis volley exercises can also help you develop this. One technique is to practice hitting volleys with the non-dominant hand tucked behind your back. This emphasizes concentration and forearm strength to stabilize the racket head.

Tennis Volley Exercises #5: The T Volley Drill

Perfect Forehand Volley Set-up By Novak Djkovic

Another control-oriented tennis volley exercise is the T drill. Players start out at the service line and keep the ball in play by volleying back and forth. With each shot, they should take a step forward to the net.

When they are both really close to the net, they will be using very delicate strokes to keep the ball in play. The goal is for both players to ultimately trap the ball with their rackets.

In order to get used to hitting volleys in a match, practice games have been designed to simulate match situations. The first is the serve and volley practice game. In this game, the players must always try to come to the net because they can only score points from the forecourt. The server should serve and volley and the returner must return and volley as well.

This can be adapted for both singles and doubles. You can actually play a no-bounce game. There are also drills (not necessarily games) that can be done to suit this purpose.

Tennis Volley Exercises #6: The Passing Shot Drill

The passing shot drill requires two players, one at the net and another at the baseline. The baseliner feeds the net player a reasonably difficult shot, which the net player has to try to put away. Meanwhile, the baseliner tries to run down every ball and pass the net player with any shot including the lob.

There is also a version of this drill where the players both start out at the baseline. The player who will be practicing volleys is fed a midcourt ball. He or she hits an approach shot and tries to volley a winner on the next ball. The baseliner will also try to hit passing shots in this drill.

The best tennis volley exercise is not really an exercise anymore, but it is the only way that a player can really develop his or her net game. Try to execute in an actual match what you have been practicing. The more you do this, the more you will learn and be confident in your volleying ability.

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Perfect Serve and Volley drill

This tennis volley drill involves hitting a serve, followed by an approach volley to the open court. You have to be very accurate as to where to hit the ball when you serve. In tennis, you are allowed to have two service tries. In the first service, it is your time to hit the ball as hard as you can but be careful not to make too many service faults. In this tennis volley drill, the goal is to get as many first serves in and be able to execute the approach volley to the open court, setting yourself up for a put away volley.

Try the service drill as many times as you can until you accurately hit the place in the court where you want the ball to land. This volley drill will help you perform the serve and volley successfully in a real match.

“V” Tennis Volley Drill

The “V” tennis volley drill can be performed by having the first player in the service line (line between the net and the baseline) and the second player in the opposite court feeding the ball in such a way that the first player does the V tennis volley drill. The purpose of this tennis volley drill is to practice moving forwards to the net and at the same time execute the volley. After you return the ball, immediately return to your original position which is the service line. As usual the two players has to exchange position. This time it will be the first player who feeds the ball while the second player does the “V” tennis volley drill.

Romanian Tennis Volley drill

In this tennis volley drill, players should rally to each other exchanging forehand and backhand volleys with each other from the service line. At the same time each player is exchanging volleys, they must shuffle from side to side while remaining near the boundaries of the service boxes. This drill runs from each doubles sideline.

This tennis volley drill is of course performed by two players who are positioned near the net. This tennis volley drill help you develop your forearm strength to keep your racket head steady and be able to accurately return volleys in the net. This is not an easy task to master but if you do it diligently, at the end of the day you will just notice that you are doing well. Professional tennis players such as the Bryan Brothers do this tennis volley drill all the time which is why they are experts at the net game.

Tennis Volley Run drill

The Tennis Volley Run drill is a type of tennis volley drill that can be performed by two players. The first player is the only one having a racket while the second player will just throw the ball to the first player. Again the second player is the feeder while the first player is the one who performs the volley. This tennis volley drill can be started on either of the far side of the court. The second player feeds the ball to the first player and the first player volleys the ball straight back to the second player.

If the second player catches the ball, the drill continues with the players moving sideways to cover the whole net. After covering the whole area of the net (from one side of the net to the other side of the net), both players can exchange position. This time, it is the first player who is the feeder and the second player is the one to perform the tennis volley drill.

Cover Tennis Volley drill

This tennis volley drill is performed better if there are more than two players involved. The first player stands on the other side of the court, while the rest of the players are positioned in the other side of the court. The players opposite the first player should position themselves in a straight vertical line. Then the first player feed the ball to the forehand side of the first player in queue, and then this player moves out allowing the send player in queue to return the second ball fed by the feeder.

This time the feeder feeds the ball to the backhand side of the player. Again the second player (in queue) moves out allowing the third player to perform the cover volley tennis volley drill. The drill continues until the last player has performed the drill or the first player in queue can go back again and continue the process.

“V” Tennis Volley Drill

This is another drill to be performed if you are doing tennis volley drills. This drill is done by two players wherein the first player is the feeder while the second player is the tennis volley drill performer. The first player (feeder) feeds the ball and hit the ball in the center of the court and the second player have to do a low forehand volley to hit the ball. Second player then returns to the line or his original position.

Crosscourt and Down the Line Volley drill

This volley drill is performed with the purpose of improving the players’ endurance, stamina and anticipation of the ball and his footwork. This drill is done by two players in each side of the court. The first player will serve in such a manner that the ball hit the opposite side of the court where the second player is positioned. As a result the second player has to run to the other side of the court to return the ball

Overhead and Volley drill

This tennis volley drill is very important for the player to master overhead shots, footwork movement and volleys. This tennis volley drill will also help the player to improve his speed, agility and reaction quickness. Reaction quickness means the ability of the players to react quickly as to where the ball hit especially when the opponent hit the ball hard and quick. To execute this tennis volley drill, the first player is positioned in the mid-court while the second player is positioned in the normal place where a player should stand when hitting a serve (service box).

Continuous Tennis Volley drill

This tennis volley drill is done with more than two players. The first players stands on one side of the court while the rest of the players stand on the other side of the court. The rest of the players should form two vertical lines. The first player (the feeder) feeds the ball to the players in line alternating between forehand and backhand volleys.

Half Court Tennis Volley drill

The Half court tennis volley drill helps you develop your speed, agility and footwork that will allow you to execute the tennis volley perfectly. In executing the tennis volley approach, you need to be very quick to react as to where the ball is because the distance between you and your opponent are very close requiring quick reactions. This tennis volley drill can be done by sprinting to the net as quickly as you can.

Tennis Volley Drill with left arm at the back

In this tennis volley drill, you start by putting you left hand at your back (for a right handed player) and allowing only your right hand to hit the volley. However. you can also do the other way ( if your are left handed) wherein it the right hand that is put at you back while the left hand does the work of this tennis volley drill. This tennis volley drill is a drill to help you improve your concentration on your racket head and the arm you use to hit the ball. By putting your non dominant hand behind your back, you are forcing your racket hand to prepare earlier without any interference from the non dominant hand. This tennis volley drill will also help develop the strength of you arm to be able to withstand the harder hit vollies in the game of tennis.

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Many top world class tennis players such as Roger Federer and Pete Sampras have flawless tennis volley technique. With proper technique and timing, the tennis volley can be executed without any trouble. However, players must master the technique and develop the proper timing to execute the forehand and backhand volley.

Key components for an effective tennis volley

Initial step

The initial step that a player takes to start the tennis volley is of equal importance as the other executions or movements in volley. The split step is considered as the proper initial step in executing the forehand and backhand volley. The split step also allows the player to be always ready to return any passing shot by the opponent. Furthermore, the split step also gives the players a good balance for him to be able to accurately hit the volley for a particular shot of the opponent.

Agility

The ability to react quickly is important in tennis in general but it is much more needed when the player is executing the tennis volley. The player should be able to move his hand, feet and body into the proper posture to return the ball.

Mental alertness

The players should also be quick and alert mentally to react to the very fast ball movements in a volley. Unlike the other rally like cross-court, the ball in a tennis volley travels very fast at a very short distance. So, the player should be very alert mentally to react to the balls’ quick movements. A very good net player is able to finish the tennis volley and win a point with only 2-3 shots in the net.

Footwork

Same as in other tennis techniques, footwork is also an essential component to execute the perfect tennis volley. Proper footwork should be executed as forehand and backhand volleys are executed. Series of small sprinting steps are needed for the tennis volley to be executed perfectly.

Body movement

The body movement plays a very important factor in volley technique. The tennis volley does not only involve wrist or arm movement, but the body as well. The player needs to move his body quickly in reaction to the ball direction. The player’s body should be able to move down quick if the ball is low and should be able to move up if the ball is high.

Forehand Volley

The forehand volley is as important as the other techniques in tennis game. It is an essential technique to master if a player wants to excel in the game of tennis. It is very simple to execute once the players is comfortable playing in the net. One very important technique in executing the forehand volley is to keep it simple but effective.

There are several key aspects for a player to be able to execute the forehand volley perfectly and accurately. The first key is the use of continental grip. Another key is the preparation of the players in terms of his body and hands positions. The player should keep his hands between his chest and waist. The chest should be angled at around 45 degree to the net. At the same time, the hand with the racket (right hand for right handed player and left hand for left handed player) should be positioned in such a way that it is not behind the right shoulder (left shoulder for left handed player).

The steps can also be a very big factor to execute the forehand volley. When a player executes the forehand volley, he needs to step forwards using his left foot (right foot for left handed player) with his arms extended for the contact of the ball.

Backhand Volley

The continental grip is normally used in executing the backhand volley. This grip usually results to a better backhand volley compared to the other tennis racket grips. The body stance or posture also plays a very significant factor on how attain the proper backhand volley. In a ready position, the player should position himself in such a way that the weight of his body is on the balls of his feet.

At the same time, the racket should be held out in front of the body. The backhand volley is initiated by turning left from the waist. After the player’s initial move, the player should prepare the racket for the volley by moving it backward, but it should not go beyond the shoulder. In this case, the player puts the weight of the racket mainly in his left hand. While the player is positioning the racket, he has to step across and forwards with his right foot.

To be ready to hit a backhand volley approach, the players should see to it that his wrist is slightly laid back. The player’s elbow should be comfortably distanced in front (not too close or not too far) so that the players will be able to hit the ball accurately and on time. If the player’s elbow is to near or too far, he might be late in hitting the ball. A late return in a volley gives your opponent time to return the ball to his advantage.

Another aspect that a player should remember is to bend the knees when returning a low ball. The player should bend his knees instead of the back or body.

Another important consideration is the position of the racket head. The player should avoid taking too big of a backswing. If the player does this, it will affect his speed and accuracy.

Things to avoid in a tennis volley

1. Avoid performing the volley if your preparatory hit (the hit before you start your volley) is not accurately executed.

2. Avoid excessive forward swinging of your racket when you are performing the tennis volley because this will result to excessive forward motion.

3. Avoid hitting the ball using a chopping motion, but rather hit the ball in a smooth manner. A high to low swing angle can be used in easy put away volleys. Whereas low-high volleys are more effective especially when the ball is played below waist level.

4. Avoid the excessive bent-wrist stroke by maintaining a firm wrist when the ball touches the racket head.

5. Avoid hitting the ball too close to your body.

6. Avoid hitting the forehand and backhand volley from an unbalanced position.

7. Avoid a very easy volley that enables your opponent to return the ball easily. Try to hit the ball in a corner or target the feet of your opponent. Targeting your opponent’s feet forces him to hit a high ball which will make it easy for you to return.

8. Avoid using two hands when you hit a backhand volley. The backhand volley is most effective when you use only one hand for the backhand and forehand volleys.

How to achieve world class tennis volley

Players do not need to hit a complicated tennis volley in order to achieve a world class volley, because the volley is accomplished in a very simple way. You need to have finesse and soft touch. Players does not always need to be explosive and powerful on the tennis volley, but it requires perfect and accurate execution to hit the ball in the best point in the court that leaves his opponent off guard forcing him to lose the point.

One of the best shots in the tennis volley is to hit a deep ball rather than a short ball to force your opponent to execute a passing shot. Another important shot in the volley is a sharp angled shot. This puts the opponent off the court, giving the player hitting the volley a great advantage.

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 Tennis Volley – The Forehand and Backhand Volley appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Top pros make the tennis overhead smash look easy

Top pro players make the tennis overhead look like a piece of cake and at the pro level, as soon as the player receives a floating lob at the net, the point is almost always over in favor of the player hitting the tennis overhead. The pros then execute the tennis overhead with perfection, usually with extreme power leaving the returning player no chance to remain in the point.

Pete Sampras’s Tennis Overhead Smash

Pete Sampras had one of the best tennis overhead smash in the history of tennis. The crowd would stir in awe watching many of Sampras’s tennis overhead dunks. Pete Sampras had a remarkable overhead and even jumped several feet in the air on occasion to hit the overhead smash in tennis (similar to how basketball players jump up several feet in the air to make a slam dunk – hence the name tennis overhead slam dunk).

Pro players are the creative minds behind their beauty and grace of their tennis overhead smash. Coupled with great athleticism, flair and artistic touch the tennis overhead is merely a walk in the park for these players.

Recreational and Club Players Tennis Overheads

Recreational players often have less than ideal tennis overheads. Their tennis smash is usually not a highlight of their game, and is a shot often avoided if at all possible. The tennis overhead smash is rarely practiced and every player has an unrealistic expectation for the tennis smash. They want to hit the tennis smash like the pros, but without the proper practice on the correct tennis overhead technique, hitting a tennis smash like the pros is nothing but a shot in the dark.

Check out these tennis overhead smash tips to help your tennis smash become a shot that you can rely on, rather than hope that it will stay in the court.

Tip #1 Don’t Pray and Spray the Tennis Overhead Smash

The first tennis overhead smash tip is to have the proper mindset. Having the proper mentality for the tennis overhead will directly affect the outcome. This tennis overhead smash tips apply to all players. Most tennis player try to hit the tennis smash as hard as they can anywhere they can and pray that it will stay in.

With little regard to the proper tennis overhead technique, they inproperly throw their entire body into the ball, without first getting balanced and clearing the head mentally and visualizing a target into the court to aim at. Pick a spot in your mind that you intend the tennis overhead smash to go, and that will automatically set your mind and body into the correct mode to hit the overhead smash.

Tip #2 Quiet your mind on the Tennis Overhead Smash

The second tennis overhead smash tip is to quiet your mind as soon as the opponent hits you a lob. Most tennis players become anxious and rushed as soon as the opponents throw up a lob. If you haven’t practiced the tennis smash in quite some time, you may be extra nervous about hitting that shot. Your mind might be talking negatively even before you hit, but in order to execute the tennis smash correctly your mind and body must be completely focused on just preparing for the tennis overhead, rather than being preoccupied in the past or in the future outcome.

Tip #3 Tennis overhead smash requires quick tennis footwork

Another common misconception and belief amongst recreational players on the tennis overhead is that it requires very little tennis footwork. This tennis overhead smash tips apply to all tennis players who have brick feet when it comes to the tennis smash. Most tennis players drag their feet when they initially see that tennis overhead smash coming, rather than quickly moving backwards and getting into position with quick initial body preparation.

A key tennis overhead smash tips to remember is to begin the preparation for the tennis overhead as soon as possible, right after recognition of the opponents initial shot. Don’t wait long before getting your feet started. It may be tempting to wait or move slowly with the speed of the ball, but this will only make you very late to the tennis overhead resulting in a poor and weak tennis smash.

Tip #4 Quick preparation of the tennis overhead

An important tip for the tennis overhead smash is to begin the preparation and start moving backwards as soon as possible. This includes the tennis footwork, and most importantly the upper body. While moving backwards, make sure to bring the racket hand up in the power position and avoid taking an excessive backswing. A compact preparation will load the upper body and assist with the coil during the preparation for the overhead.

Tip #5 Keep the left arm up throughout the overhead

A good tennis overhead smash tip is to keep the left or non dominant hand up throughout your movement to the tennis overhead. Pro players are excellent at keeping the non dominant hand up throughout the entire tennis smash. By keeping the left arm up, this will help with tracking the tennis ball and mainting the proper shoulder position. This will also maintain the proper coil which will assist with generating power.

Don’t point at the ball while hitting the tennis overhead, simply keep the left arm pointed to the sky throughout the entire stroke, and this will facilitate a natural, efficient and effortless tennis overhead smash.

Tip #6 Don’t backpedal to the tennis overhead smash

It’s tempting to rush the tennis overhead and hastily arrive there as soon as possible. The body’s initial tendency is to backpedal in order to move backwards. This will throw your balance completely off, and actually make you slower to arrive to the tennis overhead smash. Instead, you need to move backwards using shuffle steps or crossover steps which will initiate much quicker tennis footwork. This is the most important tennis overhead smash tip of all.

The footwork used in the tennis smash is similar to that of some other instances in various sports. In football, football player must catch the football using three step drops, five step drops and even seven step drops. What they consist of is quick, small and explosive crossover or crossback steps, and these steps are rapid fire and quickly get the player back and ready to catch the ball. This is very much the same for the tennis overhead. Instead of using backpedal steps and potentially tripping and falling, stay in good balance using crossback or shuffle steps.

Tip #7 Get Sideways and Stay Sideways Through the Hit

This tennis overhead smash tip is alone can make a big difference in your ability to generate a power tennis overhead smash versus a weak dinker. Once you recognize that your opponent is sending you a tennis smash along your way, turn sideways with your body right away – and from there begin moving backwards using either shuffle steps or cross over steps. Make sure your feet are spread atleast shoulder width apart or greater as you move to get in position to hit the tennis overhead smash. I like to have the feet at least two shoulder width apart from each other, while maintaining a strong athletic foundation. This means that I keep my center of gravity low and stay low while I hit my overhead.

Tip #8 A Tennis overhead smash tip is to Use the entire body to hit the tennis smash

The tennis smash is not an all arm shot, and while the majority of the power as it seems will consist of have a good arm motion remember that in order to generate a powerful tennis overhead smash you need to use your whole body.

Never stand completely upright when moving or hitting the tennis overhead. Make sure to stay low and take quick small steps in moving to hit the tennis overhead.

Tip #9 Don’t Be A Sitting Duck

It’s tempting to stay put and watch the tennis overhead smash travel through the air, and it may be difficult to anticipate the flight path of the incoming ball. It may seem easy to simply reach up with your arm rather than getting into the proper and exact position each and every time to hit, but forcing your body to take the additional steps neccessary to get in balance will make the difference between a respectable tennis overhead smash and a poor shot.

Tip #10 Develop a Smooth and Fluid Arm Action

The tennis overhead smash technique is an essential part of a good tennis smash. Learn to develop a smooth arm action to hit the overhead smash. Avoid taking an excessive backswing or risk hitting late on the overhead. The tennis overhead is a powerful tennis stroke when executed correctly and with the proper arm action.

These tennis overhead smash tips are designed to teach players to learn the tennis smash and avoid the most common mistakes made on the tennis overhead.

Practice these tennis overhead smash tips and with the proper amount of practice time you can own the tennis overhead smash shot in no time.

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 Tennis Overhead Smash Tips appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

In addition, the tennis forehand slice shot is less popular than the slice backhand shot. That’s because instead of using the slice forehand, players prefer to use the more popular forehand shot, the topspin forehand. Topspin forehand shot can be used in a number of ball heights and also allows higher net clearance. As a result, tennis forehand slice is only used when needed.

Some of the cases where the forehand slice is needed is when your opponent’s ball is high or when it is too short to successfully hit a topspin forehand. The slice forehand is also ideal when you want to execute a perfect and accurate approach shot. This is due to the fact that the tennis forehand slice bounce is low which prevents your opponent to return a topspin shot. As a result, you have better chances of success in your volley shots since your opponent might be forced to return a high rising ball, which is very good to volley.

Furthermore, the slice effect of the ball also brings the ball farther airborne and slows down the ball bounce. These features can affect the momentum of your opponent. And lastly, having the tennis forehand slice as an additional tool to your repertiore that allows you to choose several shots to use that will throw off your opponent’s timing.

Tennis Forehand Slice Ready Position

The slice forehand ready position is the same as the other tennis strokes whether it is a groundstroke, a volley, a return of serve and many others. Being in a ready position for your opponent’s incoming shot involves holding the racket throat with the non dominant hand (if you are right-handed) and supporting it with your left hand. Spread your feet at shoulder-width apart and bend your knees at a comfortable angle with your body in a strong athletic position.

The bending and the crouching of your knees and body respectively will allow an easy and quick movement to either side wherever your opponent hits the ball. In addition, you should also remember that you have to hold your racket in front of your body. This position is most preferred by many players because of the ease it offers when you hit either to your forehand or backhand side. In fact, if you employ this ready position, all you need is to a slight turn of your body to prepare for the ball to your right or to your left side.

Tennis Forehand Slice Technique

Some players prefer to position their racket face in front of their left shoulder. This is the case for right handed players. However, if you are a left-handed player, position it in front of your right shoulder. When you are in the ready position waiting for your opponent’s return, you also need to be ready physically and mentally. You need to be relaxed and mentally alert to be able to hit the right shot in response to your opponent’s return.

Tennis Forehand Slice Grip

In professional tennis, most players use the Continental grip when they hit the slice forehand shot because this grip allows the player to achieve good racket support. However, some players use the Eastern forehand grip when they hit the slice forehand tennis stroke. This grip is preferred by some players because it puts the center of your palm in a parallel position with the stringbed of your racket, thus making the execution of the stroke light and easy.

The most awkward grip to use is the Semi-Western grip. Some players but not many still prefer to use this grip especially if they are not comfortable switching grip from one forehand groundstroke to another.

Tennis Forehand Slice Footwork

The tennis forehand slice footwork is the same as the other tennis strokes. It begins with the split step. The split step is the first footwork move done by a tennis player in preparation for the opponent’s return. With the eyes focused on the opponent’s movements, you have to be in the split step exactly when your opponent begins to make contact with the ball. To do this footwork, you have to take a slight hop (elevating your body off the ground) Once your feet leave the ground, spread them apart so that the time your feet land on the ground, you attain good balance. This split step in tennis is very important because it enables you to go any direction (wherever the ball’s direction is). Remember that you can’t just do the split step anytime you want. You have to time it properly based on your opponent’s movement.

Then as your opponent’s ball approaches, execute small steps to bring you towards the ball and then execute one last big step. This final big step is important when you transfer your body weight as you are about to execute the series of steps in slice forehand actual execution.

Tennis Forehand Slice Stance

Normally, most players utilize the neutral stance when they hit a slice forehand. If you do this, you have to position your feet so that it is aligned in a straight “toe to toe” relationship. In other words, if you mark a line from one of your foot to your other foot, the line formed must be parallel with the net or the baseline. Other players hit the tennis forehand slice with a closed stance. In a closed stance, your body should be in a sideways direction, with your racket head positioned at around shoulder level.

Tennis Forehand Slice Backswing

The forehand slice backswing also plays a vital role in executing the perfect and effective slice forehand shot. The forehand slice backswing starts with a shoulder turn. As you swing you racket back, make sure that it is positioned up. This means that your hand holding the racket is positioned a bit behind and above you head. The racket head should also be higher than the path of the ball. See to it that the long axis of your racket is almost horizontal to the ground and that the racket tip points more or less to the back fence. Then if you want to execute the square stance, step your left foot forward (for right-handed player) and be ready for the forward racket swing execution.

Tennis Forehand Slice Forward Swing

Another vital aspect to be able to hit an effective slice forehand shot is the forward swing of the racket as you are about to make contact with the ball. As you swing your racket forward, make sure that you also swing your racket in a slightly downward movement. In doing so, avoid dropping the head of the racket quickly (unless you only have seconds left before contact). The forward swing does not only determine the accuracy of your slice forehand shot, but it also affects the amount of power you produce on your shot. If you drop the racket head at a fast pace, this will result in an increased backspin effect but with less power. In most cases, the slight downward movement of the racket produces better results than the abrupt one.

Tennis Forehand Slice Point of Contact

The forehand slice backswing also plays a vital role in executing the perfect and effective slice forehand shot. The forehand slice backswing starts with a shoulder turn. As you swing your racket back, make sure that it is positioned up. This means that your hand holding the racket is positioned a bit behind and above you head. The racket head should also be higher than the path of the ball.

See to it that the long axis of your racket is almost horizontal to the ground and that the racket tip points more or less to the back fence. Then if you want to utilize the neutral stance, step your left foot forward (for right-handed player) to align yourself.

Tennis Forehand Slice Follow Through

After contact, your feet should remain in a neutral or slightly closed position. A perfect and powerful forehand slice stroke should have a follow-through where the upper part of your body turns at an angle of 180 degrees. The follow-through should bring your racket head as low as your knees (below your waist). Then eventually, the racket head should move back quickly at around shoulder level.

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 Forehand Slice – The Technique of the Tennis Forehand Slice appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Grip

The best tennis grip for drop shots is the continental grip. Professional tennis players learn to quickly change their forehand grip to the continental grip to hit the tennis drop shot. This is essentially the same grip used to hit a tennis volley and one that also best suited for the drop shot.

Backswing

Normally, if you want to hit a tennis drop shot, you do not take a backswing. A backswing is only used as a disguise. The disguise backswing is very important if you want to surprise your opponent. If you do not initially begin with a backswing, your opponent will be able to read your plan and be ready for your drop shot. The only thing you need to remember to execute your drop shot is that the racket should be about one foot above the point of contact. This is for you to create the brushing effect of the ball, thus creating a backspin. Backspin slows down the ball as well as results in a shorter bounce once it lands in the court. The shorter the bounce of the ball, the better it is because it means less chance for your opponent to return the ball.

Variations of the tennis drop shot

The way you execute your tennis drop shot depends on the ball movement (ball is on the rise or ball is falling) and position (ball level is way low for net clearance). Hitting a drop shot when the ball is on the rise and when ball has limited net clearance can be very risky. To create backspin, you must be able to execute a downward swing. At this stage, your racket should have dropped (from the previous position) for more than two feet and you body follows the downward movement.

Contact Point

Less than a second from the ball contact, maintain the same racket angle and avoid curling the racket as this can result to inconsistency. At this stage of the drop shot execution, your low body position made possible the horizontal position of the racket’s long axis. In return, perfect racket angle is achieved.

The point of contact should be in front of your body. Generally the most comfortable height of ball contact is between your shoulder and your waist, although the waist height should be the easiest to execute. It’s also important to fix your eyes on the point of contact seconds after the contact.

Follow-through

Some drop shot executions do require a long follow through. However, a drop shot will have a follow through if you racket moves very fast resulting in more slice upon ball contact. This type of drop shot creates a large amount of backspin.

Tips to consider in tennis drop shots

Fundamentals of the tennis drop shot

A good drop shot is hit with slice and backspin as the result of the brushing effect between the ball and the racket face during contact. Slice or backspin slows down the ball once it passes over the net. You will know if your drop shot is good if the ball bounces 6 times before reaching the service line. Be reminded that a perfect drop shot is always short. The closer the ball to the net the longer the distance that your opponent has to cover. Another characteristic of a good drop shot is when the ball falls down when it reaches the net.

When is a best time to hit the tennis drop shot?

You can land your drop shot in the service box where it is farthest away from your opponent. The tennis drop shot is best executed when your opponent is far behind the baseline. As soon as he anticipates a deep rally ball, a drop shot can be done to throw him off balance and keep him off guard.

There are many reasons as to why you should do a tennis drop shot and one of them is to make your opponent run for the ball, keeping him off balance in hopes to win a point.

It is very important to have a good timing to hit a drop shot. One option is when your opponent is positioned way back in the baseline. If he is in the center part of the court, hit the ball to the farthest side. You can also do the same when your opponent is way out in the sideline. Make sure that you hit the drop shot in the opposite side forcing your opponent to cover the longest diagonal distance. Remember to use the drop shot at the most unexpected time and when you are hitting against the wind. Do not hit the ball when your opponent expects it or else you will lose the point.

The tennis drop shot is ideal if your opponent is not a fast mover. If your opponent is a fast runner make sure that you drop your shot very far from him that no matter how he fast he runs, he still can not make it. You can also hit a drop shot if your opponent is not a net player.

What to do to improve your tennis drop shot?

To improve your drop shot, you need to practice more often with another player. The ideal way to do this is to start with a groundstroke rally first. Then, one player should hit a ball in the service line and making sure that ball bounces high. Once the ball bounces high, hit a drop shot. Practice hitting your drop shot in different areas of the tennis court (near the net or inside the service box).

These tennis drop shot tips cover the fundamentals of the stroke. Make sure to practice these often to refine this shot as it is just as important as the ground strokes.

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 Tennis Drop Shot – Learn the Drop Shot in Tennis appeared first on Tennis Instruction.