How to play a Volley Nick

A Volley Nick is when the player takes the ball on the Volley attempting to hit the ball into the nick – the juncture where the side wall meets the floor. If it roles out of this juncture, it is an unstoppable shot, which makes it one of the most sought after shots in the game.

Playing a Volley Nick is often regarded as risky but it should certainly not be discarded, as if the ball goes in the nick and rolls out, there isn’t anything anybody can do to prevent you winning the point. It should be seen as a very real option if your opponent plays a loose shot in the middle of the court.

It is worth remembering that the main reason we consider it risky is because we just don’t really practice it enough and so can’t hit it reliably. You wouldn’t call Ramy Ashour’s shots risky seeing as he rarely misses and they earn him a significant number of points.

Play a superb volley nick in three steps:

Open your body – When going for a nick shot it is often easier to use a very open stance with the majority of the body facing the front wall.
Wrist high – The shape of your swing can also be important when hitting a nick shot. Many players find the best shape is to bring the wrist up high, so that it is in line with your chin or perhaps even higher, with the arm close to and sometimes going beyond a 90 degree angle as you go to hit the ball. Some players will even line up for a nick attempt with the arm almost straight up in the air.
Extreme high to low swing – You’re aiming to hit the juncture where the side wall meets the floor so you will need to bring that ball low with an extremely downward swing.

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