Home › Puzzle › A volley arrives above the net. A volley arrives below it. Same shot?
A volley arrives above the net. A volley arrives below it. Same shot?
Above the net, hit down and attack. Below the net, lift it deep and stay patient.
You are at the net. One ball arrives at chest height, the next at knee height. How does the shot change?
Above the net, hit down and attack. Below the net, lift it deep and stay patient.
Why
The single most useful rule at the net: the height of the ball tells you what to do with it. A ball above the net can be volleyed downward with pace toward the feet or the corner, that is an attacking shot. A ball below the net has to travel upward to clear it, so it cannot be hit hard without going long; it is played deep and controlled to keep the opponents back, and you wait for a higher ball. Players who attack low volleys lose points at the net; players who push high volleys lose the initiative.
What this means at your level
Beginner
Before every volley ask: is this above the net or below it? Above, hit down. Below, push deep.
Intermediate
On the low volley, bend your knees rather than dropping the racket head. The ball goes deep and low instead of floating.
Advanced
The low volley aimed at the feet of the advancing opponent is an attacking shot in its own way. It produces the lift you will finish. Depth is the weapon, not pace.
Common questions
You are at the net. One ball arrives at chest height, the next at knee height. How does the shot change?
High: down and finish. Low: deep and wait. Above the net, hit down and attack. Below the net, lift it deep and stay patient. The single most useful rule at the net: the height of the ball tells you what to do with it. A ball above the net can be volleyed downward with pace toward the feet or the corner, that is an attacking shot. A ball below the net has to travel upward to clear it, so it cannot be hit hard without going long; it is played deep and controlled to keep the opponents back, and you wait for a higher ball. Players who attack low volleys lose points at the net; players who push high volleys lose the initiative.
Why not same shot: a volley is a volley at any height?
Hitting a knee-high ball the way you hit a chest-high one puts it in the net. Height changes everything.
What should a beginner do here?
Before every volley ask: is this above the net or below it? Above, hit down. Below, push deep.
How does this change for an advanced player?
The low volley aimed at the feet of the advancing opponent is an attacking shot in its own way. It produces the lift you will finish. Depth is the weapon, not pace.
Puzzles like this one
They lobbed you deep. Smash it or play the bandeja?
Deep ball, high hands: bandeja. The shot exists to keep you at the net, not to win the point.
beginnerThe ball is at your feet at the net. What now?
A ball below the net cannot be attacked. Block it deep and wait for one above the tape.
beginnerThe ball is fired straight at your body at the net
Body balls are backhands. The racket gets in front of your chest faster on that side than on any other.