I must say that as always you have lent an understanding to a subject which I’m sure has caused more than a small amount of frustration for those of us involved with school teams. I’m a former high school coach now a parks/rec instructor and volunteer coach for a local high school team. Volleys seem to be a difficult area for most students, I believe, for a couple of reasons: 1. We teach them to swing through their shots (forehand & backhand), emphasizing full swings from deep in the court, low to high, and follow-through. 2. After hours of practice and imprinting upon them that the forehand/backhand must be hit with a certain technique/form, then comes the volley: no take back, no swing, short follow through, moving in to the dreaded “No-Man’s Land” (Zone 2) to gain an advantage of better angles and reduced time. Beginners, in my experience, try to apply the forehand technique to the volley with some interesting results.
The dreaded “No-Man’s Land”, traditionally taught to be avoided at all costs, versus the baseline, is where a relatively easy volley may be accomplishes as opposed to a half-volley sitter from the baseline.
Just a thought for future reference: I noticed that you didn’t discuss a volley from Zone 2 normally being a set up volley and not a put-away volley.
I hope you and your family are well. I love this video and it is so timely. I am coaching a girl’s high school team in Wilmette, Illinois and we have been working on very same issue. We have two volley goals: hitting the volley close to the net and above the net. Tennis instruction in many settings has unfortunately become one dimensional with a myopic focus on ground strokes and possibly serving. Instead, our team goals are to be able to hit first serves consistently, returns deep if the server stays back( low and short for incoming servers) and hitting first volleys primarily crosscourt.
I also like the reference to Ideal Volley Position or IVP. I believe this was from Peter Burwash. He defined IVP, BVP (Best Volley Position) and DVP (Defensive Volley Position). Is this where you acquired the IVP reference?
Thank you very much for this video.
Best regards,
Frank Sacks MBA, USPTA/PTR
Your volley concept, as it relates to court position, is very sound. You’re right, if a player has reasonably good
volley skills, their correct position will markedly reduce errors.
Your demonstration painted a good mental picture to get that accomplished.
Hi
I play on clay it is not that I’m bad at getting to the ball and volleying, but the problem is may be my aim is wrong.
I tend to loose the point unless it is a good drop shot and really on top of it or the oponent is really out of place and i mange to volly to open court. Otherwise opponent will lob or after 2 vollyies i’m out of place and will get passe. Specillay clay is slow and opponent has enough time to get to the ball.
I think in clay what works is slice rather than volly. Slice forhand or backhand. I have a friend i play regularly, rally good at slice forhand and backhand, ball does not bounce and win lot of points at the net.
Hi Coach Capestany,
I always appreciate your instructions/videos but I think in this case there is a component that is flawed.
At club level we rarely get returns of serve that deep which changes significantly where that volley “comfort zone” starts. So if one’s not quick enough to get inside the service line after the serve, volleying the return of serve can be somewhat difficult… IMHO
I must say that as always you have lent an understanding to a subject which I’m sure has caused more than a small amount of frustration for those of us involved with school teams. I’m a former high school coach now a parks/rec instructor and volunteer coach for a local high school team. Volleys seem to be a difficult area for most students, I believe, for a couple of reasons: 1. We teach them to swing through their shots (forehand & backhand), emphasizing full swings from deep in the court, low to high, and follow-through. 2. After hours of practice and imprinting upon them that the forehand/backhand must be hit with a certain technique/form, then comes the volley: no take back, no swing, short follow through, moving in to the dreaded “No-Man’s Land” (Zone 2) to gain an advantage of better angles and reduced time. Beginners, in my experience, try to apply the forehand technique to the volley with some interesting results.
The dreaded “No-Man’s Land”, traditionally taught to be avoided at all costs, versus the baseline, is where a relatively easy volley may be accomplishes as opposed to a half-volley sitter from the baseline.
Just a thought for future reference: I noticed that you didn’t discuss a volley from Zone 2 normally being a set up volley and not a put-away volley.
Thanks Gene
Hi Jorge:
I hope you and your family are well. I love this video and it is so timely. I am coaching a girl’s high school team in Wilmette, Illinois and we have been working on very same issue. We have two volley goals: hitting the volley close to the net and above the net. Tennis instruction in many settings has unfortunately become one dimensional with a myopic focus on ground strokes and possibly serving. Instead, our team goals are to be able to hit first serves consistently, returns deep if the server stays back( low and short for incoming servers) and hitting first volleys primarily crosscourt.
I also like the reference to Ideal Volley Position or IVP. I believe this was from Peter Burwash. He defined IVP, BVP (Best Volley Position) and DVP (Defensive Volley Position). Is this where you acquired the IVP reference?
Thank you very much for this video.
Best regards,
Frank Sacks MBA, USPTA/PTR
Thanks Frank… good luck this season!
Hi Jorge:
Your volley concept, as it relates to court position, is very sound. You’re right, if a player has reasonably good
volley skills, their correct position will markedly reduce errors.
Your demonstration painted a good mental picture to get that accomplished.
Thank you………..Neil.
Thanks Neil
Hi
I play on clay it is not that I’m bad at getting to the ball and volleying, but the problem is may be my aim is wrong.
I tend to loose the point unless it is a good drop shot and really on top of it or the oponent is really out of place and i mange to volly to open court. Otherwise opponent will lob or after 2 vollyies i’m out of place and will get passe. Specillay clay is slow and opponent has enough time to get to the ball.
I think in clay what works is slice rather than volly. Slice forhand or backhand. I have a friend i play regularly, rally good at slice forhand and backhand, ball does not bounce and win lot of points at the net.
Thanks Sam
Hi Coach Capestany,
I always appreciate your instructions/videos but I think in this case there is a component that is flawed.
At club level we rarely get returns of serve that deep which changes significantly where that volley “comfort zone” starts. So if one’s not quick enough to get inside the service line after the serve, volleying the return of serve can be somewhat difficult… IMHO
Regards
Tudor
Good feedback Tudor…