2010 could have been the year of Justine Henin. After being retired for 2 years, she made a valiant effort at regaining her former #1 ranking. One of the secrets to her successful comeback was her ability to finish points out at the net. Here are five volley tennis tips to finishing points at the net.
1) To set up a good volley, you must hit a good approach shot
Lets not put the cart before the horse. Many times your volley is only as good as your approach shot. The ability to recognize when your opponent is in "trouble" and "anticipate" a short ball from him can insure that you get in the proper position to hit an effective approach shot. If you hit a poor approach shot, the likelihood of you hitting a successful volley decreases.
2) Make sure you are balanced when you hit
It's great to closeout balls and put them away but "balance" is often times neglected. In order to insure you are balanced, show down when your approach shot bounces on your opponent's side of the court. Now you will be able to see the ball more clearly. It's similar to what a cheetah does before he attacks his prey. He goes slowly, stalking his prey before he see's his opportunity to accelerate and go in for the kill. Slowdown when the ball bounces on his side of the court, take a good athletic split step just before he makes contact and go and get the ball.
3) Hit with a continental grip
I can't stress enough how important the continental grip is on volleying. It's also called the "shake hands" grip because you approach the racquet (on edge) as if you were going to shake someone's hand. You want to switch to this grip immediately after you hit your approach shot - if you are using a grip other than a continental. With a continental grip, you are prepared to hit a forehand or backhand volley, a forehand or backhand half volley or a forehand or backhand smash.
4) Use your legs for power
A common error when people volley is they stop their feet and let the ball come to them rather that going to the ball. Your momentum moving to the ball provides substantial power to your volley and it steals precious time from your opponents. Ofter a common error when stopping the feet is that the ball goes right into the bottom of the net. The feet stop and butt goes up. Not a pretty sight.
5) Take the ball above the net and hit with good margin of error
An area of big improvement with my students is when they learn to close out a volley and take it above the net. They steal time away from their opponents, they are able to hit better angles, and are more likely to get the ball in their ideal hitting zone (shouder high.) When watching the pros, notice how they can close in and take the ball above the net.
One other thing they do well is hit with good margin of error. They don't attempt to hit the lines. They volley to BIG targets, aiming 2-3 feet inside the singles line and baseline.