INSTRUCTION By Lisa Dollard
Forehand Roll Volley
Lisa ’ s wrist is pronated back with the paddle pointing down and elbow bent at 90 degrees .
Lisa extends her arm up and out , with her wrist still pronated back .
Lisa completes her full arm extension and turns her wrist over 270 degrees with her wrist still pronating back .
Sure , we ’ re all comfortable with those high , “ green-light ” overheads … and maybe even OK with those waist-high , yellow-light punch volleys , but most people struggle with dipping , below-the-belt , red-light volleys . This is where you have to have a solid roll ( or lift ) volley .
The roll is a volley hit from below the waist where we lift up on the ball , with the paddle face below our wrist , so that we can clear the net and impart some topspin on the ball .
This shot is used on two occasions : First , for the net team to keep their serving opponents back when hitting drop shots , and second , when players from both teams are at the non-volley line and we want to attack high dink shots out of the air with aggressive volleys .
When and why do we hit rolls ?
If a high ball is coming toward me , I can hit down on the ball — a green-light volley . If a firm drive is coming at me , I can punch outward on the ball — this can be a green- or yellow-light volley . But when balls are dipping below the net and we have to hit up on them , these are called red-light volleys . Red-light volleys can be soft “ bump ” shots back into the non-volley zone , or they can