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Soft tennis · Intermediate · i1

Fed volleys

At a club 15 min 2 players Hall or court

Ready when: basic done.

Start a session

What you are learning

The volley: hitting the ball before it bounces, near the net. There is no big swing; you step toward the ball, set the pivot foot first and meet it in front as the weight moves forward. Then low volleys from further back.

Words on this card Forehand, Volley, Cross, Baseline, Pivot foot
Forehand
Hitting the ball on your racket-hand side, or on the other side.
Volley
Hitting the ball before it bounces; a volley from below the net height.
Cross
Hitting diagonally, diagonally the other way across the body, or down the line.
Baseline
The back line of the court, the line that ends the service boxes, and the small mark in the middle of the baseline.
Pivot foot
The foot set first, which the body turns on.

Set up

A basket of balls.

Weather: dry

The base setup for soft tennis

Show it first for the one teaching

  1. Stand a few steps from the net, ready, racket up in front.
  2. As the ball comes, step toward it as if to pick it up, the pivot foot set first.
  3. Meet it in front with a short push, the weight moving from the back foot to the front.

Your part while they practise

Feed easy balls to the net player; check the feet.

Step by step

  1. Take the ball before it bounces, moving toward it.
  2. Set the pivot foot first.
  3. On the forehand volley, hit as the weight goes from the back foot to the front.
  4. Both sides.
  5. Then low volleys from the service line.

How much: 10 balls, 5 sets 15 min a session 2 days a week

Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.

The game: Volley target

Volley fed balls into a target zone; the partner keeps score.

Who plays: the player against their own best; a feeder.

How to play, turn by turn
Turns
  1. Mark a target zone near the far baseline
  2. Feed 10 balls, mixed sides
  3. Score each volley
  4. 3 sets
Fair play
The feeder mixes in one hard ball per set only after 5 good volleys.
Points
2 points for a volley in the zone; 1 point for a volley in court.
Fouls
No points
  • A big swing
  • Letting the ball bounce first
  • The wrong foot set first
Winning
Beat your best set.
Stars
  1. 8 points for 1 star
  2. 13 points for 2 stars
  3. 17 points for 3 stars

Easier or harder

Easier

Balls straight at you.

Harder

Feeds a step away, then low ones.

What you will see, and what to say

  • a big swing Meet it, no big swingPush, don't swing.
  • standing still Step to the ballGo and get it.
  • wrong foot Pivot foot firstSet, then hit.

Self-check

8of 10

8 of 10 fed volleys returned.

Stop and get a coach when

Volleys keep going into the net.

Fitness for this

Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.

This card trains volley, low volley.

awiseathlete.com/sports/soft-tennis/soft-tennis-i1