Unusual training methods: improving volleys with a vacuum cleaner

Danyil Hessovic (thinking deeply)

This is the first article of a series dedicated to (as you may expect from the heading) unusual training methods applied by young pros or distinguished juniors: ok, they may seem weird; but they are simple, effective and any of us, club players, can apply them.

The idea of this series took form when, a few days ago, a top-notch junior player asked for my help to get some dust bags for her vacuum cleaner. I was a bit surprised by the unusual request and I suggested her to try to look for them in the closest supermarket she could find: there, most probably, she would have been able to easily solve all her house-maintenance issues. Though, the girl’s reply to my seemed-to-be logic statement was utmost interesting and inspiring, as she yelled “Tommy, You don’t understand! My vacuum cleaner is really old and it is out of production: by chance, the industry which used to manufacture it is located close to you. Pleeease!! I need you to find me those dustbags! I can’t just change my old vacuum, as I need it for my volleying training!!”.

As you can imagine, this roused my attention quite a bit and I immediately blackmailed the girl (who prefers to remain anonymous) to get further insights; otherwise, I wouldn’t have helped. This was enough to make the junior capitulate: you can find her full interview here below.

Tommy Hemp (TH): So, how you actually use the vacuum cleaner in your training?

Junior Girl (JG): It’s a training methodology elaborated by my coach Danyil Hessovic, former captain of the Soviet Union’s Fed Cup team; it’s specifically aimed at improving the weight’s transfer in follow through, in both forehand and backhand volleys. And not only.

TH: Give me some further details.

JG: Ok, one can start with a simple exercise, such as: 1) stand on the baseline, grip the vacuum with your left hand (assuming you are right-handed) and position it three feet in front of you. 2) Step forward, as when hitting the forehand volley, trying in the meantime to push the vacuum towards the net. Ideally, through a correct use of his/her own weight, one should be able to make the vacuum cleaner slide just as much as necessary to touch the net. One can start the drill on grass or hard courts (as the vacuum slides better) and, once confidence grows, switch to clay (which opposes more

Heavy enough, but doesn’t slide well

resilience – and service lines also play a role). In any case, you may understand that to properly execute the drill, the vacuum cleaner must be heavy on the one side, but also slide well when thrown: this to avoid both that the exercise ends up being too easy and that the court gets ruined during the practice. This is why not all vacuum cleaners work.

TH: Oh… and that’s it?

JP: Not at all. Once you master this basic drill, you may step-up by repeating it with the racket in your free hand and motion the volley swing while pushing the vacuum. As a third phase, you may start hit actual volleys; though in this phase it’s important avoiding to lose grip on the vacuum.

TH: And why is that?

JP: Otherwise the net may get damaged.

All the above ensures that the weight is correctly transferred through the ball when impacting the volley. And if the vacuum is modern enough so that you can lower the handle, it may become a really useful tool to practice demi-volleys too. Basic concepts would remain the same, but everything is executed by standing lower on the knees and through even more leg-work.

TH: I get the concept now: but why you use a vacuum cleaner and not a more dedicated instrument?

JG: There are two main reasons: the first one is that by switching on the vacuum at max power the beginner player is facilitated in not losing balance during the exercise, by helping himself/herself to remain well stuck to the ground thanks to the great suction of the cleaner. A more advanced player as I am, may instead take the dust bag off and get a really good practice of volleying in windy conditions. Though, I suggest avoiding trying this latter drill on clay courts, as things may get real messy.

TH: And the second reason?

JG: Well, the vacuum cleaner is a perfect risk management tool. I explain myself: the pursuit of a tennis career can be risky: a player can get severely injured, or may not be mentally solid enough to succeed, or he/she may just end up not meeting the expectations for whatever reason. True is that in every moment, the player’s dreams may vanish. Exercising with the vacuum helps not only to achieve perfect balance in volleying but also to master the instrument itself, ensuring thus an alternative, solid and safer career in case something goes wrong with tennis.

TH: Vacuum-based training is thus a perfect instrument to minimize the risks inherent to modern society’s economic set-up.

JG: You got it.

TH: Is that all?

JG: Of course not!! Further drills for volleying can be executed by using a vacuum, or pieces of it. Actually, being made of many different pieces, vacuums adapt well to the various requirements of a proper modern professional training. For instance: I use fully-loaded dust bags to improve my touch in volleying.

TH: How does this work exactly?

JG: My coach stands at the other side of the net and blasts the dust bags towards me as if he was hitting passing shots. I am required to block them with my volleying hand. The aim of the drill is to avoid my hand remaining too soft at impact (otherwise the dust bag will fall, meaning that I would have flooded the volley in the net) or too tight (in this case the harsh grip may cause the dust bag to explode, meaning that the volley would have been mishit due to excessive muscular tension).

TH: What is then the most difficult shot to execute in this drill?

JG: High volleys. Consequences of any mistake may be disruptive, especially if I grab the dust bag too tightly.

TH: I understand….

JG: Really, I can’t tell you further details on this, as specific know-how is precious to us and I have to stop here. But I hope you got a grasp of how I train.

***

You, readers, can learn from this interview how any of us can use cheap, simple and everyday instruments to train as pros and improve our tennis to unexpected levels. The next article of this series will focus on a Japanese player, currently transitioning to the pro tour, who is steadily improving his kick serve by using his washing machine.

As I have to reach him in Japan, though, before writing on this, I will give you some news on Bonfiglio.

See you soon.