Short Ball, Approach Shot, and Finish the Point at the Net

Key Points

• Drill 1: Player 1 feeds a short ball around mid court from 1 side of the court, with player 2 approaching to the other side and playing the point out (no lobs allowed)
• Drill 2: Player 1 feeds a lob as the first ball with player 2 smashing to an agreed side and playing the point out
• Drill 3: The same as drill 1 but lobs are allowed
• These drills will help you “jump on a short ball” and finish at the net
• Use explosive footwork to immediately attack the short ball, and then an explosive two steps after the approach to get to the net as fast as possible
• The faster you can get to the net, the more opportunities you will have to hit volleys above the height of the net
• Work on hitting an approach shot that sets you up to hit an easy volley or overhead, rather than trying to hit a winner