A very common phrase offered to recreational tennis players is to tell them to not swing on volleys. I hear this often in adult clinics, usually after a player bricks a volley into the net. “Don’t Swing” If you’ve ever taken a clinic from local coach and legend Paul Graham, you probably hear this phrase in your sleep. I can almost bet that this phrase is shouted across the court 2 dozen times during a 90 minute adult drill clinic. I’ve even heard the entire group respond back in harmony “Don’t swing on your volley”. Sometimes coaches might use the term punch or step through to describe the technique to use for the volley.
These terms and instructions can be confusing at best, possibly inaccurate. One of my favorite volley instruction videos is of Ken Flach where he debunks the myth that you do not swing on your volley:
Apologize for the quality of this video, however the content is excellent-
Let’s understand the problem that the phrase “Don’t swing” is trying to solve. If you are at net, in general you have less time to prepare. Two things typically happen when recreational players miss volleys: they take the racquet back late and they do not maintain a square racquet face up to impact and they mishit due to having less time. This is more of a mechanical problem that can be addressed with maintaining a firm and proper joint angle at the wrist and a proper elbow position through the impact zone.
For advanced players, incoming spin must be countered with momentum. Heavy topspin or underspin can impact your launch angle from your racquet by up to 20 degrees without momentum.
Controlling the volley, or any shot for that matter requires momentum. Momentum requires movement (velocity). You cannot generate momentum from “Don’t Swing”. Momentum actually helps stabilize the racquet face, thus making your volleys more consistent.
Telling a student to not swing doesn’t solve the mechanical issues. Instead we should focus on how to keep the racquet face angle square for a longer period during the swing radius. While not covered well in the video, it is important in my opinion to orientate your shoulders at a 45 degree angle to allow for swing freedom and to keep the racquet face angle square through the impact zone. There are many technical and tactical aspects not covered here to have consistent and winning volleys, however it is important to understand that when we use the phrase “Don’t Swing” players tend to move the racquet to impact with their hands and this can lead to inconsistent results.
When you practice volley’s, be sure you work on the 5 types. This video explains the 5 different types of volley’s you might encounter in a match.
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