Having both hands working together is the key to this shot.
It takes two hands to hit a great forehand volley. When you watch the world’s top doubles teams, you’ll see what I mean. The best don’t take a huge backswing when they volley on the forehand side, as shown in the illustration on the left. The bigger the backswing, the more likely you are to swing at your volley, which will ruin your timing. You’ll also hit the ball late. So what do the best volleyers do? They make good use of their off hand. I tell my students to pretend that their hands are handcuff ed together on the forehand volley. Bring your racquet back by making sure you turn your shoulders, and don’t let your hitting hand get too far away from your off hand, as shown in the second illustration. This will make your volleys compact and quick. The result will be better timing, a more consistent contact point (farther out in front), more accuracy and far fewer errors.
Roy Barth, a PTR Master Pro, is the director of tennis at South Carolina’s Kiawah Island Golf Resort.
Illustration by Jon Rodgers
Originally published in the July/August 2011 issue of TENNIS.