Roger Federer is fundamentally sound in all areas of the court—he can produce great shots either from the baseline or up at net, which contributes to his success on every surface. These photos illustrate the excellent technique he uses on both high and low volleys. The world’s best player maintains perfect control over his body, making difficult shots look easy.

CHEST HIGH

HEAD:
You can virtually draw a line from the center of Federer’s head to a spot right in the middle of his feet. This produces an incredible center of gravity that allows him to move like a ballet dancer on the court.

CHIN:
Federer’s chin is practically touching his right shoulder as he watches the ball into the sweet spot. Many players prematurely pull their heads away to watch the volley and end up shanking the shot.

LEFT ARM:
Like a figure skater or skateboarder, Federer extends his left arm out for good balance. Imagine walking a tightrope— you’ve got to have both arms out to maintain your equilibrium.

WRIST:
By keeping his racquet head above his wrist, Federer can volley with power and control. This kind of technique promotes a stable racquet face.

HIPS:
Federer’s legs and hips are perpendicular to the net, which will help him direct the ball toward his intended target. When the hips open up, you tend to cut across the ball and create difficult-tocontrol inside-out spin.

LEFT FOOT:
Notice that Federer’s left foot is off the court at impact. This means he’s transferring his weight forward through the shot by pushing off his back leg.

ANKLE HIGH

HEAD:
By keeping his head, chin, and right shoulder down through contact, Federer concentrates on hitting and directing the ball. He doesn’t allow his opponent’s movement or positioning to distract him.

LEFT KNEE:
To get down for the ball, Federer bends with his legs, and not just at the waist. His left knee is bent to almost 90 degrees, which gets his eyes closer to the ball for added accuracy.

LEFT CALF:
Look at the muscle definition of Federer’s lower leg. Although he’s known for his quickness, Federer still possesses great lower-body strength. This is particularly helpful for handling low volleys below the tape, which require significant bending and balance.

CONTACT POINT:
Federer hits the ball when it’s just about even with his left foot, giving himself a stable racquet and controlled shot. When the ball is out in front of you, there’s no opportunity to drive the volley, and it’s tougher to direct.

RIGHT HEEL:
The right heel coming off the court shows that Federer has transferred most of his weight forward into the shot. If you don’t do this on the low volley, you can easily pop the ball up.

LEFT FOOT:
With his left foot well out in front of his body and his right foot well behind it, Federer has a wide and balanced base. This will help him stay down through the shot.

RACQUET HEAD:
This is where you can bend the rule about keeping the racquet head above your wrist. Federer needs to get the racquet head below the ball to drive it over the net without scooping it.

Article by Ken Flach, Photos By Clive Brunskill, Nadine Rupp – Tennis.com

Mark Philippoussis uses excellent preparation and an explosive swing to hit his powerful overhead.

THE SETUP

GRIP:
Just as with a serve, Philippoussis holds his racquet with the Continental grip. This allows him to pronate his forearm and snap his wrist for maximum racquet-head acceleration and power. It’s also the grip he uses on his volleys, which is convenient since after contact on the overhead he will close in on the net.

LEFT ARM:
Philippoussis fully extends his non-hitting arm to help sight the ball. Although he won’t have to move much for this overhead, by pointing to the incoming lob his eyes stay glued to the ball and his body stays underneath it until the moment he starts his swing.

HIPS:
The first thing a player should do once he realizes he’s going to hit an overhead is turn his body sideways to the net. Philippoussis has done this, and it will allow him to create added power by rotating his torso and hips (not just his arm) into the shot.

RIGHT ELBOW:
Philippoussis has his right elbow at a nice distance and angle from his body. Notice the nearly perfect alignment that runs from his elbow to his left arm. This is the kind of setup you want on an overhead. It keeps the body balanced and will result in a smooth and powerful swing.

FEET:
Since this overhead is a fairly easy one, Philippoussis has his feet firmly planted in a wide stance with his weight evenly distributed. His front foot is pointed forward and his back foot is parallel to the net for balance. If the lob were deeper, Philippoussis’ feet would be in motion, retreating back for the ball.

THE SMASH

WRIST:
In order to close the racquet face at impact, Philippoussis has to pronate his wrist and forearm. The wrist is in perfect alignment with the racquet face and the hitting arm. If you want an explosive overhead, you need a loose and flexible wrist.

HEAD:
Although his racquet is moving at a high speed at this instant, Philippoussis keeps his head relatively still. It’s common for players to swing with such force that they yank their heads down or take their eyes off the ball, which can cause an errant shot.

RIGHT HIP:
Philippoussis was sideways during preparation; now he’s rotating into the shot as his back hip comes through. Players who use the whole body on the overhead like this are less likely to miss it when the match is close and they get a little tight.

LEFT ARM:
Philippoussis pulls his left arm and shoulder down to allow his hitting arm and racquet to come through. This tilting of the body will give him more leverage on his swing. His right shoulder will then come over the left, again just like on a serve.

RIGHT FOOT:
With his right heel well off the court, Philippoussis is transferring his momentum forward and into the shot. This will help give the ball added pace. Most of his weight and balance is now on his left foot, which is planted and stabilizing his body.

Article by Dennis Van Der Meer, Photos by Danny Moloshok, Michael Steele – Tennis.com

1. The drop volley—I prefer “stop” volley—is a shot that isn’t used often. But when executed correctly and at the right time, it can win a point outright. It starts with the grip. Nadal holds the racquet with an Eastern fore-hand grip (to do this, place your hand fl at against the strings and slide it down to the grip). This allows him to keep the head of his racquet slightly above his wrist and to make fi rm contact. Nadal’s elbows and knees are bent and his stance is closed, which isn’t necessary for every volley but helps you control a drop volley. Also notice Nadal’s short backswing. This will allow him to punch the ball rather than swing at it.

2. Nadal keeps the same racquet position in this photo, with his arms slightly bent. But at this point he steps (and slides) into the ball with his left foot. His eyes concentrate on the target and his balance is excellent. People tend to lean over as they move in for a volley, but notice how Nadal doesn’t bend at the waist; he bends at the knees. You can tell he will meet the ball early and out in front of his body.

3. The ball is low to the ground, so Nadal lowers himself along with it. Although his knees bend even more than in the last photo, his back remains relatively straight. He shows good posture here. A player with a two-handed backhand will often drop the racquet head below his or her wrist when hitting a one-handed backhand volley. Nadal doesn’t make that mistake. He takes his right hand off the racquet and extends his left arm to an almost-straight position so he can hit the ball out in front. Keep this picture in mind so you can try to copy Nadal’s form later. It’s perfect.

4. Nadal drops his racquet so he can carve under the ball, generating backspin and sidespin. He can slide the racquet under the ball like this because of his grip. He’s stretched out at this point and hitting the ball well in front of his body, but he maintains his balance. His right arm moves backward to counterbalance his forward movement and straighten his chest, which will allow him to stay balanced as he finishes the shot.

5. Nadal is at his lowest point here, and his right arm—his balancing arm—is behind his body. His right foot begins to slide forward toward his left foot. Take a close look at the racquet to understand how Nadal puts spin on the ball. As he carves under and across the bottom of the ball, he turns his wrist ever so slightly, like he’s turning a key. His eyes remain glued to the ball.

6. The right leg now makes a dramatic move forward as Nadal recovers from the shot and prepares for the next one (if there is one). At this point, he probably can’t believe his eyes. The ball barely passes over the net and—I’m willing to bet—falls in for a winner. Bravo!

Article by Robert Lansdorp – Tennis.com

Well, in matches we often ONLY need to play a simple volley like this to finish points. This is particularly the case with strong baseline players. Often a groundstroker will hit several tough shots in a row, force their opponent way off court, come in to the net at this perfect opportunity (as they should), and need only a simple tap into the open court to finish the point. Yet they miss by going for too much on the volley.

Even net rushers finish many points with simple “tap” volleys. In your mind’s eye, recall all the times Pete Sampras or Stefan Edberg or Patrick Rafter would come to net and hit a great first volley forcing their opponent way out of position, and then only need to tap the passing shot reply into the open court for a winner. The last shot was, and should be, the easiest. This is a reason the $10,000 volley is so essential to learn- it is the money shot when you come to net.

How to hit it? Well, keep your technique simple as can be. Racquet head up, move your feet, both eyes REALLY watching the ball, keep your swing (a block, basically) really small. Whenever you miss a shot like this (and we all have!), it is costly. By learning in practice to play the shot like $10,000 is riding on the execution of it, you will grow more comfortable and confident about finishing points at the net during matches.

Article by Bill Mountford, Director of tennis at USTA National Tennis Center