I had a nice on court chat with Michael Wayman today.
Michael is a good friend, my tennis coach, and Men’s Head Coach at St. Mary’s College here in Moraga, CA.
We talked about how easy it is to screw up that easy sitter volley, especially when the entire court is wide open.
Here’s what Michael had to say to help us never miss another one of those opportunities again…
- New Lesson Announcement -
The Forehand & Backhand Volleys
How To Consistently Force Your Opponents To Have To Hit Back Up To You
(and then let the smiling begin…!)This is a full blown 70 minute DVD & Downloadable lesson that will help you understand the simple but vital stroke fundamentals of the forehand & backhand volleys.
We’re working on everything…
- Standard in-play volleys when you’re already up at net in singles and doubles
- The pure 7 vital fundamentals that you’ve absolutely got to have to create lousy geometry for your opponents
- Transitional volleys as you approach from the baseline so you can take advantage when you have your opponent out of position
- High volleys
- Low volleys
- Volleys hit directly at you
- Strategies for both singles and doubles
- and so much more…
Stay tuned for the release date which is expected to be during the week of September 6, 2010
What’s your biggest challenge when you have to play a volley? Let me/us know below by leaving your feedback in the Comments area – thanks…
Brent
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Hi Brent! I really liked this clip and was impressed how colleagues are able to collaborate for the good of all avid tennisplayers!!Let the harmony roll on!
Many thanks
Andreas
Hello Andreas. It’s always good to get a 2nd opinion…
Brent
I have experienced this many times, but I disagree that it’s caused by a curiosity to look at where the ball is to go. With me, there’s a conscious decision to really lay into the ball, but then just before contact the world suddenly spins away, causing me to lose my balance and miss. No, I did not look away. What happened is that my extra trunk rotation rotated my neck and head away from the ball.
Videos of Federer show that, to keep his head steady, his trunk rotation is precisely matched by an equal and opposite neck rotation. Perhaps I need to drill on put-away shots so that I can learn to balance my trunk and neck rotation when putting extra power on the ball. Or, I could limit my extra shoulder rotation to that which I can achieve solely via my shoulder blades without causing extra spinal rotation that could pull my head around.
I see on your video that your guest is hitting his put-away volleys without any shoulder rotation.
Thoughts?
Hi Frank – Shoulder rotation on the volleys? I’m assuming your statement suggests that we shouldn’t rotate our shoulders on volleys.
Hope so, because turning through your volleys is not what we want to do.
Brent
Brent,
You rightfully usually include in many of your videos the phrase “this takes practice, you’ve got to get out there and practice this.” The volley in this video is another example….
I think one of the huge problems facing senior adult rec players who are seeking to improve and willing to put in effort is to find someone to practice with (i.e., someone who doesn’t charge $$). Most players I know don’t want to practice or drill, they have limited time and want to play a set or two and go home….the match becomes their practice time…..so, they never really improve certain strokes….do you hear that often from rec players seeking to incorporate your tips? Even my summer 3.5 USTA team here in the suburban NYC area did not practice…we just played (and lost) matches….I’m only a few years younger than you, and I feel that time is slipping away on this….
Hi Steve and good comment.
As a member of the Berkeley TC, I’m spoiled in terms of never having a problem finding a player who wants to practice, drill, workout, as opposed to playing sets.
So, it’s a challenge, but start networking and you’ll find a couple of good practice partners.
Steve – where are you located and what’s your skill level?
Brent
Hey Brent. I’m looking forward to the next series of lessons on the volley. One thing this video highlighted for me is Michael’s balance and footwork. Too often I’m tentative on volleys, don’t move through the ball with the shot lined up, and wind up trying to compensate for the poor preparation with a swing or carving of the racquet. Michael closes his stance slightly, and he is always pushing through the ball with his legs. It’s like sitters, and other balls with less pace and dropping, call for a different movement than the “normal” volleys you are hitting in your other video, where you’re not closing as much.
I hope you can address those differences in your video or here.
For sure. I really feel that most volleys are played as you’re transitioning to another court position.
Unless you’re already up at net (such as when your partner is serving in doubles), you’re playing your volley more as a tool to help you get to the next best court position.
In the new upcoming lesson I’ll spend time demonstrating those types of shots and how to play them with your feet.
Brent
Hi Brent,
Following up on yesterday’s tip about trusting your continental grip to give you the necessary spin rather than cupping under the ball, does this same concept apply to groundstroke slices? I find that many times these shots have way too much arc and wind up being sitting ducks for my opponents. Thanks for your help.
David
Hi David. Yes…
Same applies to those slice approach shots.
Check out my new lesson on both the forehand and backhand slice approach shots over at:
http://webtennis.com/tennis-lesson-forehand-backhand-slice-approach-shots/
Brent