[tennisbiz] Re: Swinging volley revisited

From: Junie Chatman <Junie.Chatman_at_wmich.edu>
Date: Thu 25 Apr 2002 06:44:48 -0400

I chimed in a few months ago about the virtues of teaching the swing
volley. Being a former tour player of the early and mid eighties,
that shot was not used too often, if at all. But things change. The
game is faster, the players, as in other sports, are bigger,
stronger and more athletic. The swing volley, in my humble opinion,
reflects the change . . . not only in technique, but in attitude.
Putting other things aside, the swing volley is a show of confidence
. . . the more confident you are, the more likely you will use this
shot if you have it in your arsenal. I work with a lot of
competitive players, both juniors and adults, and I incorporate the
swing volley in their games. My own 3 kids, all under the age of 13,
use the swing volley with great success. But, they all know how to
hit the regular "punch" volley as well. As I explain to the players,
when you go out on the court, you are like a mechanic with a tool
box. And you have to know which tool to use for each job/situation.
If a mechanic only has a hammer when he/she goes to a job, well, you
know the result. The more shots you have in your tool box, the more
options you have. But equally as important, the players need to
understand how and when to use those shots.
Those tennis purists out there at times seem not able to handle
change. They look back and think the grass was greener, the skies
were bluer. etc, etc. Players are no longer wearing long, white
pants, playing with wooden rackets and catching their forehand
follow-thru with the opposite hand. We definitely want to keep the
integrity of the game, but we also need to see the signs of the
times. Tennis is an aggressive, athletic and fun sport and in most
cases, should be taught that way. As Tiger Woods said in one
commercial, "we're not in Kansas anymore!"
 
Received on Thu Apr 25 2002 - 23:47:48 CDT