The net attack is the heavy artillery of tennis. It is supposed to crush any defense. As such, it should be considered a hit for runs at all times, whether the shot is a volley or a shot.
Once at the net, he hit from the point at the first opportunity given to put the bat directly on the ball. All of the footwork laws listed for driving are the same in theory as for aerial shooting. In practice, you rarely have time to change your feet in a specific position, so you can avoid the hassle by throwing weight on the foot closest to the ball and driving it into the shot.
Volleyballs are divided into two categories:
(1) a low shot made below the waist; and (2) waist-to-head high air strikes. Unlike the batting level classification, there are two styles known as (1) the deep shot and (2) the stop shot.
All low volleys are blocked. High balls can be blocked or hit. An air ball should never be touched. There is no follow up on a low shot and very little on a high shot.
You will hear a lot about the "cutting" barrage. A cut shot is one in which the club travels from above the ball's line of flight, down and across, and the angle formed behind the club is greater than 45 degrees, many approaching 90 degrees. So I say a volley should not be cut, because the ball tends to explode in the air, away from any cut. Cut volleys if desired, or hit them flat, as both strikes are made at a very small angle to the line of flight of the ball, with the club-face moving almost along its plane.
In all air balls, high or low, the wrist should be fully closed and stiff. It should always be under the club head, thereby protecting the club from ball impact. Allow the force of the incoming shot, plus your weight, to return the ball and don't strain to "grip" it over the top. The angled racquet face will give any angle needed to return when glancing at the ball over the strings, so no twisting of the wrist is necessary.
Low volleys can never be hit too hard and, due to the height of the net, must be angled steeply to allow room for height. Any ball that meets higher than the top of the net can be hit hard. The kick must be clear, quick and decisive, but must stop when it meets the ball. Monitoring should be very limited. Most low balls should be smooth and short. Most high volleys require speed and length.
A "stop" shot is nothing more than a short blocked shot. No force is used. The racquet simply meets the incoming ball and stops it. The ball bounces and falls under its own weight. There is little bounce to such a shot, and this can be reduced by allowing the racquet to slide slightly under the ball at impact, thereby moving the ball backwards.
Aeronautics is a science based on the ancient engineering axiom that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points. I mean a player should always cover a direct pass shot since it's the shortest shot he can pass, he should shoot straight into the hole and not waste time trying to hit volleys of curve that give the baseline time to recover. It's Johnston's good forehand that makes him such a dangerous guy. He always "hits" his shot straight and hard into the hole in his opponent's court.
The player at net must have groundskeeper to reach net position. Don't think serve and volley is enough against top-class tennis.
Really try to kill your volleys on the spot, but if your shot doesn't win, follow the cross and cover your straight shot again. Always force the man who is trying to overtake you to play the hardest shot possible.
Attack with your volley. Never defend the ball when it is over the net. The only defensive shot is the one at your feet as you enter. It's a shot in the middle of the field. Volleyball must gain more than speed, although speed can be used on a high shot.
Closely related to volleyball, but by no means the stroke, is the overhead smash. This is Big Bertha Tennis. It's the high-profile horror that should always score. The footwork, stance and direction rules governing the shot will suffice for aerial movement. The swing alone is different. The swing should be tightly tied to the slice serve, the putter and arm swing freely from the shoulder, the wrist is flexible, and the putter gives the ball a slight deflection to catch him on the ground. The overhead mostly wins points through speed, because its rebound is so high that a slow stance often allows time to recover.
Don't jump in the air unnecessarily to hit the best balls. Keep at least one foot, and if possible both feet, on the ground in the crunch, as this helps regulate the weight, and gives better balance. Hit flat and decisively to the point if you like.
Most aerial misses result from the eye leaving the ball; But the second category of errors is caused by a lack of confidence which results in a tight swing and apathy. Follow through with your best shot throughout your swing.
The overhead is essentially a double hit, because in singles the chances of a net-man passing are greater than throwing over his head, while in doubles two men cover the net so easily that the best way to open up the field is to fend off a man.
In smashing, the longer distance is the safer shot because it allows more room for error. Therefore, smash the pitch as you press down on it, but pull your short arms to either side as determined by the man you're playing.
Never drop a lob that you can hit overhead, as it forces you to retreat and gives your opponent an attacking position. Never hit with a reverse roll, always hit with the club-face straight and straight into the hole.
The lob is closely associated with the uppercut since it is the usual defense for any powerful smash.
A lob is a high throw of a ball that lands between the service line and the baseline. An excellent lob must be within 6 feet of the baseline.
The lobes are mainly defensive. The throwing ideas are:
- give you time to recover when you are knocked off the field by your opponent's shot.
- (chasing the man from the net and interrupting his attack.
- to exhaust your opponent; (iv) Sometimes earning properly is by placement. This is usually a close-up lob, which is a slightly different shot.
There's (1) the cut lob, which is a low spin that hangs in the air. This is the best defensive lob because it rises and gives plenty of time to recover the position. (2) Lob or flat lob with a slight top spin. It's the lob that wins points because it doesn't give the player time to get around it, because it's lower and faster than the chop. When making this lubricant, start your swing like a drive, but let the club slow down and the face tilt just as you meet the ball. This shot rarely goes beyond 10 feet in the air, as it tends to come loose with the flutter of the ball.
The lobe cut, a defined bottom cut, should rise 20 to 30 feet or more and should go deep. It's better to push your opponent back and push them back, thus tiring them out, than to take a short distance and give them confidence with an easy kill. The value of the ball is mostly in your opponent's anger, and its effects are very clear if you take it out unexpectedly in the deciding period of the game.