In soccer, a volley is an air-borne strike where a players foot meets and directs the ball in an angled direction before it has time to reach the ground). A volley can be extremely hard and requires that the player strike the ball with the front of their foot, with the toes pointing downward, ankle locked, and the knee lifted). It is important to keep the knee high over the ball when struck and lean slightly forward to keep the shot downward. Doing so imparts a great deal of topspin and prevents the ball from flying wildly over the goal if done correctly).
The volley can be used offensively to play a crucial role in scoring straight goals. Since a volley occurs when the ball is in the air, they often occur in front of the goal as a result of a cross or a corner. In this instance, one attacking player passes the ball across the goal in the air, and the other player (either standing in place or in motion) strikes the ball with their foot before it hits the ground). The volley can also be used defensively to quickly clear the ball from play and allow the defending team to recover their position. While less accurate and harder to execute than a normal long pass, the volley is useful for clearing balls that are bouncing towards or away from a defender because the defender does not need to trap the ball or change directions if they are running towards their own goal).
The half-volley is another variation of the volley. In the half-volley, the incoming air ball will strike the ground first in front of or around the player, and then the player will take the resulting volley when the ball bounces up after hitting the ground. The half-volley is an effective way for the player to collect and redirect the ball if they have more time to figure out where they are sending the ball or if they need to give their teammates more time on their runs while they retain control of the ball.
