Think "Forward"

Late last year, I posted a video from Deb Harrison on being aggressive in the volley game in an article called Proactive Volleys. Deb has followed up with a new video that takes a little different look at volleys in a video she calls Forward Dynamic of ALL Volleys. The difference in the videos is that the earlier video emphasized body position (lean forward) while this video adds the dimension of the forward stroke.

The first point of the video is relatively obvious but is necessary to understand the need for forward motion. The ball must cross the 7-foot non-volley zone before it can drop below the top of the net. This requires the aggressive body position of "nose over toes" and the forward, rather than downward, motion of the paddle on all volleys. 

Contacting the ball in front of the body helps the dynamic work.

The "forward" technique applies to all volleys, both backhand and forehand. More specifically, Deb discusses 2 kinds of volleys. The first is a flat volley with straightforward swing that has no arm rotation. This volley sends the ball deeper into the opponents' court and is intended to keep the players back in the court. The second volley adds arm pronation. This means the arm rotates over the ball from the point of contact and into the follow-through. This action forces the ball down faster and is intended to hit toward the opponents' feet when they are near the net. Remember that the ball is not hit downward, though. The forward motion sends the ball on a level plane and the spin of the arm rotation causes the ball to drop.

Enjoy the video.