If you ever wanted to get a clear explanation of the tennis backhand volley technique, then read on as this article covers all the technical checkpoints you need for a solid volley.
We'll break down the backhand volley technique into smaller chunks like the grip, best footwork to use, the preparation, how to control the ball and the finish.
Bear in mind that understanding a stroke in theory does not usually translate into playing it well on the court straight away.
The goal of this guide is to provide you with a very clear mental image of how to hit a backhand volley correctly and lay out the foundations for further stroke development.
Technical Foundations Of The Backhand Volley
Below is a five-point checklist outlining all aspects of the backhand volley technique. Use this to check your form, and consider upgrading to the full volley course for further knowledge.
1. The Grip
Backhand volleys should be executed with the Continental grip. This is a non-negotiable - all volleys, backhand or forehand, should be hit with this grip.
But there are some nuances to the Continental grip to be aware of in order to hit the backhand volley well.
Make sure that the index finger is slightly away from the others, so your fingers will be spread when the racket is more diagonal in the hand.
Spreading your fingers more on the handle will give that extra feel and bite of the backhand volley.
If your fingers are close together, then the racket becomes quite perpendicular in the hand. This is technically still a Continental grip, just not a very stable one.
By spreading the fingers, however, you provide additional support and can move the racket much more precisely in space when you need to hit very accurate volleys.
2. The Volley Split Step
Every stroke in tennis should begin with a split step, but again, there is a nuance here that is unique to volleying.
As with the forehand volley, we want to keep the forward momentum when hitting a backhand volley.
One of the keys to solid volleying is the forward momentum through contact which starts with the split step.
Compared to the baseline, where the split step is more neutral, your volley should carry the forward momentum from your approach shot.
This not only helps you reach the volley sooner but also improves both power and control.
3. The Preparation
Following your split step, it is time to make sure that your body and racket are in the right positions to execute the backhand volley.
This preparation phase can be broken into five sub-phases, as follows:
A) 45-degree body orientation
The first step in preparing to hit a backhand volley is to react to the ball that is coming over the net. Do this by turning your upper body 45 degrees towards the ball.
It is important that you orient your upper body first, before taking a step towards the ball.
Start the preparation with a unit turn and let your feet follow.
Note, there is no need to take your non-dominant hand off the racket yet. Keep both hands on the racket, and just prepare it as you turn your body.
B) 45-degree racket orientation
Another 45-degree marker is the orientation of your racket looking from the side view.
As you can see in the image below, the forearm and the racket are laid back at approximately 45 degrees which allows you to hit the ball with some punch if you need to or to apply more backspin when needed.
The 45 degree angles are guidelines, not rules, but they can help you orient better in space.
Tennis players tend to hold the racket too vertically in the preparation which kills all the power and the ability to apply some backspin on the backhand volley.
C) Racket at head height
As with a forehand volley, your racket should be at the same height as your head when you prepare to hit a backhand volley.
Even if you are hitting a higher or lower ball, make sure to start your racket at head height.
This is another approximate guideline that helps you prepare the backhand volley with good technique.
D) Wrist preparation using non-dominant hand
When hitting a backhand volley, the non-dominant hand plays a crucial role in preparing the wrist. Use your non-dominant hand to pull the racket back and inwards slightly.
This creates some radial deviation - movement towards the thumb of the wrist.
Pulling the racket head back and towards the thumb is the key to getting a lot of power with a very short move.
What this does is build a bit of tension in the wrist, which then acts like a spring, creating something of a trampoline effect when it pops out and makes contact with the ball.
E) Elbow in front, racket behind
The final checkpoint to keep in mind is the elbow position, which needs to be in front. Now, this is very comfortable on the backhand volley and is usually not a problem.
But when players attempt to swing too much, and they will go into a position where the elbow is starting to come behind the body if you are looking from the side, and that's when the backhand volley technique starts to break down.
The elbow position in front ensures that you're not late when hitting backhand volleys.
4. The Hitting Phase
When it comes to actually making contact with the ball on your backhand volley, you want to be doing two things:
- First, aim to hit the ball slightly upwards,
- Second, give it a bit of slice.
Even if you have a slightly higher contact point, still hit it a bit up and with backspin when you are in the process of developing the fundamentals of your backhand volley technique.
Learning backhand volley technique will not be useful if you don't learn how to control the ball too.
You want to see if you can keep the ball straight into the target, with a horizontal axis of rotation.
If you swing too much across the ball (which is a common mistake), you'll see the ball spin more sideways and that's also your cue to adjust the technique.
5. The Follow-Through - 3 Ways To Define The Finish
Eventually, your follow-through on a backhand volley will become second nature.
However, as you hone your technique, it is best to be intentional about what the finish looks like as that helps you control the ball really well.
There are three ways to define the follow-through of the backhand volley:
- The non-dominant arm should be extended opposite from the hitting arm,
- The hitting arm should be extended fully and move in the direction of the target,
- The racket face should be pointed towards the target
Can you notice the three keys to the finish mentioned above?
5 Keys To An Effective Backhand Volley
Everything covered above is critical to hitting a backhand volley with correct technique but if we try to summarize the most important points, here are the top 5:
- Do not step towards the ball first; simply orient your upper body towards the ball, and your feet will follow,
- When you are preparing, use your non-dominant hand to lift the racket, pull it back, and also create a bit of tension in the wrist,
- Remember to keep your wrist bent, with an extension in it,
- When you finish your shot, you want to keep the racket face pointing towards the target,
- Keep your body orientation the same as you volley - do not rotate, just stay centered towards the contact point.
When you control the key checkpoints of the backhand volley, you'll gain much better control of the ball.
As mentioned above, this video article is just a theoretical foundation of the backhand volley technique so that you're clear on all the key technical checkpoints.
While it may offer immediate improvements in some cases, mastering the backhand volley typically requires step-by-step progressions. By building strong fundamentals and gradually increasing drill difficulty, you'll develop the ability to volley effectively in all situations.
If you're ready to take your skills further and master both the forehand and backhand volley—along with the overhead—be sure to check out the complete Volley & Smash video course.
