The volley is the shot most club players think they understand and most club players get wrong. “No backswing” is the phrase everyone’s heard. It’s correct, but it’s incomplete – knowing not to swing doesn’t tell you which type of volley to play, when to use each, or why the backhand side keeps falling apart.
Here’s what you need to know.
Quick reference:
- Block volley: fast or low ball, under pressure – redirect, don’t hit
- Push volley: you have time – drive it deep, maintain pressure
- Fizz volley: you’re in control and want the point to end – slice and angle
- Grip: continental (hammer) for most volleys; loosen slightly for shoulder-height forehand
- Contact point: in front of the body, above the wrist
- Racket height between shots: chest, always
Why volleying is different in padel
The walls return pace, placement beats power, and you work as a pair – three things that make the padel volley its own discipline, not a smaller groundstroke.
The walls change everything. In padel, a powerful volley hit hard and flat often comes back – the glass returns pace to your opponents. What finishes points at net is angle, placement, and timing; not raw power.
The glass also gives you options that don’t exist in tennis. A pushed volley that bounces into the side glass can produce a deflection your opponents can’t read. A fizz volley with backspin stays low off the back glass and forces a scrambled dig. The walls are part of your shot selection, not just your problem.
The second key difference: you are working as a pair. Every volley decision is also a positioning decision for your partner. A volley that opens one angle may leave your partner exposed on the other side. The doubles positioning guide covers this in depth, but the principle applies to every shot at the net – think about where you both end up, not just where the ball goes.
Finally: the net itself is close. You are 1–1.5m back from the tape. The ball gets to you quickly. There is rarely time for a full preparation – which is why your ready position between shots is not optional.
The ready position and why players skip it
Racket at chest height. Elbow forward, face slightly open. Weight on the balls of your feet, knees softly bent. This is where you reset after every single shot.
Most club players let the racket drop between shots – to hip height, or lower. The ball arrives at their chest and they have to bring the racket up in a hurry, which forces wrist movement, which costs accuracy. By the time the shot happens, they’re reacting, not preparing.
The fix is simple but not easy: the ready position is maintained continuously, not just when you’re expecting something. Your arm will tire faster at first. That’s fine. It gets easier.
From the ready position, your actual swing is minimal. You are not winding up. You are not stepping into a big forehand. You are moving the racket a short distance forward to meet the ball – a punch, not a swing. The backswing that coaches warn against isn’t just a timing problem; it signals that the racket wasn’t in position in the first place.
Stand 1–1.5m back from the net. Any closer and you’re jammed; any further and low balls start dipping below net height before they reach you.
The three types of padel volley
Most coaching content treats the volley as a single shot. It isn’t. There are three distinct volleys at club level, each suited to a different rally situation. Using the wrong one is where most points get dropped.
| Volley type | When to use | Technique cue | Risk level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block | Fast ball coming at you, under pressure | Firm wrist, minimal swing, absorb and redirect | Low |
| Push | You have time, want to reset or apply depth | Short punch forward, keep it flat, aim deep | Medium |
| Fizz/slice | You’re in control, want to close the point | Brush down and across the ball at contact | Medium–high |
The block volley is used when the ball is arriving fast and you’re under pressure. There is no time for pace or placement decisions. Your job is to redirect it – angle it to the side, keep it low, change its line. Minimal swing, firm wrist, let the incoming pace do the work. A clean block volley does not win the point outright, but it forces your opponents to hit another ball from a worse position.
The push volley is the workhorse. You have half a second of time, you’re not under pressure, and you want to land the ball deep and force your opponents back. Short punch forward, flat contact, aim for the back third of the court. This is the volley you use to maintain pressure without taking excessive risk. It is also the correct choice when you’ve played a slightly loose approach and need to consolidate rather than attack.
The fizz volley (also called the slice volley) is an attacking shot with backspin. The racket brushes slightly down and across the ball at contact, imparting a rotation that keeps the ball low after the bounce. Against a slow surface – typical of UK indoor courts – a well-hit fizz volley stays very low off the back glass and forces opponents to dig. This shot has a higher technical demand; use it when you’re in good position and confident. A fizz volley from a scrambled stance becomes an uncontrolled slice that sits up for the opponents to attack.
Forehand volley technique
The forehand volley is usually the first one to arrive because it covers the strong side, the middle volley, and most high finishing shots.
Grip: continental. Rotate the racket in your hand so you’re holding it like a hammer – the edge faces the floor. This grip lets the face open naturally for the volley without a grip change. If you’re coming from a full western grip at the baseline, the continental will feel weak at first. It isn’t. It’s the grip that works.
Contact point: in front of your body, roughly level with your leading hip, and at or above wrist height. If the ball gets level with your shoulder you’ve waited too long. If it’s below your wrist and you haven’t bent your knees – you’ve dropped the racket head, which is one of the most common errors at club level.
At shoulder height and above, you can start to relax the grip slightly and allow more forehand-style rotation. This applies to high volleys and finishing shots – not every volley. For mid-height volleys, the continental grip and a short punch forward is the default.
The motion is shoulder-led. Your elbow stays in front. There is no wrist snap, no elbow extension, no follow-through past the contact point. Think: push, not hit.
Backhand volley: why it’s harder to execute
Contact the ball earlier than on the forehand, keep the wrist firm and cocked back, and cover wide balls with footwork – not arm extension.
The backhand volley is where most club players lose points at the net. It’s the weakest volley for most amateur players, and the reasons are mechanical.
On the forehand, your shoulder rotation naturally opens the racket face and directs the ball forward. On the backhand, the opposite rotation closes it if you’re not careful – the result is a ball that goes into the net or pops up for an easy reply. Most players compensate with a wrist flick, which creates inconsistency.
The key fixes:
Contact the ball earlier on the backhand than on the forehand. This sounds counterintuitive – but early contact on the backhand means the ball is meeting the open face of the racket, not the closing face. If the ball gets too close to your body on the backhand, the shot collapses.
Keep the wrist firm and slightly cocked back. The wrist should not be flat or forward at contact. A slightly cocked-back wrist on the backhand volley creates a natural stop for the racket face and prevents the collapse.
Do not reach with your arm. The backhand volley is harder to disguise than the forehand because players reach – they extend the arm to get to a wide ball, which immediately telegraphs the direction and loses power. Step across with your foot instead. Cover the ball with footwork, not arm extension.
For the backhand fizz volley specifically: the brushing action goes down and slightly to the outside (towards the side glass). This is the direction that generates usable backspin on the backhand side. Brushing the wrong way – towards your body – produces a ball with no spin that drifts long.
If your backhand volley is still unreliable: slow the game down. Push deep. Take the aggressive shot off the table until the mechanics are solid. A reliable backhand block volley is worth far more at club level than an inconsistent backhand fizz.
The fizz volley: how to add slice
Brush down and across the ball at contact to impart backspin. Use it when you’re in an attacking position on a slow surface – not under pressure.
The fizz volley is underexplained in almost every coaching resource. The mechanics are specific, and getting them right is what separates a useful slice from a loose float.
At the moment of contact, the racket travels slightly downward and across the intended ball direction. If you’re hitting the fizz volley cross-court forehand, the racket brushes across-and-down from the outside to the inside. This imparts backspin – the ball rotates back towards you as it travels away – which causes it to skid low off the surface and stay low off the glass.
The follow-through angle matters: the racket should finish slightly lower and to the inside after the shot, not straight through the ball. A straight follow-through removes the spin and turns the fizz into a push. The fizz is a brushing action, not a punching action.
When to use it: the fizz volley is worth the risk when you’re in an attacking position (ball at chest height or above, opponents at the back), the surface is slow (most UK indoor courts qualify), and you want the point to end. The skid the fizz creates is very hard to dig up from below knee height.
When not to use it: under pressure, from a low ball, or when your opponents are close enough to the service line that they can cut off the angle. A fizz from a defensive position is just a slice that sits up.
High volleys and finishing shots: when to attack
Attack when the ball is above the tape, you’re in position, and opponents are behind the service line. If any of those conditions aren’t met, push deep.
A ball arriving at shoulder height or above is an opportunity, not a problem – but most club players either panic and block it back into play, or swing wildly and hit it into the net.
When you do attack: aim down, behind the retreating player, or angled to bounce into the side glass for a difficult angle.
If any of those conditions aren’t met – opponents close, your position off, ball awkward – push it deep and wait. Forcing a high volley when the geometry isn’t right is one of the most reliable ways to give the net away.
The mechanics of the high finishing volley differ from the standard punch. You can use a slightly more aggressive swing and add some wrist at contact to direct the ball down. But “slightly more aggressive” means 30% more, not a full overhead swing. The most common error on high volleys is trying to hit the ball as hard as possible – and sending it long or into the side glass at the wrong angle.
For overheads that arrive too high to volley, see the smash and bandeja guides – those are separate shots with their own technique.
Net rally positioning: moving with your partner
You and your partner are a unit at the net. The biggest positioning error at club level is not technical – it’s drifting centrally while your partner tracks across, leaving a wide gap on one side.
The principle: you move with the ball, not with your partner. When the ball goes to your partner’s side, you shift slightly towards the centre and your partner covers wider. When it comes to your side, the inverse applies. Both players adjust on every shot.
The gap to protect is the seam down the middle. Two players who drift to their own side leave the centre open. Two players who both pull central leave the wings open. Movement between shots should be lateral and continuous – not fixed.
After a loose volley – one that sits up and gives your opponents a good ball – take a defensive half-step back. Do not hold position at 1m from the net against an opponents’ strong attacking position. Back off to about 2m, regain your balance, and move forward again as the threat passes.
The net approach guide covers how to arrive at this position in the first place. Once you’re there, movement between shots is what keeps you in control.
Common club-player volley errors
Racket too low between shots. The single most common error. Leads to late contact, wrist movement, and net balls. Fix: racket at chest height between every shot, without exception.
Full backswing. The ball arrives and the player prepares like it’s a groundstroke. This takes time you don’t have and adds variables you don’t need. Fix: the racket stays in front. Prep position is already set. The only movement is forward.
Waiting for the ball. Volley contact should happen in front of the body, not beside it or behind it. Players who wait let the ball travel past the contact point and scramble the shot. Fix: step into the ball. Go to it.
Wrong volley type for the situation. Trying to fizz a fast, low ball under pressure – or blocking a high, slow ball when the point is there to be won. Fix: read the situation, decide the type, then execute. The decision takes half a second once you’ve built the habit.
Wrist collapse on the backhand. The wrist flattens or moves forward at contact, which rotates the racket face and sends the ball into the net. Fix: firm wrist, cocked back slightly, contact the ball early and in front.
Arm reaching wide instead of foot stepping. Players reach to cover wide balls with their arm rather than stepping across. This telegraphs the direction and loses control. Fix: cover ground with footwork, use the arm to aim.
Not recovering to ready position after the shot. After a volley, many players watch the ball and forget to reset. The next ball arrives before they’re ready. Fix: every volley finishes in the ready position. Build it as a reflex.
FAQ
Why do I keep hitting volleys into the net even when I’m in position? The racket head is probably dropping below the wrist. Keep it at chest height, meet the ball in front of you, and punch forward. Net balls on volleys usually mean contact happened below the tape height from a dropped head.
Should I try to put away a high volley or play it safe? If the ball is above the tape, you’re in good position, and your opponents are behind the service line – attack. If any of those conditions isn’t met, push deep and wait for a better ball.
My backhand volley keeps mishitting – what’s going wrong? Wrist collapse is the most common cause. Keep the wrist firm and slightly cocked back, contact the ball early and in front of your body, and step across with your foot to cover wide balls rather than reaching.
What does “no backswing” mean for a volley? The racket stays in front of your body – not behind your shoulder. The prep position is racket at chest height, face slightly open, elbow forward. From there you punch forward; the racket never travels behind the line of your body.
Should I stay at the net or come back after a bad volley? If the volley sits up and your opponents are set to attack – step back to around 2m. Hold position if the volley was decent. The goal is always to get back to 1–1.5m when the threat has passed.
How do I improve my volley at club level without a coach? Feed volleys with a partner at close range, focusing purely on the ready position and early contact. No pace, no winners – just clean contact from the correct position. Ten minutes of this at the start of a session, twice a week, and the mechanics build faster than any drilling at full pace.
The volley is the shot that decides most net rallies at club level. If yours is unreliable, it’s costing you points in every session. Get the ready position automatic, learn which type fits which situation, and work specifically on the backhand – those three things will change your net game faster than anything else.
The most common counter to strong net play is the lob – the padel lob guide covers when opponents are likely to use it and how to position once they do.
For the next piece: how to improve at padel covers where net-game work fits into the broader picture of development at club level.