Volley Drills

All drills can be manipulated to suit the forehand and backhand volley technique

Partner Volley
- Students work in pairs on either side of the net
- Students are positioned approximately 2m from the net
- Students volley the ball back and forth to each other, over the net
- The aim is to volley the ball back to enable your partner to return with a
volley shot
- Students continue until a given time
Progression
- Add points system – lose point for dropped ball, add point for every 20
successful volleys
- Increase playing area
- Manipulate for doubles
KTPS
- Ball is hit before it bounces on the ground
- Pivot the body to take the racquet backwards
- Step forward into the volley
- Volley with blocking motion
- Accuracy to partner

Continuous Volleys
- Students can work as a whole class or in small groups, with half the students on one side of
the net and the other half on the opposite side
- 2 students begin on the court, on either side of the net, ready to volley
- All other students remain to the side of the court
- Students hit a volley to each other, running off the court once they
have had their shot, with their teammate running on to return the
continuous shot
- A point is awarded to the team when a winning volley is shot, or
the other team misses the volley
- Points are tallied to determine the winning team
Progression
- Increase number of volleys students perform
- Change playing area
- Manipulate for doubles
- Add actions in-between shots, e.g. spin on the spot
KTPS
- Ball is hit before it bounces on the ground
- Pivot the body to take the racquet backwards
- Step forward into the volley
- Volley with blocking motion
- Fast and efficient movement to get to each shot

Three Point Play

- Students play in a pair, versing another pair on the other side of the court
- Play begins with a serve and the rally is played
- One point is awarded for the team who wins the rally
- Three points are awarded if the rally is won with a volley shot at the net
- Students tally points throughout the game
- After a given time, the pair with the most points becomes the winning team
- Can be done with a group and rotation of players each shot/game
Progression
- Number of shots before a volley can be performed is
determined
- Targets can be added for extra points
- Change playing area
KTPS
- Ball is hit before it bounces on the ground
- Step forward into the volley
- Volley with blocking motion
- Fast and efficient movement to get to each shot
- Effective team play and positioning

(Tennis Australia, 2017: Sportplan, n.d: Optimum Tennis, 2017)