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Overview:
The purpose of this drill is to work on putting pressure on your opponent with an aggressive, or purposeful, volley drop.
Hitting the ball firmly into the front corners will reduce the amount of time your opponent has to react to the shot, and it will help increase your accuracy with the shot. Keep in mind that you are not looking for a nick. Instead, you should be hitting the volley drop with the intention of forcing your opponent to go get the ball'stretch him/her to the front of the court and get ready for his/her response. Hitting the nick should be considered a bonus.
Execution:
Start the drill with one player on each side of the court just to the side of the T.
One player (A) hits a crosscourt drive while the other (B) responds with a straight volley drop.
B then follows the volley drop with a crosscourt drive to feed player A who then hits a straight drop and repeats the drill.
When hitting the volley drop, concentrate on hitting the ball firmly but without swinging through the ball. Also, avoid taking too much pace off the ball; hitting with too much finesse increases the likelihood of errors. When hitting the crosscourt drive, mix in some 'weak' (i.e., poorly hit) crosscourt lobs to allow practicing the volley drop from a higher starting position.
Notes:
Another way to look at the execution of the volley drop in this drill is to hit the ball in a 'positive' way. In other words, strike the ball with purpose rather than tentatively. By doing so, you should find yourself stepping into the ball rather than being on your heels.
Also, striking the ball positively means you are not trying to be too careful with the shot. Hitting the ball 'carefully' will often result in taking too much pace off the ball and, therefore, having the ball die into the tin.
Finally, note that it doesn't matter if the ball bounces twice after hitting the volley drop.
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Feb 2008
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