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A different angle on angles!
When you are at the net volleying and you would like to
angle a ball for a winner, what do you do? An angled volley requires very
little racket movement, not much power and a lot of finesse. When I teach
players to angle I spend most of the time training them to hit the outside
of the ball. It’s not easy! If you can master hitting the outside of the
ball, then hitting angles will become commonplace in your matches. How
do you hit the outside of the ball? No great secret here...you practice
over and over and over again.
Well, what did you expect me to say? Something like, you
keep your elbow at a thirty degree angle, knees bent slightly above sea
level, and when you hit the ball have one eye fixed on the ball and the
other eye fixed on the court? Sorry, you’ve got the wrong teaching pro.
:) Too much technical and not enough doing! I will however explain what
it means to hit the outside of the ball when practicing your volleys.
After that you are on your own. Hit the practice courts! Not a word out
of you until you have hit at least 2000 angled volleys. Then we’ll talk
again! :)
THE RIGHT WAY TO ANGLE
Hitting the outside of the ball can be confusing. Here is
what it means. Place your arm out in front of you with your palm upward.
Place a tennis ball on your palm. Move that arm in the direction you would
hit a forehand volley and stop it. Look at the ball that is on your palm.
The side of the ball that is facing you is the inside of the ball in relationship
to you. The side of the ball that is away from you is the outside of the
ball! You must place the racket face on that side of the ball to hit an
angled forehand volley. If you do not hit that side of the ball you will
not angle a volley.
THE WRONG WAY TO ANGLE
Most players hit the back of the ball and try to follow
through in the direction they want to angle. They figure the follow through
will carry the ball in the direction they were aiming, but this does not
happen. Why? Tennis 101! The ball goes where the racket face is pointing!
The answer is to practice placing the racket face on the outside of the
ball whether you are hitting a forehand volley or a backhand volley. The
side of the ball that is away from you is the outside of the ball.
Now, go OUTSIDE and practice hitting the OUTSIDE of the
ball, but keep it INSIDE the lines!
Tom Veneziano
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for more great articles!!!
Copyright © 2001 Tom Veneziano. All rights reserved
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