While not every tennis player is fortunate enough to have a regular hitting partner, you'll almost always find a flat, high wall nearby that can substitute. Although it is difficult to work on many tennis strokes and skills using only a wall, the volley is one stroke for which the wall can be particularly helpful.
Step 1
Select an appropriate wall -- not textured and at least 10 feet high and 10 feet wide. If the wall is too small, you might be chasing after the ball too much during practice. Time spent picking up the ball means less time to practice your volleys. Draw a line on the wall 3 feet high to simulate the net in tennis.
Step 2
Start 6 feet away from the wall. Hit the ball and try to rally back and forth using your volley technique and grip. At this point, focus on keeping the rally controlled and making sure you volley firmly enough so that the ball comes back to you without bouncing. Once you can consistently volley 10 times in a row without losing control of the ball, move on to the next exercise.
Step 3
Hit your forehand volley only. Make sure your volley hits the wall to the right of your body. Otherwise you will not get a forehand volley back. This drill will work on your control. Once you can hit 10 forehand volleys in a row, do the same for the backhand volley in which you aim for the wall on the left side of your body.
Step 4
Practice switching between your forehand and backhand volley. This will improve your ability to switch between the two volleys quickly -- a skill necessary in real tennis. To switch between forehand and backhand volleys, aim for a spot directly in front of your body. If you hit a forehand volley to that spot, the ball will ricochet to your backhand volley. From there, volley to the center again, and the ball will travel to your forehand. Continue until you can hit 10 total volleys.
Step 5
Increase the difficulty of the drills. Step gradually closer and closer to the wall to decrease the time you have to react. This will increase the difficulty level.
Tips and Warnings
- Keep your hands and racket in front of your body to increase your reaction speed.
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