Improving your volleys takes a lot of repetition, but it is crucial to train the right way. Just rallying up the middle with a partner while you stand at the net is boring and unrealistic. As a player, I wasn’t blessed with the most natural hands at net. However, I attribute my successful transition game to these 7 drills that will make your volleys rock solid.

A properly executed split step is the foundation of footwork in tennis because it allows players to move much quicker and efficiently towards the ball. A good split step demands proper timing in relation to when the opposing player makes contact with the ball; mistimed split steps will make a player look slow and sluggish on the court.

The ability to hit different types of serves to every spot is critical to holding serve. Serve variation is much more than just mixing up locations, but also speeds and spins. The best servers are able to hit any type of serve in any spot. If you are able to do this, your favorite serve spots will have much more credibility that you can use on the big points.

In order to recover from a mental block on your forehand you need to first understand that losing a stroke is natural, so do not panic. Tennis players go through ups and downs in every stroke and you need to embrace that. Your goal is not to eliminate these swings; it is decreasing the volatility of your strokes.

It is well known that tennis is as much mental as it is physical. While it is hard to precisely quantify how mental tennis is, many argue that the sport is 80% mental and 20% physical. Achieving success as a tennis player, regardless of your level, is directly correlated with your ability to deal with the pressure of competitive tennis.