Smashing Overheads

One of Pete Sampras' trademark shots is his leaping overhead, which ends with a thunderous putaway.

This is more than just theatrics, however.

The lower body is a major part of the kinetic chain and a significant contributor to power on any shot.

Using the legs to push off the ground creates reactive power and is a key element of any shot, including the overhead.

Bending the knees and pushing straight off the court also helps you get more height when trying to get to well-hit lobs.

In order for you to get maximum height and power on your overheads, use a progression of conditioning and skill-building exercises to improve this shot.

Test Your Vertical Leap
If you have not measured your vertical leap earlier in the season by using the USTA Fitness Testing Protocols, you can measure your vertical leap height, either by jumping as high as you can near a wall, making a mark with a piece of chalk, or by using any other method which accurately measures your maximum jump height. Test your improvement each week to see the results of your ongoing practice.

Use Plyometrics to Improve Leaping Ability
Exercises which include jumping from short heights (benches or step boxes) and rebounding off the ground with a jump back into the air, are excellent ways to improve your leaping abilities. Talk with your volleyball or basketball coach to see what equipment or drills they have available to help you.

Overhead Drill

Step #1 -- After you have warmed up your overheads, stand several steps back from the net, in your volley position.

Step #2 -- With a few feeds from a teammate, determine your vertical range, then have your friend feed players balls that are just out of your reach (vertically), trying to jump as high as possible to get them.

Step #3 -- After you have tried to hit these high balls (several times) try to reach these feeds by first going lower (using more a deep knee bend), and then exploding upward, rather than immediately leaping up when an overhead is hit.

Step #4 -- Experiment with the timing of your leaps. This is where you will discover that waiting until the very last second to jump will increase your range. Balls that were unreachable at the beginning of the drill can now be hit for winners!

You will soon see how much more height you can achieve with a deeper knee bend and timing your jump just a bit later, rather than sooner.

Step #5 -- Have your partner bring feeds back down into a your easy reach, but now begin to hit overheads by jumping as high as you can in order to add more explosive power to your overheads. Try to use this additional power to hit overheads hard enough so that they bounce over the opposite fence after you hit them (making them unplayable by an opponent).

Practicing vertical jumping both on- and off-court will help you increase your reach, as well as add power to your overheads.