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Volleying on the move!
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. 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 be balanced. 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?
Tom Veneziano
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Copyright © 2001 Tom Veneziano. All rights reserved
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