Originally Posted by
10s1
While the ability to close in on specific volleys is an important part of advanced volley skills, (as well as finishing off a point in singles or doubles), I find too many players put a premium on this concept and fail miserably at executing the volley well. This can be caused by a variety of reasons, the primary being that most players tend to swing bigger, (unconsciously) when they are trying to be more aggressive with their feet.
However, another huge problem for so many players is the lose of balance when trying to be more aggressive with their feet. 70-80% of volleys hit will NOT be hit as winners in most matches. (And, the great number of winner volleys will be by players already close enough to the net that footwork patterns to bring a person closer to the net are not necessary.) Most difficult volleys are those 1st volleys in doubles, in which the player is a) trying to keep the volley away from the net man, and b) trying to hit an effective volley to get behind it to have a more offensive volley.
If you look at 100 volley situations by the pros, only a handful will demonstrate this concept of closing in with some element of aggressive patterns. Most are balanced, holding patterns after contact, or are more moving to their sides to cover a volley as opposed to simply always moving forward as many professional teachers commonly assume or try to teach.
From a personal experience position, as a top college player in the late 70's, I played where I would seldom "rush" in after my serve or a return, instead, move very deliberate and balanced, making volleys from this position, maybe a step or two deeper in my court, yet, because I was very balanced, I could hit a much better volley consistently.
I'm not saying that the ability to close in on volleys is not an important skill...it is! But, too often, we see players put a premium on this pattern, and as a result, seldom hit clean volleys, nor do they hit consistent volleys.
Be aware of these aspects and you will be well on your way to hitting much more effective volleys, ESPECIALLY under pressure!