THE VOLLEY IS THE WORST TAUGHT STROKE IN TENNIS

As a coach, I've always believed in allowing my students to develop their own games naturally as much as possible. I often provide the lead but later I like to see my players find solutions to their own problems. I design the lesson plan, create the most appropriate drills for the topic and provide feedback whenever necessary. 

However, once all this is successfully taking place on the practice court it's often best for me to literally take a step back and allow players the freedom of self-discovery.

The only time I seldom let this happen is when I'm teaching the Volley. I find that most players have a warped idea of how the Volley should work. Perhaps this is because they've watched the pros volley on TV and feel they now understand how it should be performed and can easily imitate what they saw. 

If left to their own devices the vast majority of students would flounder around in lessons trying to perfect their volley game over a long period of time. 

Because of the misinformation players consume on social media and other places regarding volley technique, I think it's important to take complete control of the Volley lesson from the beginning and therefore begin teaching the Volley lesson by insisting on specific volley techniques that have proven effective for me for hundreds of players, and at the highest level. 

"...there are just too many tricky parts to developing a solid net game that players would have trouble discovering themselves." 

Apart from any misunderstandings, another reason most players can not perfect their volley game through the self-learning method is that there are just too many tricky parts to developing a solid net game that players would have trouble discovering themselves. 

Here are the most common volley pitfalls I see every day, along with my personal "hands-on" methods for developing a complete net game. 

IT'S ALL ABOUT YOUR APPROACH

Rafael Nadal often has the highest point conversion rate amongst all the other players in the draw when he goes to the net. If you watch his matches carefully you will see that in many points he can put away easy volleys for winners. It's one of the hidden secrets as to why he is so successful. Nadal is very good at approaching the net only when he has set himself up perfectly and is never guilty of putting his volley under pressure. 

"The best volley game in the world will have a low conversion rate at the net if that player is going forward on poor approach shots."

The best volley game in the world will have a low conversion rate at the net if that player is going forward on poor approach shots. What's a poor approach shot? Your net game will be under enormous pressure if you approach on high balls or balls that are short. If you approach the net on high and short balls you are asking for trouble.

It's not enough for you to spend all your time in practice perfecting the volley technique. Players must also develop expertise in the complexities of approaching the net.

HOMEWORK FOR THE TWO-HANDED BACKHAND

For years, the two-handed backhand groundstroke was the cause of many problems for players wanting to volley well. Two-handed backhand players do not develop sufficient strength in their racquet arm to help them stabilize the racquet when contacting the volley, particularly the single-handed backhand volley.

To volley successfully using the least amount of moving parts  (less chance of the volley to break down) the ball needs to rebound off the racquet face efficiently. You achieve this by locking the wrist, and this creates a solid racquet face, allowing the ball to rebound effectively on contact with the ball.

Today many coaches have identified this problem and given their students extra work to help them increase the strength in their racquet arms. If you are a player using a two-handed backhand, or you are coaching a player with a two-handed backhand, you'll need to make sure that you're doing extra work on strengthening the racquet arm to help with the single-handed backhand volley.

TIMES HAVE CHANGED, SO SHOULD YOU

Listen to any tennis commentary on TV and you will frequently hear the commentator recommend that one of the players "go forward" and volley more. The reasons they suggest this change of strategy might be correct but what they sometimes fail to appreciate is that tennis has changed a lot since they were active players themselves.

Twenty years ago going to the net to win the point was a lot easier than it is today. Advancements in racquet and ball technology today mean that the game is much faster. Modern strings have also given opponents far more control over the ball. Added to that players today are better-coached, meaning they are more skilled at passing you when you come into the net. Putting all these factors together means that going to the net today is a lot more difficult than it was before.

The solution is to become wiser. Learn when to go forward, what type of ball to go forward on, where to place the first volley, and how to stay safe at the net. Without that type of understanding your net game will be full of weaknesses that your opponent can exploit.

MASTER UNDER-SPIN

The final component to having a great net game is to master the art of underspin. If you are missing underspin from your game your approach shot and your volley will always be vulnerable.

"The advantage of having under-spin as an ingredient of your approach shot is that it will keep the ball low on the bounce at the other side of the net and thus make it harder for your opponent to pass or lob you." 

Understand that whenever you decide to go to the net you are forcing your opponent into a corner. They will have no choice but to try to pass you or lob you. They will strike back! You need to think of ways to limit their ability to damage you. Under-spin keeps you safe from being passed or lobbed and also helps keep the ball below the "strike zone" of your opponent.

Many players today still go forward to the net using topspin, failing to understand that providing their opponent with height greatly increases the chance of them being passed or lobbed. 

The volley is one of those strokes that can not be taught in isolation. Mastery over sound technique, the correct strategy required to play points close to the net, and the physical demands needed will all play a part in you having success at the net.