Hi Jason,

If you meet the ball well in front with a stable wrist then it’s unlikely that you can get hurt from a ball hit even if it’s off center.

If it is off center then it will tend to turn the racket face but that happens to everyone, even top pros.

So we come back to the most common instruction in tennis which is “watch the ball” as well as I can to increase the chances of hitting the sweet spot.

Hi Daniel,

Yes, you can experiment with different angles of your head and your body and also different contact points.

I would also suggest that you first practice some catching of the ball with your right hand when someone throws it to you so that your brain can calibrate the accuracy of movements based on the data from the left eye.

You could also just throw the ball against the wall and catch it back with your right hand in order to put in more repetitions.

Because first you must be comfortable and consistent in just catching the ball before you can volley it well.

I tend to volley well on the backhand side but I struggle to volley on the forehand side. I mishit a lot. I was wondering if my starting position should be more angled to help see the ball better with my left eye.

What do you think?

Hi David,

I use a continental grip and I can play both volleys with it but I change it very slightly for the forehand volley if I have time (usually in singles there’s enough time to do it).

Thanks for your very helpful lessons which solve my volley problems.

Hi Anne,

Punching the volley causes you to hit with your maximum speed so that causes you to crash.

Can you punch the ball at lower speed?

In other words, can you slow down while punching?

Can you slow down and gently guide the ball towards the target sometimes?

Thanks so much..
I am having BIG TROUBLE with my backhand volley just now..
I am instructed to punch volley & my wrist bends backwards somehow resulting in wrist discomfort and results in a short weak volley..
I want to place my volleys deep but this not happening!!
Perhaps my grip is too intense…I am so frustrated..

Thanks,

Áine

Your methods are simply great ! Your Serve and Volley sections have REALLY helped my personal game. I can now practice 150 serves at a time and not have ANY a soreness after that, with improved pace. Your 2-step kinetic chain was key for that. I bought your detailed version and am starting to study it.

And for the volley, as a player with chronic mild tennis elbow, the more I tried punching the ball with a stiff elbow, it reminded an issue. Especially on the backhand. Again, your two-step, turn at wrist 45 degrees, and turn your body opened up a complete new stroke for me. I have volleyed with a ball machine for dozens of volleys, and walked out with no pain, and much better control. I am now trying to really feel the ball slap the racquet back. Hopefully I will become more adept at it…..My drill mates have commented how my volleys are much better nowadays.

Thanks for these insightful modules. Great work!

Hi Allen,

We cannot make sure we hit the sweet spot since our brain is imperfect and makes mistakes in calculations of the trajectory and timing.

The key to increasing the chances though is to try and see the ball even when you can’t.

The most instinctive reaction when the ball is really fast and we can’t see it any more is that we stop trying. We simply look ahead and wait to see the ball leave our racquet and come into our field of vision “on the way out.”

But resist that and keep your eyes facing the blur and don’t move your head. It has been scientifically proven that our eyes and brain detect images and movement even when we are not consciously aware of that any more.

That will help you get more clean hits even on fast incoming balls.