When hitting a transition volley while moving to the net,
do not stop and set up to hit your volley. Instead learn
to move THROUGH the volley. That's right, move into the
volley rather than standing still and balanced waiting for
the ball to come to you. I know you may have been taught
differently, but that is NOT what the good pros are doing.
The pros move toward the ball and lunge into it as they
hit and keep moving. They do NOT set up and wait for the
volley to come to them as is commonly taught. I'm not sure
where this notion came from about stopping, setting up and
then hitting before moving again, but I would forget it and
let your body go for it!
I guess staying still and balanced as you hit appears to
make sense. But how about being on the move and balanced?
What is wrong with that? You are moving and balanced all the
time when you walk or run! The same is true for the
transition volley to the net. With practice you can move and
also stay balanced, identical to walking and running. The
benefits of learning to do this are enormous.
First, you will close in on the ball by getting to it sooner.
As a result the ball will move back to your opponent quicker,
giving them less time to hit their shot. When players have
less time to hit their shot they will make more errors. And
second, you will have more natural fluency in your movement
rather than coming to a screeching halt to hit your volley.
More fluency is compatible with automatic, spontaneous and
instinctive play. You know I like that part!
The next time you are advancing to a volley do NOT stop and
set up... keep moving! You will be surprised how much better
this feels and how your feet will automatically move into
the correct position. How do I know this will occur? Simple,
I have taught this technique to thousands of players over
the years and it works! Besides, why would you not want to
emulate what the pros are doing?
