Place the first volley after approach

The decision

Decision: You reach a first volley. Where do you place it?

You are inside the baseline. The defender is toward your right, deep in court.

• Compact deep volley — Deep volley — GOOD READ: Inside the baseline, this placed shot gives you a large in-bounds target. The ball lands 2.1 m inside the sideline. The defender travels 3.4 m forward and returns deep in this example.
• Flat punch volley — Flat volley — TOUGH CHOICE: Inside the baseline, this low path leaves little room for error. The ball lands 1.3 m inside the sideline. The defender travels 1.2 m across court and returns deep in this example.

What to take into the next point

A large volley target preserves the next contact.

What a good read looks like

The read this lesson trains: Choose a safe target for the first volley. Moving forward behind an approach, then placing a compact first volley instead of forcing a winner. In the interactive lesson you play the rally, make the call, and then read why it worked or did not. The coaching grades the decision, not just the point outcome — a good read can still lose the rally, and the lesson says why.

Part of the Approach and first volley pattern

Every lesson that trains this pattern is collected on the Approach and first volley pattern page.

Related lessons in this pattern

• Approach down the line — ORIGINAL LESSON · lesson 20 of 50
• First volley into open space — SIMULATION-BUILT LESSON · lesson 25 of 50
• First volley after coming forward — SIMULATION-BUILT LESSON · lesson 42 of 50

Free to play

Every RACQIX Academy lesson is free. The first lesson you open in the app plays with no sign-up. Opening further lessons asks for an email address and marketing consent to unlock the full set of 50, remembered on this browser — and declining is one tap, which leaves the lesson you opened, the lesson library and every page on this site available.