How to Hit a Forehand Volley in Tennis

Video Transcript

"Hi my name is Lincoln Ward I'm a USPTA teaching pro here in Austin Texas with Lone Star Tennis Company. Today we are going to talk about how to hit a forehand volley in tennis. You might ask what a volley is. If you have ever seen tennis on tv or in person, sometimes they stand real far away from the net and they are slugging that ball and making these grunting noises. And sometimes they run real close to the net and just block the ball over. That is what a forehand volley is. When you are blocking the ball on your forehand side. It's the easiest way to win a point and it's usually what a lot of players start off learning first. The most important part in hitting a proper volley is your ready position. You want to stand with your feet shoulder length apart, racket in front of you, elbows off of your body. A lot of players like to keep their elbows snug in their stomach and it tends to make them a little bit late when they hit the volley. You want to keep your elbows about parallel with the ground. That allows you to have enough time to react to get the volley. When you are hitting your volley you are pretty close to the net, you don't have as much time to react as if you are way back in the baseline. So keep those arms up, and all you are going to do is open up the face of your racket and block that ball back over. You don't want to swing. Swinging is not very consistent in volleys. Keep your hand up block the ball, and the way you put your power in to the shot is by stepping into the ball with your opposite foot. If you are hitting a forehand volley and your right handed, you are going to step forward with your left foot. If you are hitting a forehand volley and you are left handed, you are going to step forward with your right foot. That's how to hit a forehand volley. I'm Lincoln Ward thanks a lot."