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Room
The Volley Debate !
It seems as though sometimes we accept things because one or two experts say its true. I believe the debate over why the serve and volley game and in particular the volley itself has fallen out of favor can perhaps fall under the above statement.
Actually, I think a lot of people are perhaps right but only in part.....What am I talking about ? Comments such as "the game is faster now" and "players are hitting the ball so much harder these days" and "there are no grass courts anymore so no-one learns to volley". They are all right but let's take a look at one major factor that has changed the way players are hitting the ball.
The power that the open stance forehand generates is fantastic. You can coil up like a spring and unleash hell on your opponent !!
But consider this...........................
When your hips are facing the net and you coil your upper body on the wind up, the uncoiling motion throws your center of gravity back towards the center of the court and not forward. You might be saying "Yeh but I am pretty fast, I can always take off towards the net" you can !!!
But consider one more thing..........................
Research has shown that one second of time on the tennis court can equal approx 3 meters of forward movement. If your body is being thrown sideways how long will it take you to start the forward momentum? If it's one second, you might have already been near the service line and ready to get in and volley.
Next time you play, have someone feed you a few balls to your forehand and experiment different stances. See what works for you and if you want more advice, then talk to your local tennis pro.
