Volley–Overhead Combo
Why this drill
At the net, the volley and the overhead arrive as a pair — punch, then the lob goes up. Practicing them as one alternating rhythm builds the up-and-back footwork that keeps net players dangerous instead of decorative.
Setup
Machine alternating a chest-high volley feed and a lob, if programmable — otherwise run separate blocks and alternate manually by stepping in and back. Start two meters from the net.
The drill
Punch the volley deep, skip back for the lob, smash to the open court, close in again — one cycle. Sets of six cycles, four sets. Count cycles where both balls land in. The footwork between the two shots — close, turn, skip back, up — is the actual drill.
One thought to take on court
First move on the lob is a sideways turn, racquet up — never a backpedal with your chest to the net.