Serve and Volley:
Drills Part 1

Kyle LaCroix

In the last four articles, we have discussed serve and volley inspiration, mentality, tactics, and critical shots. (Click Here.) Now in the next two articles we'll look at a series of original drills I have developed to incorporate serve and volley into your own game. I have found them powerful, effective, and fun. See if you agree!

Soft Catch

A big issue in serve and volley is touch and feel. It's difficult for players to transition from the kinesthetic feel of hitting a hard serve to a looser grip and the soft hands needed for a controlled volley.

Inexperienced players think of the volley as a powerful kill shot, and if the volley is a floater, than that may be the case. When many players think power, they also think strong death grips and tightening of the body

In the soft catch drill the player has to use feel to catch and control the ball when moving forward after the serve.

But a serve and volley player sees a variety of return speeds and placements over a course of a match, some of which won't be conducive to pounding the volley.. You must be able to relax and develop a feel for the ball. This sense of relaxation and control, despite the urgency of the situation, is a vital skill that takes time to develop in players of all levels.

To develop this I have the player start on the baseline in their normal service position. The player hits a serve and rushes towards the net. The coach is positioned just inside the service line. He then tosses a ball to the side. The drill is to reach the ball and catch it on the strings.

After the catch, the player back pedals with ball still balanced on racquet. Now he or she repeats the same drill in the other court.

The Serve and Soft Catch drill is not only a great drill to develop the hard/soft mentality gear shift, but is also great for conditioning. Depending on the players skill level, I have them do this in sets of 3, 5 or 8.

Well conditioned players are feeling it after 8. You can mix up difficulty levels of hand toss as well.

Taking it a step further, I will have my students serve from various areas along the baseline to create different angles of approach. Another variation: instead of back pedaling after the catch, the player turns and side shuffles as if they were moving back for an overhead.

Serve and Volley Tango

Tango is a dance that requires you to lead your partner effectively but also relies on improvisational skill. This drill is a favorite amongst my students because it helps them work on consistency and control.

The Tango is a cooperative drill to work on confidence and accuracy.

In the serve and volley tango, the players begin at baseline. One player is the leader, the other is the follower.

The leader serves the ball, the follower returns it, and after that every ball must be taken out of the air. The players maintain the rally and with each volley they move closer to the net.

Then the leader gives directions to move backwards,or left, or right, or forward. The follower shadows the leader keeping the ball in the air.

The volleys can be from 3/4 court or 3 feet from the net. It's all up to the leader. Players will quickly learn how hard or soft, firm or loose they must hit the volley and hold their racquet.

The players take turns switching roles as leader and follower. Players can set a goal of maintaining the tango for specific amount of time, or a specific number of hits.

4 Corner Box

Not every volley we receive is going to shoulder high. Every serve and volley player must have the ability to hit half volleys. Many players will immediately hit the panic button in this situation because they never practice it and therefore don't have the confidence to rely on it in a match.

The 4 Corner Box drill gives players the repetitions they need to develop the half volley.

By hitting an effectively half volley, you maintain control of the point, but you also maintain confidence, knowing you can deal with your opponent's effort to put you in a tough spot.

The 4 Corner Half Volley drill allows you to practice your ability to execute this difficult shot and make it more routine.

Place 4 cones behind the service line creating a rectangle. You can make the rectangle smaller or deeper depending on your students' level. Now the feeder hits balls randomly to all 4 corners.

The student must let the ball bounce, but keep it in front of him, striving to hit down the line in order to cover the next shot. A big server might only get two steps in before the ball reaches their feet. Experiment with the locations and the size of the box to challenge your students and maximize their level.

These are the first 3 drills that will raise your ability to master the serve and volley. Next stay tuned for 3 more!

Kyle LaCroix is the Chief Education Officer of SETS Consulting. Specialized Educational Tennis Solutions (SETS) is a coaching and educational service for elite coaches, competitive players and tennis institutions/federations.He provides tactical and technical expertise in the area of professional development, management of career growth and player improvement. He is one of less than 200 USPTA Master Professional in the world, as well as a PTR Certified Professional. He also has receiving his United States Center For Coaching Excellence (USCCE) Certification. He has been a featured speaker at numerous Industry Conferences.

Kyle has experience working with ATP/WTA and NCAA collegiate players at each level of their competitive careers and at every stage of their professional and personal development. He understands the important roles and responsibilities that federations, coaches and players carry with them on a daily basis.

Kyle also holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a M.Ed in Educational Leadership from Stanford University.

To find out more please visit setsconsult.org 

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