If you are going to attack the net then make an all-out effort for a point-winning stroke.
Once at the net, you need to get the racket squarely on the ball. All the laws of footwork that apply for the drive are the same in volleying but, in practice, you generally have little time to change your position, so you should throw your weight on to the foot nearest to the ball and push it into the shot.
There are two types of volley:
- The low volley, made from below the waist.
- The high volley, made from the waist to the head.
Going high and low
All low volleys should be blocked. High volleys can be either blocked or hit. There should be no follow-through on a low volley and very little on a high one.
You can slice volleys or hit them flat. Both low and high volleys are made at asmall angle to the flight-line of the ball with the face of the racket travelling almost along its plane.
In all volleys, the wrist should be locked and always below the racket head, bracing the racket against the impact of the ball. Allow the force of the incoming shot, plus your own weight, to return the ball. The tilted racket face will give any required angle to the return by glancing the ball off the strings, so no wrist turn is needed.
Low volleys should never be hit hard and should usually be sharply angled to allow distance for the rise. Any ball met higher than the top of the net can be hit hard but the shot should stop as it meets the ball and the follow-through should be very small.
Most low volleys should be soft and short. Most high volleys require speed and length.
The stop volley is simply a shot blocked short and uses no force as the racket meets the ball and stops it and the ball rebounds and falls of its own weight. There is little bounce to a stop shot and that may be reduced by allowing the racket to slide slightly under the ball at the moment of impact to give backspin to the ball.
Volleying is a science based on a straight line being the shortest distance between two points.
Never defend the ball when at the net. The only defensive volley is the shot at your feet as you come in which is a mid-court shot. Volleys should win with placement more than speed, although speed can certainly be used on a high volley.
The overhead swing
The overhead smash should always score when attempted. The rules of footwork, position, and direction that govern the volley are the same for the overhead but the swing is different.
The swing should be closely allied to the slice service, the racquet and arm swinging freely from the shoulder, the wrist flexible and the racquet imparting a slight twist to the ball to hold it in court.
The overhead is mainly a point winner through speed, since its bounce is so high that a slow placement often allows time for a recovery.
Try to keep at least one foot on the ground when making a smash and hit flat and decisively. Follow through your overhead shot to the limit of your swing.
Most missed overhead shots are due to taking your eye off the ball but another error can happen when a lack of confidence produces a half-hearted swing.
The overhead is often a doubles shot because in singles the chances of passing the player at the net are greater than lobbing over their head, while in doubles two players cover the net more effectively so the best way to open up the court is to lob one player back.
In smashing, the longest distance is the safest shot since it allows a greater margin of error. Smash cross-court when pressed but pull your short lobs either side of the court.
Lob’s worth
The usual response to a smash is a lob and these should be aimed to be within 6ft of the baseline.
Lobs are essentially defensive and aim to give yourself time to recover position when pulled out of court or to drive back a net player and break up their attack. They can also be used to tire your opponent or as a winning shot by placement — usually with a lob volley from a close net rally.
Types of lob include:
- The chop lob, a heavily undercut spin shot that hangs in the air. This is the best defensive lob as it goes high and gives time to recover your position.
- The stroke lob or flat lob, hit with a slight topspin. This is often a point-winning lob as it gives no time to an opponent. Start your swing like a drive but allow the racket to slow and the face to tilt upward just as you meet the ball.