How to Volley and Win at the Net
The net is where social doubles matches are won, and where most players are terrified to stand. The punch volley, the ready position, where to stand, and how to stop flinching at the ball, so you can finish points instead of backing away from them.
By Two brothers in Melbourne, co-founder of RallyHub.
The net is where social doubles matches are won, and where most players are quietly terrified to stand. A ball coming at you fast from close range triggers every instinct to back away, which is exactly why the players who learn to volley win so many points: their opponents simply do not. The volley is also one of the simplest shots in tennis once you stop trying to swing at it. Deuce has his racket up and his sleeves rolled, so let us get you comfortable up there.
It is a punch, not a swing
This is the whole secret. A volley is a short, firm punch, not a groundstroke. There is almost no backswing. You catch the ball out in front with a stable wrist and a slightly open racket face, and you let the pace of the incoming ball do most of the work. If you take a big swing at a volley, you will mistime it and spray it. Think "block and push through," not "wind up and hit."
Grip and ready position
Volleys are hit with the Continental grip, the same one you serve with, because it lets you hit both forehand and backhand volleys without changing grip, and there is no time to change at the net. Stand in an athletic ready position: knees bent, weight forward on the balls of your feet, racket up in front of you around chest height, both hands on it. From there you can react either way in a fraction of a second.
The contact point
Catch the ball well out in front of your body and slightly to the side, where you can see it and the racket in the same glance. Keep the racket head above your wrist whenever possible. On a low volley, bend your knees to get down to it rather than dropping the racket head. A firm wrist and a short forward punch, with the racket face slightly open to control depth, sends the ball deep and low into the court.
Where to stand
Position is half the battle in doubles. The sweet spot for a net player is roughly in the middle of the service box, close enough to cut off angles but far enough back to handle a lob. Do not hug the net, you will get lobbed all day. Move with the ball: when your partner pushes your opponents back, step in to poach. Our doubles tactics guide goes deep on positioning and poaching.
Stop flinching
The flinch is the real enemy, and it is beatable. Two things fix it. First, keep your eyes on the ball all the way to the racket, fear lives in looking away. Second, get reps. The more balls come at you at the net, the faster your brain accepts that nothing bad happens, and the flinch fades. A few minutes of volley-to-volley rallying at the start of each hit works wonders.
Get the reps that matter
Volleys are best learned in doubles, where you are at the net constantly, and in dedicated net drills with a partner. That means you need regular hits and regular doubles. RallyHub's Friends Ready Live helps you round up a four for a doubles set, and when you log those matches, your doubles RallyRank tracks separately from your singles, so you can see your net game lifting your doubles results on its own.
Punch, do not swing. Stay in the ready position. Catch the ball in front with a firm wrist. Keep your eyes on it and your feet moving. Do that and the net stops being scary and starts being where you finish points. Next, sharpen the shot that gets you to the net in the first place with how to return serve.