Tip of the Week: Basic Volley Technique

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Once you have moved forward and begin to hit balls out of the air, your idea needs to become simpler.

There is less time to react and get ready and also less time to get your racquet on the ball. Make sure your racquet is directly in front of you, that you have a continental grip (v formed by your thumb and index finger is directly on top bevel of the grip), and keep the racquet head up.

Your preparation should start with a shoulder turn in the direction that the ball is going-this will automatically start the racquet back. Try to keep the racquet head slightly in front of your body and think about just holding the racquet firm as the ball makes contact. Watching the ball is extremely important since you want very little racquet movement. Hitting the ball solid will allow you to use what is already there.

Return to the ready position and follow the direction of your volley after the hit. Keep in mind that it is much more important to hit the volley to a certain area of the court than it is to hit it with a lot of pace. Location and angle work better than the speed of your shot on the volley.

Remind yourself to keep getting ready and expect the ball to come back.

Centercourt
USTA NTC

January/February 2024 Digital Edition