Volley Drill #2 – Crosscourt Doubles Drill

Step-By-Step

The crosscourt first volley drill is a great way to improve your doubles transition game. The first volley is the most important volley in both singles and doubles, but most players don’t work on it nearly enough.   For this drill, both players start on the deuce side of the court. One player will start on the baseline, while the transitioner will start in “no man’s land.” The baseliner feeds the ball to the transitioner and they play the point out crosscourt, alleys are in. After the feed, anything goes, including lobs and drop volleys. The baseliner should be sure to mix up feeds so that the drill doesn’t become repetitive and predictable. Feed some slow ones, some fast, some dipping at the feet, etc. This is a 4 part game, as both players will play a game to 7 as the transitioner and the baseliner on both the deuce side and the ad side.  

Key Points to Remember:

        Volleyer:

1. Pick a big target on the first volley. This is a point starter, and the goal is to make the opponent play.
2. Close the net to take away room for the opponent to hit.
3. Make adjustments. If you are getting beat on lobs, don’t close as hard. If you are getting beat on angles, close harder.
4. Keep points short. As the net man, you are on offense. If you get a ball that you can put away, be sure to do it.

         Baseliner:  

1. Avoid unforced errors. You are on defense, so you want to make the volleyer earn the point rather than give it away.
2. Utilize the lob. It is easy as a volleyer to get right on top of the net, so keep them honest with a lob.
3. Play with variety. If you become too predictable, you make the volleyer’s job too easy.