The Forehand Volley: Mastering the most deceptively difficult shot in tennis

While many excellent backhand volleys populate the tennis world, there are very few great forehand volleys.  Why?

Like no other shot, the forehand volley is inherently loaded with too much potential energy.  

Having lots of power seems like a good problem. But when it comes to the forehand volley, most players are unable to modulate racquet acceleration effectively. Often, the ball flies long. Or, players shorten their swings too much and the player fails to generate appropriate power. 

The best volleyers combine a powerful strike with the subtle (and underrecognized) absorption of the incoming shot. This absorption is most often created by a properly angled racquet face (when needed) and a slight amount of underspin.  Softness in the hands, mixed with powerful forward movement, is the alpha and omega of a first-rate volley.  This is true for both backhand and forehand volleys. 

But while backhand volleys naturally harness shoulder and body together, forehand volleys are tougher because the shoulder moves first and the racquet goes away from the body.  The result is often a longer than needed swing and far more difficulty managing the contact point.

Four Key Steps 

A great forehand volleyer manages to blend a compact swing with…