If you ask almost any player what is the objective of coming to the net, they will undoubtedly tell you ‘to put the ball away’.
These four words, I feel, have had such a negative effect on club players. This could be the reason why so many club players swing at their volleys and why so many others just never get comfortable.
‘Punch the ball’ is a phrase heard around the courts for many years now (maybe less so recently) and it reinforces this feeling that you need to put the ball away as quickly as possible.
So how do we get comfortable at the net? My feeling is that players should start on the service line when learning to volley as opposed to standing right on top of the net. One of the things this does is make it almost impossible to put the ball away. Now, if we can use the image of ‘catching’, instead of ‘punching’, perhaps we can lay the foundation to a solid net game.
Play cooperative games with friends and have your friend stand also behind the service line and make it your objective to make the ball bounce in front of your partner so they hit a ground stroke, while you volley it back to them.
I am not a great fan of volley-to-volley drills unless you an advanced player.
Have fun with these and other drills and take your time getting comfortable at the net. There is no rush, you need to spend time at the net.
There will be plenty of time put the ball away after you have good fundamentals at the net.