Instruction Revised By Dr. Jack L. Groppel            MYTH NO. 8

Keep the Racket Head Above Your Wrist

This time-honored bromide is drummed into all aspiring volleyers, but does it apply in all cases?

Roll the mouse over the photo.

groppel volley?
Durie goes for a medium-high volley with the same wrist angle as Gonzalez. Gonzalez bends low to volley, maintaining a 90-degree angle between wrist and racket. Connors' racket head is above his wrist at the same wrist-angle as Gonzalez'.

We learn much from watching the professionals play, but we also receive a lot of misinformation simply because we watch on a selective basis.  We see one method in one particular situation and think it applies universally.  The high volley is one such situation.

When the top pros connect on a chest-high volley, the racket head is held high above the wrist.  Not only is this racket positioning important for providing optimum force and control,

but I challenge anyone to hit the high volley any other way.  However, working to keep the racket head above the wrist on all volleys is not the heart of the matter.  What is key is maintaining a consistent angle between wrist and racket shaft whatever the level of the ball.

Consider the low volley which forces you to volley at about ankle height.  In the picture above, the legendary Pancho Gonzalez is hitting a low volley in the 1969 Wimbledon Championships.  Notice the

angle (about 90 degrees) formed by his wrist and the racket.  Then look at the pictures of Britain's Jo Durie and Jimmy Connors.  Both are hitting above-the-waist volleys and are maintaining the same racket-to-wrist angle as Gonzalez.  It is this relationship that is important, not the height of the racket head.  So don't worry about keeping the racket head up on low balls.  Concentrate instead on keeping the wrist firm and the racket and wrist in the same relative position as they are on high volleys.

From World Tennis magazine, I think early 1990's.  Photo Durie by Michael Cole Camerawork;   Gonzalez by Le-Roye Productions Ltd.  Connors by Bill Baptist.  Groppel bio reads:  Dr. Jack Groppel, a former teaching pro, is an assistant professor of physical education at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign and is a pioneer in biomechanical research.  [Groppel is now chairman of the USTA Sport Science Committee.]