From Rally to Volley

First of all, let's define the terms:

In tennis, a RALLY is a succession of shots, usually ground strokes, back and forth over the net from one opponent to the other, while each player is positioned near or well behind the baseline.

A VOLLEY, on the other hand, is specifically a shot that is struck (preferably from well inside the half-court line) prior to the ball striking the ground (think volleyball).

Okay, now that that is out of the way, let's get down to business!

Every point in tennis starts with the serve (technically a volley) that by rule, must be struck from a stationary position behind the baseline.

The return of serve, if successful, begins the rally.

That rally phase of the point continues until one of the players makes a point ending error, places the ball in the court but out of the reach of the opponent (a clean winner), or plays the ball back so weakly that the opponent must move well forward of the baseline to make a play on the ball.

Rally shots are played high, three to six feet over the net, as you jockey for a geometrical advantage.

There is no expectation of winning the point with a rallying shot unless you are playing an incompetent or impatient opponent, and then you may well win the point because of their error, not your aggressive powerfully struck shot.

(I was at the 2013 US Open Men’s final to witness an insane 54-ball rally between Nadal & Djokovic).

That weakly played ball during the rally triggers the attack phase of play, and the attacking player is now trying to finish the point within a few shots either by taking the weak ball out of the air, if it is a soft floater, or advancing to the net off of an aggressively played groundstroke (an approach shot).

That approach shot is played with venomous intent and is followed by a move toward the net to intercept the response out of the air and VOLLEY it out of reach for a clean winner.

If you want to win more points, get a grasp of when to play a safe high over the net RALLY ball, when to attack with that venomous approach shot and then how to end the point with an aggressively played or fiendishly placed VOLLEY.

If you clearly define which phase of play you are employing from what areas of the court, you will be playing at a higher level by lowering your risk level from the backcourt and increasing your ability to finish successfully at the net!