beginner · ~5 min read
First volleys — hold the net without panic
Learn the beginner volley — short punch, racket up, contact in front — so you can hold the net without panicking.
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Most club points end at the net. When you and your partner are there together, you shrink the court, cut reaction time, and force the other pair into awkward lifts. Your job as a beginner is not to smash winners — it is to hold the position with calm, short volleys. Think push, not swing: racket head up, contact out in front, small punch. Earn the net with a deep ball or lob, take two steps in as a pair, and volley only the balls that sit around shoulder height. Leave the rest. Panic is optional; the punch is not.
You already need the diamond shape and a basic sense of shot order (key shots). This guide is the how of your first volleys — technique, selection, and staying calm when the ball comes at you.
Why the net pair wins most points
From the baseline you hit the full length of the court. Opponents have time to read, move, and reset. From roughly a metre behind the cord, your volleys arrive sooner, angles open into the side glass, and low balls are harder to attack back. Coaches push beginners to the net early not to finish every rally, but to control it.
Arriving and freezing is worse than staying back. You need a simple volley you trust. Placement and depth beat pace: a firm push past the service line keeps them pinned; a big tennis-style swing pops the ball up or into the net.
The volley is a push, not a swing
Forget the long backswing. At the net you have almost no time, and a big take-back makes you late.
- Continental grip — the "hammer" grip. One grip for forehand and backhand so you do not fiddle mid-rally.
- Racket head up — above the wrist, face slightly open, ready at about chest-to-shoulder height.
- Short punch — a small shoulder turn is the backswing. Step in with the opposite foot and meet the ball in front of your body.
- Firm wrist — lock it. Floppy wrists send the ball everywhere.
- Reset — back to ready as soon as you finish. The next ball is already coming.
Aim for depth first. Push cross-court or down the middle past the service line. Winners can wait until the punch is automatic.
Ready position and the two-step move in
Ready position at the net: feet roughly shoulder-width, weight on the balls of your feet, knees soft, racket up in front of your chest, elbows slightly away from your body. Split-step — a small hop landing both feet — as the opponent hits, so you can push off either way.
How you get there: do not charge the net from nowhere. Earn it with a deep drive or, better, a high lob that sends them past the service line. Then:
- Move diagonally forward with your partner — both advance, same depth. One-up-one-back is the worst shape.
- Take about two steps in, settle roughly a metre behind the net, and split-step.
- Arrive with the racket already up. Late racket = panicked swipe.
If the approach ball is short or attackable, stay back and build again. The net is a reward, not a dash.
Which balls to volley — the shoulder-line rule
Not every ball at the net is a volley.
| Volley it when… | Leave it / adjust when… |
|---|---|
| It arrives around shoulder to chest height and you are balanced | It is above your head — that is a lob; retreat and reset |
| You can meet it out in front without lunging | It is below the net and still falling — let it bounce if you can, or dig low with bent knees |
| Opponents are deep — a deep push keeps them there | You are off balance or jammed — step back, take the bounce, rebuild |
Shoulder-line rule: if the ball is rising toward your shoulder line or sitting comfortably there, punch it. If it is clearly going over your shoulder line toward the back glass, call "lob", turn, and go back with your partner. Trying to volley a ball already over your head is how beginners get stuck facing the wrong way.
Handling the fear of being at the net
Fear usually comes from three places: the ball feels too fast, you worry about looking silly, or you dread the lob.
- The ball feels fast because you are swinging. Shorten the punch, keep the racket out in front, and block first.
- Looking silly goes away with reps. Ten minutes of soft volley exchanges beats hoping it clicks in a match.
- The lob is normal. Being lobbed is not failure — handle it, then earn the net again.
Talk to your partner. Call "mine", "yours", "lob", "up". Silence at the net creates collisions and empty space.
When you get lobbed
Both players retreat together. One takes the ball (often off the back glass); the other covers. Then rebuild: deep lob or drive, walk forward as a pair, racket up.
For the full improver version of that loop — depth targets, pair recovery, and when not to lob — see lob & net. Until then: retreat together, reset, go forward again. Staying glued to the baseline "to avoid the lob" just gives them the net for free.
Practise it
Technique sticks when you drill it, not when you hope for volleys in a social set.
- Volley-to-volley exchange — soft, continuous punches with a partner at the net. Build the short swing and the reset.
- Target volleys — aim past the service line or into a marked zone. Depth and placement over power.
Do one for 8–10 minutes before your next hit. Then, in a rally, use the punch on your first net ball — no big swings.
Watch this
Six practical cues for effective net play — compact preparation, contact in front, staying calm under pressure.