In this doubles video, you are the net man and you decide to poach. You make your move and your in sync with the return.  It’s right there in front of you and your choice is to hit your volley to the middle of the court?  Why?  Because it’s open?

Here’s another thought for you.  As you move up the ladder in the levels of play from 3.5 upward, it becomes more obvious to your opponent that the middle is open.  And having had many experiences of being burned in the middle, your opponent  has instinctively learned to cover the middle in a heart beat!  So hitting your poach to the middle of the court becomes  reflexed back into play by your opponent, and the point continues.

So here we go.  The clever shot is to volley down near your opponent at net, taking reflex time away, and the placement is to volley your shot to the alley next to your opponent, like the pros do.  As you move up and out of the 3.5 level, it is an expected and accepted play to take the reflex time away!  Check this out!