A ball a little higher, that is, between waist and knee, cannot well be volleyed in the same way. One must step to one side or the other to get room to return it, and it is easier to play it backhanded. One should step forward and bend well down to meet the ball and volley it with the head of the racket a little above the hand.
A great deal of time is saved by these low volleys, and one is sometimes caught while coming forward or going back in a position when nothing else can be done. It is a stroke that a player should learn to make as well as possible, but it is not one that he should use except to gain an advantage by saving time, or when he can do nothing else.
We now come to a wholly different class of volleys, namely, those of a dropping ball, as when a weak return is made off a fast service, or more often when one player is lobbing to drive his opponent back. In this class comes the “Smash,” which is simply a volley made very hard, with all the joints of the arm free, so that as soon as the stroke is started all control of the racket is lost. In a simple volley the joints are not held stiff, but one retains control of the racket throughout the stroke; in a smash one lets the racket go apparently at random. It is not a stroke to play except when very close to the net, and even then a more careful volley will usually be sufficient, and far safer.
It is of this volley that I wish to speak, as the occasion for it comes constantly. It must be made hard, it must be placed, and its direction must not be shown till the last moment. Take the most common case: you are just in front of the service-line, your opponent lobs from the back of the court and the ball does not go very far beyond the service-line. How are you to make the stroke? Of course the ball may come in front or on either side, but it travels so slowly that you can usually take it as you please, and it is best to do so forehanded. You should stand with your feet slightly apart, and in striking should take a short step forward, and a little across with your left foot. The racket is held close to the body with the left hand round the centre-piece till the ball comes within reach. Then lift the racket quietly and strike without any swing backward; but the racket should follow the ball after the stroke, and not be checked suddenly. The whole stroke, from the time when the racket is lifted, should be made without any pause. One often sees a player waiting for the ball with his racket lifted; the effect is ridiculous, and, what is of more importance, it is usually easy to tell where he means to put the ball. The ball should be taken at about the same height as in service, but decidedly more in front, because it is nearer the net. The wrist should be bent forward at the end of the stroke to bring the head of the racket down on top of the ball.
Any lob that comes near the middle of the court should be played forehanded, but when a ball is much to the left of the central-line it is better to play it backhanded, as it puts one too much out of position to get on the other side of the ball. The stroke is played in the same way as the forehanded one, except that the step is made with the right foot and should be in front of the left, but not across it.
The easiest place to put the ball is into the backhand corner or across to the farther side-line. Without taking his eyes off the ball, the player can usually tell about where his opponent is, and can place the stroke accordingly. In all such volleys he should make up his mind just where he means to put the ball before he takes the step forward, and he should not change it even if he sees that his intention is discovered.
No rule can be given for placing the volley, but in any case the stroke should be severe enough to prevent the next lob from being as good as the last. If you do not gain a distinct advantage by the volley you are pretty sure to be worse off next time. It is worth while to take a good deal of risk in such a stroke, for the moment that you begin to play a lob faintheartedly, you will be passed or driven back in a stroke or two. One’s object should be to kill the ball, if that be possible; if not, to place it so as to get an easier stroke next time. If you can do neither one nor the other, you had better not volley the ball at all, but go back and play a defensive game from the base-line. If you cannot attack you must be ready to defend yourself, and the place to do that is not in the middle of the court.