Second Serve

By JIM ALBRECHT

PTR Instructor

Tennis players!!! The net is where it's at! This is true especially in doubles play. The doubles team which quickly gets to and controls the net will win the point in the vast majority of cases.

Having said that, let us examine a few of the problems facing tennis players who are reluctant to go to the net. I am of course, not talking about eager, enthusiastic, and energetic beginners who rush to the net in order to lose at a faster rate.

We've all seen them…they rush forward and because of one small technical inadequacy, dump the ball into the net or into their own tennis shoes and then complain loudly, and berate themselves for having committed such an error on what seemed to be an easy put-away winning shot. The small inadequacy to which I refer is that most beginners and a goodly number of intermediate players do not know how to volley! That's right!

They do not know how to volley! (Those players who never advance to the net usually refuse to do so because they tried it once in 1998 and it didn't work then so they never tried it again.)

So let us begin by noting that a "volley" is any attempt to return any ball (except the serve or the overhead) which has not bounced first.

In other words, a ball that is hit on the fly. Skill is required to produce a volley tennis stroke which can deal effectively with the necessity of hitting the ball before it bounces, and of course, keeping it in play. So let's look at some things which should help us develop this essential skill, enable us to deal with hitting balls in mid-air, and, hopefully, over come our fear of advancing to the net.

Rule #1—The closer you are to the net during play the shorter your stroke becomes. So shorten your backswing to the extent that once you reach a point midway in the service box you have little or no backswing at all!

Rule #2—Since you have shortened your backswing you have no need for a big follow-thru, therefore shorten your follow thru so that you are merely blocking the ball back into your opponent's court, aiming your shot to any open area.

Rule #3—Once you have decided to advance to the net change your grip and keep the same grip throughout the volleying sequence. Which grip? Wisdom and experience dictate that you use the Continental (or service) grip throughout both for your forehand and backhand volleys. If you do not know how to employ the Continental grip…learn!

Rule #4—Stay on your toes, balanced, and ready to move to the ball, racquet cradled in both hands and held above net level. Additionally, success in volleying is dependent on your footwork. Once you are in position, racquet ready, all that is required is to use the proper footwork that will insure a successful volley shot. If you do not know what the proper footwork is, learn! As you develop these skills you efforts will be more rewarding and as we have said many, many times, the joy of tennis comes from playing well, not from winning and certainly not from whining!