Tennis Volley lesson: Create Power and Control With your body...(Drills included)

Total Tennis Domination

27 Jun 202311:39

EducationalLearning

32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRIn this video, the coach addresses common struggles with volleying in tennis and provides key tips for improvement. The focus is on understanding the concept of a 'push' in volleying, ensuring proper grip stability, and aligning the body correctly to deliver effective volleys. The coach explains different grips, the importance of body alignment, and demonstrates drills to practice transitioning weight and timing. The video emphasizes the importance of stability and structure in volleys to build a complete game and improve overall performance on the court.

Takeaways

🎾 The primary issue holding back players from advancing to the next level in tennis is often the lack of a complete game, particularly with volleys.
🤔 Players often feel uncomfortable at the net and may avoid it, but having a solid volley is crucial for improving one's game.
🔄 The concept of a volley is essentially a 'push', which requires understanding how to effectively transfer power from the body to the ball.
🤲 The grip on the racket is fundamental for a stable volley; both continental and slight Eastern grips can be used, with the focus on stability.
🔄 Players should avoid frequently switching grips during quick volley situations, as it can disrupt the stability and power of the shot.
🧍‍♂️ Alignment is critical for a strong volley; the player's shoulder should be behind the hand to effectively push through the ball with the body.
🏸 Practicing the correct racket face orientation is important as it provides feedback on where to aim the shot and helps in delivering consistent volleys.
🦵 The importance of athletic positioning and footwork cannot be overstated; it's essential for explosive movement and effective volleys.
🚶‍♂️ A key drill for improving volleys is 'walking through the ball', which helps in transitioning weight smoothly and maintaining a solid structure.
🕒 Timing is crucial in volleys; players must learn to load and push through the ball at the right moment for maximum power and control.
🤹‍♂️ For doubles play, mastering the 'shift' technique is important, which involves rocking back and forth and adjusting weight without moving forward significantly.

Q & A

What is the primary concept that the video is based on regarding volleying?
-The primary concept is that a volley is essentially a push, similar to pushing against a wall, involving the entire body for power transfer.
How does the grip influence the stability of a volley?
-Stability in the grip is crucial for effective volleys. The continental grip offers good stability for both forehand and backhand shots. Some players adjust the grip slightly for more stability on the backhand side.
What is a continental grip and how is it identified?
-A continental grip is identified by placing the base knuckle of the index finger on the second bevel of the racket handle. This grip provides stability for both forehand and backhand volleys.
Why is alignment important in volleying, and how should it be achieved?
-Alignment ensures that the shoulder is behind the hand, allowing for a stronger push. Proper alignment involves turning the shoulders to keep the hands in line with the shoulders during the volley.
What role does the shoulder play in the backhand volley?
-For the backhand volley, turning the shoulder more significantly and aligning it like a cannon facing the target provides a solid structure for a powerful push.
How should one practice transitioning from the ready position to the volley position?
-Practicing involves getting into an athletic stance, turning the shoulders, and pivoting the outside leg to load weight, then pushing forward to make contact with the ball.
What is the difference between 'step hit step' and 'shift' techniques in volleying?
-'Step hit step' involves loading weight and pushing forward during the volley, while 'shift' is used in doubles play, where the player shifts weight from the back foot to the front without significant forward movement.
What is the importance of the sweet spot on the racket in volleying?
-Hitting the ball in the sweet spot of the racket provides a much better feel and control compared to hitting it on the sides, which can lead to instability and less accurate shots.
How can walking through the ball help improve volleys?
-Walking through the ball helps in smoothly transitioning weight through the ball, providing a consistent and controlled volley without relying heavily on arm strength.
What are some additional volley techniques mentioned in the video?
-The video mentions the potential for different types of volleys such as side spin volleys, flat attacking volleys, and knifing volleys that stay low, which provide variety and strategic options during play.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Achieving a Complete Game in Tennis

In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the importance of having a complete game in tennis. He highlights how players often feel uncomfortable at the net, leading to weaker volleys and easy opportunities for opponents. The key point is that to advance to the next level, players must fill gaps in their game, especially when approaching the net.

05:01

🔧 Mastering the Continental Grip for Stability

This paragraph focuses on the grip used in volleys, specifically the Continental grip. The speaker explains how this grip provides stability for both forehand and backhand volleys. He describes the grip's setup, emphasizing the placement of the V shape on the racket and its role in maintaining control and power during volleys.

10:01

📏 Proper Alignment for Effective Volleys

Here, the importance of hand alignment when volleying is discussed. The speaker uses an analogy of pushing against a wall to explain how the alignment of the shoulder behind the hand enhances strength and stability. This principle is applied to both forehand and backhand volleys, ensuring that players use their body's larger muscles rather than relying solely on their arms.

💡 Transitioning from Ready Position to Volleys

This paragraph introduces drills to help players transition smoothly from the ready position to executing volleys. The speaker describes the steps involved in turning the shoulder and positioning the racket, as well as the importance of an athletic stance. Emphasis is placed on loading weight on the outside leg and pushing forward to deliver force effectively.

🏃‍♂️ Walking Through the Volley

In this segment, the speaker discusses the technique of walking through the volley to transfer weight smoothly. He demonstrates how to maintain a solid structure and timing when hitting forehand and backhand volleys. The focus is on ensuring a minimal swing and maximizing power transfer by loading and pushing through the ball.

⚖️ Shifting Weight for Volleying in Doubles

This paragraph addresses the technique of shifting weight for volleys, particularly in doubles play. The speaker explains how to keep weight on the back foot and shift forward upon hitting the ball. He provides drills to practice this shift, emphasizing the importance of timing and maintaining a solid structure for effective volleys.

🎯 Advanced Volley Techniques

In the final paragraph, the speaker briefly mentions advanced volley techniques such as side spin, flat attacking, and knifing volleys. He suggests these techniques offer more variety and effectiveness in different situations. The speaker invites viewers to comment if they want a detailed video on these advanced volley techniques.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Volley

Volley refers to a shot in tennis where the ball is hit before it bounces on the ground. It is a crucial skill for players to have a complete game. In the video, the concept of volley is likened to a 'push' to emphasize the importance of timing and body movement. The video aims to help players improve their volley technique by understanding the principles of power transfer and body alignment.

💡Forehand and Backhand

Forehand and backhand are the two basic types of tennis strokes. A forehand is struck with the back of the hand facing forward, while a backhand is struck with the palm facing forward. The video discusses the importance of having a stable grip for both forehand and backhand volleys and how players can adjust their grip to improve stability and power.

💡Grip

The grip in tennis refers to how a player holds the racket. The video mentions different types of grips such as the continental grip and slight Eastern grip, and emphasizes the importance of stability in the grip for a strong volley. The continental grip is described as providing good stability for both forehand and backhand volleys, while the slight Eastern grip is suggested for better pad positioning behind the strings.

💡Alignment

Alignment in the context of the video refers to the positioning of the hands and shoulders in relation to the body during a volley. Proper alignment is crucial for transferring power from the body to the ball. The video uses the analogy of pushing against a wall to illustrate the importance of having the shoulder behind the hand for a strong push, which translates to a powerful volley.

💡Power Transfer

Power transfer is the process of moving energy from one point to another, in this case, from the player's body to the tennis ball during a volley. The video explains that the power transfer happens when the player pushes against the ball and lands, emphasizing the importance of timing this action correctly to maximize power.

💡Athletic Position

An athletic position in tennis is a stance that allows a player to be ready to move quickly in any direction. The video stresses the importance of starting from a good athletic position for a volley, as it enables explosive movement and helps in delivering force to the ball.

💡Split and Pivot

Split and pivot is a footwork technique used in tennis to change direction quickly. In the video, it is used to describe the movement when transitioning from the ready position to hitting a forehand or backhand volley. The player splits their legs and pivots on the outside leg, loading weight before pushing forward to hit the ball.

💡Racket Face

The racket face refers to the stringed part of the tennis racket that comes into contact with the ball. The video mentions the importance of understanding the orientation of the racket face for controlling where the ball is hit. The face should be facing the intended direction of the shot, providing feedback to the player on ball placement.

💡Weight Transfer

Weight transfer in tennis is the movement of the player's body weight from the back foot to the front foot during a shot. The video describes how to use weight transfer effectively in volleys by loading weight onto the front leg and then pushing through the ball to add power to the shot.

💡Shift

A shift in tennis refers to a small, quick movement to adjust position, often used in doubles play. The video discusses the shift technique for volleys, where the player keeps their weight on the back foot and moves forward by shifting their weight. This technique is useful for making quick adjustments at the net without committing too much weight forward.

Highlights

The video aims to help viewers overcome discomfort and improve their tennis game by developing a complete game.

The importance of having a complete game without noticeable weaknesses to reach the next level in tennis.

The concept of volley as a 'push' to understand the mechanics of hitting the ball.

An analogy comparing the act of volleying to pushing against a wall to illustrate the power transfer.

The significance of grip stability for a strong volley, with a discussion on Continental and Eastern grips.

The breakdown of the Continental grip and its advantages for forehand and backhand volleys.

The role of the pad in the grip for stability and how it should be positioned for forehand and backhand volleys.

The concept of alignment in volleying and how it relates to the body's ability to push with strength.

How to maintain proper alignment while volleying to ensure the body is effectively used in the push.

The importance of timing and footwork in delivering force during a volley.

The 'step hit step' footwork technique for transferring weight during a volley.

A drill for practicing the transition from the ready position to delivering force in a volley.

The importance of racket face positioning and how it affects the direction of the ball.

How to practice hitting volleys with minimal swing by focusing on weight transfer.

The technique of 'walking through the ball' to improve weight transfer and volley consistency.

The 'shift' technique for volleying in doubles and how to practice it with a ball machine.

A teaser for future videos on different types of volleys used by professional players.

Transcripts

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