I love how your first tip immediately contradicts another tennis youtube channel's volley advice, and your advices makes a ton more sense and comfort on our body.
I played competitive in a time that Serve and Volley thrived.. totally agree with ya man.. If I'd see opponents look like statues at the net they immediately just became my target to put at the net ALL day long.. I'd drop shot them and bring them forward as often as I could because while they may get me a few times statistically they were gonna be caught out of position for anything with pace and reaction time at the net was going to be to my advantage.. If I saw it across the court during Doubles I immediately made the point to relay the information to my partner if he hadn't already picked up on it. I never understood why people seemed so scared at the net.. I was always like 3 R's "Relax.. Recognize.. React.." because I felt like that was the most important thing at the net. if you are in a Defensive position that will keep you alive.. if you are in an offensive position just being natural and relaxed and ready and Aggressive just flows... Thinking is for between points or practice... but if at the net you are fighting your instincts you are dead flat footed.. And NEVER lean back.. always forward rolling to your toes.
I agree with your assessment. I learned to play in the 1970’s when serve and volley was popular. I played lots of organized baseball and basketball and my training naturally carried over. Hitting different types of serves is like pitching. In basketball footwork is essential and you have to move forward and drive to the basket. You can’t just stand and wait for the ball to come to you.
I LOVE this video and ready position tip. I have always taught players to keep the arms off the body but when I study MCENROE , FEDERER and the BRYAN BROTHERS, they have their arms tight to their body and in a backhand ready position. Great Base Tennis has all their players keep the racket EXACTLY I’m the middle, which seems rational to the casual player but it’s not. Like you said, more than half the volley will be backhands. You move faster when your arms are closer to your torso too.
Wow, this is advice I needed, thanks Kevin. Since I wasn't turning my shoulders during my volley, I felt like I would have to bend my wrist back on the forehand side, and it has led to weak volleys. With the shoulder turn, I can see how the volley has more stabilty with the forehand wrist. I guess I was doing that because I kept hearing people saying to hit the volley in front of your body. So maybe I was hitting too far in front. And keeping the elbows bent and close to the body makes a lot of sense.
Discovered your channel recently. Man, I love your vids. Super clear, makes a ton of sense and I'm putting it in application with great results. Awesome! ❤️
been playing for more than sixty years, and still love taking charge at the net. yours is the best volley tip I've gotten since I was introduced to the "chop volley." hope to see more of your vids in the future. thanks much.
Wow...after watching tennis videos for 10 years...yours is the first to say forget the "old school" ready position....start with the racket in a slightly backhand position. It is especially helpful for balls that are hit right at you...you don't have time to decide if you should turn the racket to the right or to the left. But with the racket in a slight backhand position... simply slide the racket across your body. I have also found that if the incoming ball is slow and low (below your waste) then left the racket upward as you slice across the ball. This gives the ball some topspin and helps keep it from going into the net. Bravo Kevin!
I think it's a matter of preference really. you can have your racket right in the middle (@ neutral point) or SLIGHTLY to your left but not far to your left. That'd be a problem to react when the ball comes over to your right side and you won't have that fraction of second to volley it back. I personally like to have my racket almost in the middle when I am at the net and yes, I am a serve and volley kind of player. I love to attack at the net.
Preach it!!! I loathe it when I hear instructors say “hold your racquet up and out in front”. So unnatural. This natural position is so much better and efficient. Great video, Kev.
Great lesson. I coached high school tennis for 25 years. I always used repetition drills to help develop the way players automatically moved. They all were familiar with the Karate Kid move and how the idea of “wax on” and “ wax off” was use to teach Daniel how to block a punch. I would also add that along with the shoulder turn you used footwork to move into a good position on some of your demonstrations.
Interesting, will try it out. I can see this makes for a more natural backhand, but I can also see it makes it harder to attack with the forehand and sometimes in doubles my forehand volley is the shot that is winning point after point so not keen on compromising that. Perhaps you should only use this when you are on the defensive?
Great advice. I would like to add that if you or your students still feel "stiff" or "slow" you can try to keep your elbows away from your body a bit more. Having them close to your body can cause you to "lock up" the shoulder and upper arm. I find this tip helps to stay active and smooth out the motion, if that's needed.
Makes a lot of sense. I need to try this as by backhand volley is so much weaker. I either don’t get anything on it or my swing is too big with to much arm.
Really like holding the racquet across the body. Also I love the free body protection. Great for someone who closes their eyes when balls get too close to the face.
I understand what your trying say, though i have practiced, trained, and been coached to keep wrist in L-shaped position. I never allow my wrist to break. If any weakness i have it's my right side body / arm pit, therefore I just practice to improve it.
I think this is true because when I see pro doubles, I don't see the racquet out front position very much, they tend to have their racquet the way you have it across your body. Great tip! I get into the habit of overexaggerating the out in front position on volleys and recently I noticed I was so late every time and was getting really annoyed!
So engage the feet! ;) A volley is 'hit' with the legs (and feet) more so than with the arms. Arms should do as little as possible (as a general rule. Depends of course on the type of incoming ball). It's about transferring the bodyweight into the ball in the direction you want the ball to go.
This immediately makes sense. I do volley drills on a wall and hold the racket like you suggest and it goes so fast there's no time to hold it otherwise, so why do I hold it out front when I'm playing doubles? Been making it hard on myself, looking forward to playing tomorrow.
Interesting perspective, but I think holding your racquet like this will take time away from your forehand volley. It will take more time for you to get the racquet to the right side of your body and in proper position. Therefore making the forehand volley less efficient. Holding the racquet in the middle of your body allows for you to be equidistant for both the forehand volley and backhand with having fewer moving parts. At least, that is my opinion.
Maybe this is good to help those with BH volleys - but wouldn’t it make the FH volley harder on a fast ball? Personally I’d rather focus on the shoulder roll for BH volley with racket centre. Thank you for the video!
Please watch the Davis Cup 2014 final between Swiss n France to see how all the players hold the racquets at the net, even at the baseline especially Wawrinka....
I think most people have a STRONGER backhand volley. If you hold the racket on the backhand side, it seems like opponents will go after your forehand side, and you’ll be slower to get there.
honestly I always felt like backhand side at the net is weaker but faster reaction time because of racket positioning. I would totally go after someone's backhand at the net... they might get the 1st one back but it also has a higher chance of somewhat pulling them out of position if they if you drill someone's backhand volley unless they are just GREAT at the net they'll have a tendency to have momentum somewhat carry them further into the unit turn immediately after the shot. obviously if you are just giving them ducks to hit it doesn't matter but say your opponent is at the net and you make them stretch a little bit to react to a shot with pace you'll notice their shoulders continue to turn further into the backhand lean after the ball contact giving you more room to pass them down their forehand side on the next shot and take away quite a bit of their reaction time. Their volley will also be coming back to you with alot less momentum than you sent it because they are going to most likely be blocking it back instead of actually being able to punch it. now if you are a 3.0 or a 3.5 player you probably won't have the aim or consistency to really be able to exploit this but above that level you can do it with alot more consistency.. Especially in today's game because alot of really good players don't spend much time on their net game like they used to. it's much easier to get leverage on a forehand volley even if you have to stretch to punch it back than it is a backhand volley that you have to stretch alittle for.. and that's on pretty much any level... That's just my opinion though.. others may not feel the same as I do..
Been in tennis 30+ yrs and full time club teaching pro. Overall, fh volleys are much stronger across many places I’ve been. It’s the old sword (fh). Shield (bh) analogy. Use your sword to attack your opponents shield. Further most people much faster on the” draw”to their dominant side/fh and have better vision
5.0 player…30 yr teaching pro. Let’s look at this from a effect/cause. This is an effect dependent on two things. Recognition and proper footwork. 1. Recognition …picking up anywhere depending on level prior to crossing net..prior to bounce..after bounce. All which make this possible to establish one cause. Split step…Skating?.. your ready for contact and ball hasn’t gotten to you yet you move toward the ball. In doing so you hands will move away from the body to execute the volley. If the pace of the ball is such that it needs absorbing this close to the body alignment actually lines the racquet…elbow…plane of chest to do so. Understanding when close in or out away have their purpose and place. Keep influencing the lives of young people through tennis.
funny because most trainers would advice the wrong tip you just exposed. But I always would do what you adviced because it felt more natural and it wouldn't impact my reflexes on the forehand side at all + I would be stiff and tense in my wrist had I done would you said no to do. And those trainers come after saying "oh he's got a natural volley" yeah no wonder ^^ and Federer was actually always one of the only ones to do that and that is no surprise as he's got probably the most perfect technique ever overall. Tennis and sport in general is all about being smooth and relaxed in your movements because otherwise you lose speed, strength, control and therefore precision. When you compare Federer's technique to other players, it really seems like he does no parasitic/tense movements that would affect the quality of his strokes. That is what we call talent, the ability to accomplish hard things in a relax and easy manner while others struggle. Novak's also got a really simple and efficient technique with no "overmovements" and tense little movements on his strokes. No wonder he hardly makes any unforced errors. It seems like you could predict a player's quality of shots by their technique. For example when you look at Gasquet's forehand, you know he's gonna have a hard time injecting power in his strokes. Same for Mischa Zverev's forehand, he literally has no amplitude in his forehand hence why is forehand has no spin and power. Federer for example his only technical issue I would say, is his backhand technique where the very relax motion involves a really slight raise of the elbow and thus a lower racket head which makes it harder for him to hit higher balls on that side compared to Thiem's, Stan's and Gasquet's backhands
Hi coach, I just want to say something, not related to tennis: it's about racism.. I'm Eastern European, from a country with no racism. I've watched a few documentaries on TV on racism in the USA, and it's shocking... SO, SO UNFAIR to a black person the way black people have been treated in the US... A human being is a human being period, color doesn't matter. I have many black friends, I've had 2 black girlfriends and so on. Thank you coach for the very good advice on volleys, and I wish you all the best !! I've hit the Subscribe button 👍🏻👍🏻
Kevin: Can you also talk about wrist firmness level (1-10) on the punch volleys to keep racket stable during the shot. In my doubles play, good opponent volley comes to me much harder than mine to him. Can you also share the tips on how to handle hard hit balls on the body or in the volley zone.
I'm no expert like Kevin is(Had a friend that actually knew him back in his heyday) but as a person that in my competitive days thrived at the net I'd say if you are on Offense at the net in doubles wrist firmness should be solid but not choking the racket to death... allow for alittle wrist lag but not alot.. you want the feel but you don't want your racket to get knocked back. You an allow for a little more wrist action if your opponent gives you a sitting duck to put away but it's more important to be leaning into the shot on punches.. if you have enough time you an rock into it alittle more. With Volleys placement I feel is way more important than power but if you are moving into the volley and not flat footed you get some nice acceleration from redirecting your opponent's power. If your opponent is really giving you volleys back with authority you might be better off moving him around alot more instead of trying to just hit it as hard back as you can punch. A it's hard for anyone to just sit there and get into a straight on volley match and B it's hard for your opponent to punch if they are always having to extend their reach just to get it back. Anyways that's just my 2 cents.. @Total Tennis Domination will definitely correct me if I said something wrong though.
@@Eliath1984 Thanks for detailed tips. On sitting duck Volleys i am able to punch them using my body weight & momentum going forward. Sometimes baseline opponent intentionally targets me with hard body shot on the net and my volley crumbles there. Either I make mistake (goes long or wide) or my volley is so weak that it's an easy put away. I felt heavier racket ( Pro Staff 97 - 340g static weight and 336 swing weight) gives far more stability/power at net to handle these tough shots. Do you think the same ? Should the Volley on a hard hit shot have a compact swing with no follow thru ? What should be wrist firmness level (0 - super loose, 10 - choking racket to death) on these types of Volleys ?
@@anantkgupta I definitely use heavier rackets myself because I'm just used to them. Really I'd say you want to sit at around a 7. On volleys you want to punch more with your shoulder and body than your wrist but obviously choking the racket is always a bad thing. Short follow through on anything that's not a put away shot at the net. You want to react in time to get firmly behind the ball and that's more important in my opinion than a longer follow through. The trick is to get stability to redirect their power and control it effectively using it against them. On those type of situations you shouldn't need to supply much power of your own. If you have access to a ball machine I'd honestly suggest doing some reps close to the net. Start with slow feed but good pace and move it up as you feel comfortable. If not if you have a practice partner see if they'll feed you and give you more of a match setting situation. Maybe start back at the service box backhand/ forehand. Move up and have them fire a body shot at you. You just kind of want to get your body to react to where you arent thinking about it. Make sure and practice your split step(at the net it's more of a compact split step) but if you can get yourself to not just stand still you'll find when you react(and also practice court positioning by the scenario) you'll find they won't surprise you with those body shots any more. You can get more of the open stance unit turn in where you are In more control and instead of it feeling like a body shot you can have more leverage. Pay attention to your racket face because if you are too open you'll float it long. Too closed and you'll put it into the net. I wish I had a secret fix for you but at the end of the day you will improve with practice. Handy thing you younger gents have nowadays that I didn't have access to I'd say is ease of recording yourself. You can notice habits when watching yourself 3rd person that you may not see in the moment.
@@Eliath1984 thanks you so much for such detailed answer. I have lots of takeaways from your comments. I am definitely going to ask my doubles partner to aim at my body when i am approaching towards net from service line. Flat Balls that are close to net are hard balls to handle. Top spin balls with 2-3 ft over the net gives more space and time to hit volleys.
Awesome tip Kevin, I always struggled with balls hit to my body. I am going to change how I hold the racquet. Thank you! Just curious, are you using MP or PRO version of the Radical? I use a Radical MP with leather grip and Overgrip on it. Love the racquet.
Okay Kev, you win. 🤷🏿♂️ I was never going to do that, never!🎾 If I ever recuperate from this car accident I'm going to try this. Meanwhile I can stand in front of the mirror for now. Thanks for continuing to destroy my so-called tennis knowledge, appreciate it..😂
Thank you. Should I be feeling my oblique activate on the shoulder turn like on a ground stroke ? Maybe I could use that sensation to ensure it’s my shoulders turning and not just my arm ? Great video.
lot easier to get power on a forehand volley.. a quality opponent is much more likely to try to force you to beat them with backhand volleys though. Backhand at the net is definitely more defensive any way you slice it... Forehand is much easier to attack and punch.
I love how your first tip immediately contradicts another tennis youtube channel's volley advice, and your advices makes a ton more sense and comfort on our body.
This is absolutely true. I'm a serve and volley player and always used to offer this as advice to my friends who were struggling at the net.
I played competitive in a time that Serve and Volley thrived.. totally agree with ya man.. If I'd see opponents look like statues at the net they immediately just became my target to put at the net ALL day long.. I'd drop shot them and bring them forward as often as I could because while they may get me a few times statistically they were gonna be caught out of position for anything with pace and reaction time at the net was going to be to my advantage.. If I saw it across the court during Doubles I immediately made the point to relay the information to my partner if he hadn't already picked up on it. I never understood why people seemed so scared at the net.. I was always like 3 R's "Relax.. Recognize.. React.." because I felt like that was the most important thing at the net. if you are in a Defensive position that will keep you alive.. if you are in an offensive position just being natural and relaxed and ready and Aggressive just flows... Thinking is for between points or practice... but if at the net you are fighting your instincts you are dead flat footed.. And NEVER lean back.. always forward rolling to your toes.
I agree with your assessment. I learned to play in the 1970’s when serve and volley was popular. I played lots of organized baseball and basketball and my training naturally carried over. Hitting different types of serves is like pitching. In basketball footwork is essential and you have to move forward and drive to the basket. You can’t just stand and wait for the ball to come to you.
Great video! I’ve been playing for many years with decent success and comfort at net. This takes it to the next level. Thank you!
I love hearing that! Thanks Naoki
I LOVE this video and ready position tip. I have always taught players to keep the arms off the body but when I study MCENROE , FEDERER and the BRYAN BROTHERS, they have their arms tight to their body and in a backhand ready position. Great Base Tennis has all their players keep the racket EXACTLY I’m the middle, which seems rational to the casual player but it’s not. Like you said, more than half the volley will be backhands. You move faster when your arms are closer to your torso too.
Wow, this is advice I needed, thanks Kevin. Since I wasn't turning my shoulders during my volley, I felt like I would have to bend my wrist back on the forehand side, and it has led to weak volleys. With the shoulder turn, I can see how the volley has more stabilty with the forehand wrist. I guess I was doing that because I kept hearing people saying to hit the volley in front of your body. So maybe I was hitting too far in front. And keeping the elbows bent and close to the body makes a lot of sense.
Discovered your channel recently. Man, I love your vids. Super clear, makes a ton of sense and I'm putting it in application with great results. Awesome! ❤️
been playing for more than sixty years, and still love taking charge at the net. yours is the best volley tip I've gotten since I was introduced to the "chop volley." hope to see more of your vids in the future. thanks much.
Watched this video yesterday and applied these concepts in a clinic I attended this evening. Instant improvement at the net. Thank you so much!
Wow...after watching tennis videos for 10 years...yours is the first to say forget the "old school" ready position....start with the racket in a slightly backhand position. It is especially helpful for balls that are hit right at you...you don't have time to decide if you should turn the racket to the right or to the left. But with the racket in a slight backhand position... simply slide the racket across your body. I have also found that if the incoming ball is slow and low (below your waste) then left the racket upward as you slice across the ball. This gives the ball some topspin and helps keep it from going into the net.
Bravo Kevin!
I think it's a matter of preference really. you can have your racket right in the middle (@ neutral point) or SLIGHTLY to your left but not far to your left. That'd be a problem to react when the ball comes over to your right side and you won't have that fraction of second to volley it back. I personally like to have my racket almost in the middle when I am at the net and yes, I am a serve and volley kind of player. I love to attack at the net.
wait.. im so dumb, im gonna put my racket at the middle, im always missing the ones closer to my left arm.
Great instructions! I go checked Federer’s volley video he holds his racket exactly as you describes.
Preach it!!! I loathe it when I hear instructors say “hold your racquet up and out in front”. So unnatural. This natural position is so much better and efficient. Great video, Kev.
Great lesson. I coached high school tennis for 25 years. I always used repetition drills to help develop the way players automatically moved. They all were familiar with the Karate Kid move and how the idea of “wax on” and “ wax off” was use to teach Daniel how to block a punch. I would also add that along with the shoulder turn you used footwork to move into a good position on some of your demonstrations.
That's awesome! I love using things that people already understand to teach something new! Great job.
Underrated channel. should have way more subs! All videos are focused and clear. Thanks!
Interesting, will try it out. I can see this makes for a more natural backhand, but I can also see it makes it harder to attack with the forehand and sometimes in doubles my forehand volley is the shot that is winning point after point so not keen on compromising that. Perhaps you should only use this when you are on the defensive?
Great advice. I would like to add that if you or your students still feel "stiff" or "slow" you can try to keep your elbows away from your body a bit more. Having them close to your body can cause you to "lock up" the shoulder and upper arm. I find this tip helps to stay active and smooth out the motion, if that's needed.
Too bad he is suggesting something kind of opposite to this elbow position.
This is why this video worries me
Great lesson and video! I suggest trying to take this lesson and making it in a 3 minute video 🙂
I never thought about that. Makes perfect sense! Thanks
Glad to hear! Thanks
Makes a lot of sense. I need to try this as by backhand volley is so much weaker. I either don’t get anything on it or my swing is too big with to much arm.
Hey David, make sure you check out my backhand volley video. It should help you with the swing. ruclips.net/video/k6fCuXXOFPw/видео.html
This has changed the net game for me, thank you so much!
Really like holding the racquet across the body. Also I love the free body protection. Great for someone who closes their eyes when balls get too close to the face.
amazing tip coach. thank you very much
Glad you liked it Donell!
Ok, this is THE KEY! First guy to cover this that i have found! Thanks!!
Thanks Ross!
Very interesting advice, sir.
I've just learned a new way to hold the raquet when you're volleying...
Thanks, a I send to you a huge from Barcelona.
Sorry for my mistake: "I've just LEARNT"!
Great content never heard of this idea before thanks Kevin!
Excellent tip! I always felt "behind" on backhand volleys and I believe this will correct that. Thanks!
Thanks Kevin ...Seems my starting position is wrong as you said. Would certainly try the new way today.
Awesome, let me know how it goes.
I have been coached both methods and in my opinion you are 100% correct. Excellent advice - thank you 👍
I understand what your trying say, though i have practiced, trained, and been coached to keep wrist in L-shaped position. I never allow my wrist to break. If any weakness i have it's my right side body / arm pit, therefore I just practice to improve it.
Good tip. I am going to try it.
Great!
A great lesson for net play. It makes a big difference. Thanks coach
Excellent video
Thank you Gary!
Sold. Makes sense to me. I will change to this. Thanks
Thank you so much I literally used this tip to get my volley better and it made so much difference!!
It's very helpful voly methods
thanks a lot
Excellent tip. I'm gonna try this tomorrow.
100% quality advice
I think this is true because when I see pro doubles, I don't see the racquet out front position very much, they tend to have their racquet the way you have it across your body. Great tip! I get into the habit of overexaggerating the out in front position on volleys and recently I noticed I was so late every time and was getting really annoyed!
Hey Kevin, can you overview your personal racquet spec in one of the next videos? Thanks!
Make a lot of sense. Thank you.
Pro and cons of both ways. Yes, this is faster but less accurate without engaging the feet.
So engage the feet! ;) A volley is 'hit' with the legs (and feet) more so than with the arms. Arms should do as little as possible (as a general rule. Depends of course on the type of incoming ball). It's about transferring the bodyweight into the ball in the direction you want the ball to go.
Great presentation!
I wish I'd watched this before my doubles match today! Makes lots of sense
Very useful tip for net play
Great tip my man, thanks a lot !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
great video on volley position, it will help alot. Thanks
So well explained, I’ve learnt something new!
Excellent tips.
Awesome advice! Never thought about this before. Thank you.
Thank you !! Subscribed. 🤗👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
This immediately makes sense. I do volley drills on a wall and hold the racket like you suggest and it goes so fast there's no time to hold it otherwise, so why do I hold it out front when I'm playing doubles? Been making it hard on myself, looking forward to playing tomorrow.
I will try that, however, raquet on the backhandside will not help the righthand volley when balls are coming very fast.
Great tip!
I like this, rotation, hips, knees. Yes
So true! I have been doing forever instinctively.
Thanks for your tips👍
Interesting perspective, but I think holding your racquet like this will take time away from your forehand volley. It will take more time for you to get the racquet to the right side of your body and in proper position. Therefore making the forehand volley less efficient. Holding the racquet in the middle of your body allows for you to be equidistant for both the forehand volley and backhand with having fewer moving parts. At least, that is my opinion.
I feel if I took on this technique, I would risk not stepping into my BH volley and directional control.
Maybe this is good to help those with BH volleys - but wouldn’t it make the FH volley harder on a fast ball? Personally I’d rather focus on the shoulder roll for BH volley with racket centre. Thank you for the video!
I initially refused to watched this video because of the clickbait typo. I am glad I accidentally watched it. Thanks for the video.
Brilliant instruction, thank you!
Thank you for the lesson.🙏
Great idea, I will definitely try it
Great video! thanks
Thank you helped me a lot
Good tips
Great video 👍🏼
Thank you from Indonesia
Great video. Thank you very much
most excellent!! TY
Please watch the Davis Cup 2014 final between Swiss n France to see how all the players hold the racquets at the net, even at the baseline especially Wawrinka....
Good video, dude.
I think most people have a STRONGER backhand volley. If you hold the racket on the backhand side, it seems like opponents will go after your forehand side, and you’ll be slower to get there.
honestly I always felt like backhand side at the net is weaker but faster reaction time because of racket positioning. I would totally go after someone's backhand at the net... they might get the 1st one back but it also has a higher chance of somewhat pulling them out of position if they if you drill someone's backhand volley unless they are just GREAT at the net they'll have a tendency to have momentum somewhat carry them further into the unit turn immediately after the shot. obviously if you are just giving them ducks to hit it doesn't matter but say your opponent is at the net and you make them stretch a little bit to react to a shot with pace you'll notice their shoulders continue to turn further into the backhand lean after the ball contact giving you more room to pass them down their forehand side on the next shot and take away quite a bit of their reaction time. Their volley will also be coming back to you with alot less momentum than you sent it because they are going to most likely be blocking it back instead of actually being able to punch it. now if you are a 3.0 or a 3.5 player you probably won't have the aim or consistency to really be able to exploit this but above that level you can do it with alot more consistency.. Especially in today's game because alot of really good players don't spend much time on their net game like they used to. it's much easier to get leverage on a forehand volley even if you have to stretch to punch it back than it is a backhand volley that you have to stretch alittle for.. and that's on pretty much any level... That's just my opinion though.. others may not feel the same as I do..
Been in tennis 30+ yrs and full time club teaching pro. Overall, fh volleys are much stronger across many places I’ve been. It’s the old sword (fh). Shield (bh) analogy. Use your sword to attack your opponents shield. Further most people much faster on the” draw”to their dominant side/fh and have better vision
damn, how do you keep coming up with these insights?
lol...thanks!
Please do a return serve video.
5.0 player…30 yr teaching pro. Let’s look at this from a effect/cause. This is an effect dependent on two things. Recognition and proper footwork. 1. Recognition …picking up anywhere depending on level prior to crossing net..prior to bounce..after bounce. All which make this possible to establish one cause. Split step…Skating?.. your ready for contact and ball hasn’t gotten to you yet you move toward the ball. In doing so you hands will move away from the body to execute the volley. If the pace of the ball is such that it needs absorbing this close to the body alignment actually lines the racquet…elbow…plane of chest to do so. Understanding when close in or out away have their purpose and place. Keep influencing the lives of young people through tennis.
Great lesson tonal you so much
Brilliant explanation - from a stubborn grassroots coach who didn't agree at the beginning
Great video
funny because most trainers would advice the wrong tip you just exposed.
But I always would do what you adviced because it felt more natural and it wouldn't impact my reflexes on the forehand side at all + I would be stiff and tense in my wrist had I done would you said no to do. And those trainers come after saying "oh he's got a natural volley"
yeah no wonder ^^
and Federer was actually always one of the only ones to do that and that is no surprise as he's got probably the most perfect technique ever overall. Tennis and sport in general is all about being smooth and relaxed in your movements because otherwise you lose speed, strength, control and therefore precision.
When you compare Federer's technique to other players, it really seems like he does no parasitic/tense movements that would affect the quality of his strokes. That is what we call talent, the ability to accomplish hard things in a relax and easy manner while others struggle.
Novak's also got a really simple and efficient technique with no "overmovements" and tense little movements on his strokes. No wonder he hardly makes any unforced errors.
It seems like you could predict a player's quality of shots by their technique.
For example when you look at Gasquet's forehand, you know he's gonna have a hard time injecting power in his strokes.
Same for Mischa Zverev's forehand, he literally has no amplitude in his forehand hence why is forehand has no spin and power.
Federer for example his only technical issue I would say, is his backhand technique where the very relax motion involves a really slight raise of the elbow and thus a lower racket head which makes it harder for him to hit higher balls on that side compared to Thiem's, Stan's and Gasquet's backhands
Hi coach, I just want to say something, not related to tennis: it's about racism.. I'm Eastern European, from a country with no racism. I've watched a few documentaries on TV on racism in the USA, and it's shocking... SO, SO UNFAIR to a black person the way black people have been treated in the US... A human being is a human being period, color doesn't matter.
I have many black friends, I've had 2 black girlfriends and so on.
Thank you coach for the very good advice on volleys, and I wish you all the best !! I've hit the Subscribe button 👍🏻👍🏻
Great, but does this advice apply to those of us who have a two handed BH volley?
totally makes sense.
Another awesome
Kevin: Can you also talk about wrist firmness level (1-10) on the punch volleys to keep racket stable during the shot. In my doubles play, good opponent volley comes to me much harder than mine to him. Can you also share the tips on how to handle hard hit balls on the body or in the volley zone.
I'll see if I can put that on the list of up coming videos. Thanks (Lots of good ideas).
I'm no expert like Kevin is(Had a friend that actually knew him back in his heyday) but as a person that in my competitive days thrived at the net I'd say if you are on Offense at the net in doubles wrist firmness should be solid but not choking the racket to death... allow for alittle wrist lag but not alot.. you want the feel but you don't want your racket to get knocked back. You an allow for a little more wrist action if your opponent gives you a sitting duck to put away but it's more important to be leaning into the shot on punches.. if you have enough time you an rock into it alittle more. With Volleys placement I feel is way more important than power but if you are moving into the volley and not flat footed you get some nice acceleration from redirecting your opponent's power. If your opponent is really giving you volleys back with authority you might be better off moving him around alot more instead of trying to just hit it as hard back as you can punch. A it's hard for anyone to just sit there and get into a straight on volley match and B it's hard for your opponent to punch if they are always having to extend their reach just to get it back. Anyways that's just my 2 cents.. @Total Tennis Domination will definitely correct me if I said something wrong though.
@@Eliath1984 Thanks for detailed tips. On sitting duck Volleys i am able to punch them using my body weight & momentum going forward. Sometimes baseline opponent intentionally targets me with hard body shot on the net and my volley crumbles there. Either I make mistake (goes long or wide) or my volley is so weak that it's an easy put away. I felt heavier racket ( Pro Staff 97 - 340g static weight and 336 swing weight) gives far more stability/power at net to handle these tough shots. Do you think the same ? Should the Volley on a hard hit shot have a compact swing with no follow thru ? What should be wrist firmness level (0 - super loose, 10 - choking racket to death) on these types of Volleys ?
@@anantkgupta I definitely use heavier rackets myself because I'm just used to them. Really I'd say you want to sit at around a 7. On volleys you want to punch more with your shoulder and body than your wrist but obviously choking the racket is always a bad thing. Short follow through on anything that's not a put away shot at the net. You want to react in time to get firmly behind the ball and that's more important in my opinion than a longer follow through. The trick is to get stability to redirect their power and control it effectively using it against them. On those type of situations you shouldn't need to supply much power of your own. If you have access to a ball machine I'd honestly suggest doing some reps close to the net. Start with slow feed but good pace and move it up as you feel comfortable. If not if you have a practice partner see if they'll feed you and give you more of a match setting situation. Maybe start back at the service box backhand/ forehand. Move up and have them fire a body shot at you. You just kind of want to get your body to react to where you arent thinking about it. Make sure and practice your split step(at the net it's more of a compact split step) but if you can get yourself to not just stand still you'll find when you react(and also practice court positioning by the scenario) you'll find they won't surprise you with those body shots any more. You can get more of the open stance unit turn in where you are In more control and instead of it feeling like a body shot you can have more leverage. Pay attention to your racket face because if you are too open you'll float it long. Too closed and you'll put it into the net. I wish I had a secret fix for you but at the end of the day you will improve with practice. Handy thing you younger gents have nowadays that I didn't have access to I'd say is ease of recording yourself. You can notice habits when watching yourself 3rd person that you may not see in the moment.
@@Eliath1984 thanks you so much for such detailed answer. I have lots of takeaways from your comments. I am definitely going to ask my doubles partner to aim at my body when i am approaching towards net from service line. Flat Balls that are close to net are hard balls to handle. Top spin balls with 2-3 ft over the net gives more space and time to hit volleys.
Holy cow! So obvious. Thanks.
Awesome tip Kevin, I always struggled with balls hit to my body. I am going to change how I hold the racquet. Thank you! Just curious, are you using MP or PRO version of the Radical? I use a Radical MP with leather grip and Overgrip on it. Love the racquet.
excellent thanks
This actually how I just naturally volleyed and I always thought I was doing it wrong lol
what if the ball is coming like a rocket between right elbow and stomach, does this still work ?
Okay Kev, you win. 🤷🏿♂️ I was never going to do that, never!🎾 If I ever recuperate from this car accident I'm going to try this. Meanwhile I can stand in front of the mirror for now. Thanks for continuing to destroy my so-called tennis knowledge, appreciate it..😂
Right!
Thank you. Should I be feeling my oblique activate on the shoulder turn like on a ground stroke ? Maybe I could use that sensation to ensure it’s my shoulders turning and not just my arm ? Great video.
Yes, absolutely but you're not turning to the same degree as your groundstrokes. Thanks
Hmm, I will try it
Would you say most volleys should be backhands?
It depends on what side of your dominant shoulder the ball comes on but the backhand volley will be mostly used when defending the body.
Thanks Liam
lot easier to get power on a forehand volley.. a quality opponent is much more likely to try to force you to beat them with backhand volleys though. Backhand at the net is definitely more defensive any way you slice it... Forehand is much easier to attack and punch.
It can't be this simple. I'm trying this next time out on the court.
Is this guy Better than Bryan Brothers, because I saw them doing that stance
Noted
What racket is that?
Thx m8
gold to a baseline player like me