Volley to victory

The definition of a volley is playing a ball before it lands on the ground. Volleys in tennis can be fun to play particularly when you know the right techniques behind them. The volley can also become a critical tool in your play if you want to get a quick winner in a match. One additional advantage of the volley is that, it reduces the recovery time of your opponent and gives you the upper hand if you want to move in and finish them. The volley is also used in cases where the feels they may choke on a ball if they try to do the complete forehand swing or backhand swing. At such occasions, volleying a ball may save you from losing a point in a game. For these reasons, we’re going to treat the basic techniques behind hitting both the forehand and backhand volleys. Get yourself ready.
Key Principles
If you are now conversant with the right technique of the forehand, it will be much easier moving on to the forehand volley. Just as in the forehand, the forehand volley involves 3 principal points. They are;
Preparation for the ball
Getting your footwork right
Keeping your eye on the ball

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga playing a jump-forehand-volley at Wimbledon 2011

Forehand volley
First of, to volley the ball using the forehand, hold the racket using the “crab” hold. Learn more on the crab hold by checking out The Art of the Forehand . The footwork for the volley is slightly different from that of the forehand. In the case of the volley, you stand facing the net with your right foot moving in across the left. This way, your upper body weight rests completely on your right leg with your knee slightly bent. Your racket at this point is already released from the crab hold and is held with the face pointing to the side of the court you want the ball to go. Try to keep your elbow at an angle a little greater than 90 degrees. Your ability to keep your wrist and grip firm on the racket will play an important role in whether or not the ball will get to the angle you are sending it.

If you can keep playing tennis when somebody is shooting a gun down the street, that's concentration. I didn't grow up playing at the country club.
Serena Williams
Quoted in The Sunday Times, June 2002.

Backhand volley
In playing the backhand volley, a left-handed player will move their left foot forward thereby transferring their weight unto their left leg. The player stretches out his arm such that it is almost straight as compared to the forehand volley where the arm is slightly bent. All this while, the racket is held in such a way that the face is pointing toward the position the ball is being directed. Caution must however be taken in this because, choosing a wrong angle can lead to having your balls being played off court or the balls failing  to leave your side of the court. Try playing several volleys and through that, select the right angle for yourself. Also keep in mind that each volley is different from the other so you have to learn to be flexible in your approach for each one.




The video embedded above shows you how to play the volley. Make sure you watch how exactly this is done. Go out and practice with your coach after this. It should be fun!

Tips to finding a good sparring partner

"Okay so now that we know what is required to start playing tennis, how then do we begin actually playing the game?" one may ask.

In my previous blog i recommended a few things you needed to begin playing tennis one of them was a good sparring partner.Today I'm going to discuss how you can get a good sparring partner and a few of the techniques you will need in order to start sparring.

The Good Sparring Partner

If you want to begin playing tennis, it would be good to let a few of your friends and your colleagues know about a couple of weeks before you start taking your lessons with a coach. This could very well be a good way of getting a friend you feel comfortable with to be your sparring partner. This makes it easier for you to concentrate more on the game and still enjoy the company of your friend. You can also choose to announce your interest to play tennis on media like facebook.com if you have an account there. Another way of getting a sparring partner is by asking the coaches at your local tennis club to pair you up with people who are of the same ITN ranking as yourself. You are encouraged to visit http://www.itftennis.com/itn/ for more information about ITN rankings.
Also you may want to create an advert or a poster which you can place on the notice board at your local tennis club for a partner. When you finally do get a sparring partner, find some time to meet them personally so that you both can visit the court together. It is also recommended that you arrange a suitable day in the week to have your first training session.
The techniques for sparring

If this is your first time of stepping on the tennis court, you may almost be overwhelmed by your inability to play like a mentor you most likely see on TV. Your experience could very much consist of one or all of the following.You may be all over the place chasing balls, going round and round in circles during the return of a ball, hit some really high balls that may even go over the fence and may even feel embarrased. The good news is, that's how everybody begins! This is why you need a sparring partner who is of the same standing in the ITN rankings as you are.This way you can motivate and encourage each other as you go along.

The first technique you should try out could be playing the ball on one side of the court. This technique improves your control of the ball and aids you play in the direction you want to instead of just anywhere on the court.

Try and master this technique, go out and have some fun with your new partner and always remember to be true to yourself. For more helpful tips on how to become part of Ghana's growing tennis community, just follow this blog.

KNUST tennis watch for beginners

We will begin our journey today by visiting one of the most vibrant tennis clubs in Kumasi,Ghana. The KNUST tennis club boasts of 2 courts and  2 more courts under construction. It has a sitting area for players on the court and also offers some considerable amount of seating for people who just want to watch an exciting match. This court also has just adjacent to it a squash wall where most beginner tennis players first practice before rallying.

There are a few coaches who may occasional come for training sessions but usually beginners have to put in extra effort to learn on their own.

As a beginner you may not need much to start playing tennis. Based on experience I would suggest that you find good sparring partner (you can also read this article for more information on the topic Finding a good sparring partner )who is eager to learn as you are. Find a good court, one that has all the basic facilities, a good racket, a coach who will guide you, a mentor (i.e a tennis player that you sincerely admire. For instance I admire Roger Federer's play style), a good outfit and some tennis balls.

It is important to remember that tennis is a game and is fun to play when you treat it as such. You may occasionally come across some very intense tennis players but never let their demeanor or their play style keep you from achieving your objective of playing the sport.Just remember to be true to yourself.

So go out there play your game, love the sport and enjoy yourself !
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