Grips for Volleys

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Choose the Correct Grip for Your Volley

Tennis Volley

Here are 7 questions you might consider before you start:

Is there 1 best grip?
What is the experience status of the player – beginner, intermediate or advanced?
What is the age of the player?
What is the physical strength of the player?
What are their aspirations as far as development of their game?
Will they practice new skills sets?
Do they want to change?

Which of the grips do I choose to teach:

Eastern backhand
Continental
Eastern forehand
Semi-western
Hybrid

You will need to evaluate several tactical questions to come up with the correct technical answer.

Here are 9 to consider:

Where is the position your opponent sending the ball from?
What is the height of the incoming ball you are receiving?
What kind of spin are you receiving?
What kind of speed are you receiving?
What is the position from which you are receiving the ball?
What is the position of the opponent as you send the ball?
Do you wish to stay in the point or finish the point?
What kind of spin are you going to send away?
What kind of speed are you going to send away?

Sample tactical situations you might be faced with – for a right handed player:

You are inside the service line and the ball you are receiving is coming to your right side but close to your body and between waist and chest high.

Options: Based upon the speed of the ball to be received you may choose:

Play a forehand or backhand
On a faster ball, use more of an eastern forehand grip to block or hit with some underspin into the open court
On a slower ball, use more of a continental grip, move away from the incoming ball to create better spacing and hit a short or sharply angled ball to your left
On a slower ball, use more of an eastern forehand grip, move away from the ball and play an inside out ball to your right

If the ball to be received were wide to your right, slightly below net height and barely reachable you may:

Switch to a heavy continental or even an eastern backhand grip to open the racquet face, maximize your reach and attempt to apply underspin. This would help to reduce the speed of the ball, apply spin to direct the ball back up over the net and reduce the depth of the ball if the opponent were deep in the court.
You may firm up the grip a contact to get more depth with the spin if the opponent were wide or inside the service line and you needed to send it back behind him.
You may try for a sharply angled volley behind your position, softer return or deeper return – based upon you skill level, their position, you position and luck.

As you can see, there are literally hundreds of tactical factors to consider in choosing the technical skill. It takes lots of practice balls to gain the experience to recognize the tactical situation you are in. It takes lots of practice balls to develop the technical skills to execute correct option available to you in that tactical moment.

In receiving the ball, you might consider 5 basic questions:

Who is sending the ball?
What kind of ball is being sent?
Where is the sender?
When will it get to you?
Why would you choose that tactical option?

In sending the ball, you might consider 5 basic questions:

Who are you sending the ball to?
What kind of ball should you send?
Where is the ball to be sent?
When should you contact the ball?
Why should you choose that tactical option?

The 5 tactical factors you must consider are:

Get the ball in play?
Determine the direction – cross court, down the middle or down the line?
Determine the depth – short, middle or deep depth?
Determine the spin – underspin, sidespin or topspin?
Determine the speed – soft, medium or fast?

Summary:

All grips are correct – based upon the tactical position from which you are receiving the ball and the tactical position you wish to send the ball:

Forehand:

Continental on a low ball
Continental or eastern of a ball above net high
Eastern or semi-western on balls above the chest or head high
Eastern backhand on low wide balls
Hybrid grip between any of he above

Backhand:

Eastern forehand or continental on low ball
Continental or eastern backhand grip on balls above net high
Eastern backhand or continental on balls above the chest or head high
Eastern forehand on low wide balls
Hybrid grip between any of the above.

These options are by no means complete – have fun and develop feel for the racquet and ball through practiced discovery with your professional.

The ultimate goal is to prepare the racquet face to receive then send the correct tactical shot.

Ken DeHart

PTR & USPTA Master Professional
USA High Performance Coach
2 time PTR International Pro of the Year
Wilson Premier Advisory Staff
4 time USPTA Divisional Pro of the Year

Photo Credits: nsaplayer

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