In this videos we’re joined by our guest… pro pickleball player Tyler Loong.
Tyler is going to help us walk through a pretty advanced volley drill called Bryan Brothers Volleys. This drill was made popular by the most famous and winningest Men’s Doubles Tennis Team of all time. Bob & Mike Bryan, hence the name of the drill… Bryan Brothers Volleys.
It’s a drill they used in their practice frequently to help them master directional control on volleys while in motion and to a moving target. Let’s jump in and take a look to see how it can be adapted to help you with your pickleball.
Drill
For this advanced drill, each player will position themselves on opposite sides of the court from one another at the non volley zone line.
For this example we’ll have both players start on the right side but you can also do the drill starting with both players on the left side.
Ok, starting from the right, player A will feed the ball in such a way that will lead player B to the left and then step to the left, Player B will hit the ball back in such a way that will also leadPlayer A to the left and then step to the left.
Both players will repeat this pattern…hit to the left of their partner and step left until they reach approximately the midway point of the left side.
When your drill partner has reached the midway point of the left side, you will the hit the ball to their right leading them back the other way and you will step right and your partner will do the same, hit to your right and step right until you both reach the midway point of the right side of the court.
You then both switch back to hitting left and stepping left. You’ll repeat this pattern as long as you can or as long as you decide to.
Keep in mind that both players are hitting volleys only so each player must strike the ball hard enough and high enough so that it reaches the other player at at least waist high without bouncing.
The trajectory of the ball will be clear in the live demonstration that you’ll see in a moment.
This is a cooperative drill (not competitive). You will want to rally at a pace that both of you can maintain and as your control improves you can up your pace.
Remember, it’s important to get the ball all the way to them, at least waist high, so you will have to hit firmly and through the volley in order to achieve that.
Alternate Versions
As I mentioned earlier, the Bryan Brothers drill is very advanced. Let’s take a look at some alternate versions that act as a precursor to this drill.
In this first version, one person is moving along the NVZ line while the other one is stationary. Here, Jordan is stationary and Tyler is moving.
This drill should also be done with a stationary person on the other side. So Jordan would move to the right side while Tyler would still be moving and hitting along the NVZ Line.
After that Jordan and Tyler will switch roles, so Tyler who was the mover will not be the stationary person and Jordan will be the mover.
Once you feel comfortable with this first precursor version, the second version has both players starting on one side and hitting as well as moving in the same direction. Once they reach the other side they will hit and move back in the other direction.
Once you feel comfortable with both of these precursor versions you’re ready to move on and give the Bryan Brothers drill a try.
Thank you to Tyler for your help with this video!
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