This Lesson Changed My Drops Forever

Author

Shea Underwood
July 28, 2024

WEEK 26

Welcome back to the Road to Pro!

Here’s what I’ve got for you this week:

  • Step-by-step technique for perfect drop shots

  • A pro tip that’ll change your drops forever

  • A drill to master both of these^

This week Alyssa asked our featured question, so I’ll be sending her a new paddle! If you want a chance to win a paddle, click on the button below to submit your pickleball questions. Anyone whose question is featured in my newsletter will automatically win a new paddle!

Now let’s get to it!

Q&A Spotlight

Drop it Like it’s Hot

What are the key elements of a successful drop shot?

Alyssa

Answer: When either you or your partner serve the ball, one of you will be responsible for hitting the third shot off your opponent’s return. You have three options: a lob, a drive, or a drop. Let’s talk about what you need to do to hit incredible drops.

(I cover this topic in more detail in my most recent video, “The Only Five Pickleball Lessons You Need”)

First up - movement. It’s best to stay back off the line after you or your partner serve just in case your opponent sends a deep return. Also, don’t be afraid to move around as much as you need in preparation for your shot. You’ll often need to shuffle your feet around a lot more than just a step or two to put yourself in the optimal position to make your shot.

Now that you’re in the right position, don’t rush your shot. Instead, wait for the ball to come to you, let it hit the ground, peak, and start to fall before making contact with the ball.

Make contact after the ball has peaked

This allows the ball to lose a lot of its speed, which will give you much more control over your shot. It’ll also open the door for you to add the topspin you need.

Speaking of spin, let’s discuss spin continuation. Remember that if a ball is coming at you with an incredible amount of spin, it’s best not to go against the rotation of the ball, but instead to go with it. This means that if your opponent sends you a shot with a lot of topspin, hit your own shot with backspin. If you receive a shot with a lot of backspin…you guessed it…add topspin. This way you’ll keep the ball rotating in the same direction, and it’ll allow you to hit a more effective shot overall.

Next up - lock your wrist. Lacking stability in your wrist while you make contact with the ball takes away a lot of control you could have over your shot. A floppy wrist at contact doesn’t allow the ball to stay on the paddle for very long, and it’ll cause more inconsistency in your shot because it could send the ball to a place you didn’t intend. If you keep your wrist locked, you have more control on where you want to aim the ball.

The last thing to add here is where you finish your stroke. When you’re hitting a drop with backspin, you’ll finish your stroke out and away from your body (see picture below). However, when you’re adding topspin to your drop, you should finish with your paddle near your head over the shoulder on your paddle-holding side. This applies to both forehand and backhand drops with topspin.

Forehand finishing stroke | Backhand slice finishing stroke

Get out there and start practicing these techniques, and you’ll see instant improvement in your drops!

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If you have a question you’d like for me to answer, click the button below to fill out the question submission form.

If your question is chosen for next week’s newsletter, you’ll win a free paddle!

Erne

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For those of you looking for a good pickleball machine to help you level up your game, I encourage you to check this one out!

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Tip of the Week

Top of the Drop

I’m about to share a pro tip with you that’ll change your drops forever. Let’s talk about shot peaking.

The peak of the ball’s flight path should be on your side of the court around the kitchen area. If the ball peaks and starts to fall before crossing the net, it reduces your opponent’s opportunity to hit an attacking shot. Balls that peak on your side of the court will bounce shallower in your opponent’s kitchen, meaning they are less likely to take it out of the air and hit an aggressive shot back at you.

The ball should peak on your side of the court

To help you visualize this on the court, have your partner stand at the kitchen line while you hit drop shots. Try to make the ball peak right over your partner’s head so that it’s already dropping before crossing the plane of the net.

Be sure to check out the drill I have for you directly below to help you master shot peaking!

Drill Highlight

The Dropfather

The wall is your friend! There are so many wall drills you can do to significantly improve your game, and here’s one of them:

Get a piece of tape and place it on the wall parallel to and about a foot above a marked net line. Stand about 15 feet away from the wall and hit a hard drive at it, then hit a third shot drop as the ball comes back to you. Your goal is to hit a drop that will allow the ball to peak and start to fall before it reaches the wall, so that it falls into it and hits between the two lines.

Aim your drop between the two lines

This drill will help you learn how to make the ball peak on your side of the net so that it’s already dropping before it crosses the plane of the net. Your drops will become much better if you get this concept down.

Announcement

I now post paddle giveaways on Facebook as well as Instagram. So, if you want another chance at a free paddle, go follow me on Facebook and enter my weekly giveaways posted on my page!

You can check out my page here!

Videos You’ll Enjoy

  • If you want another chance at winning a new paddle, go check out my current giveaway on Instagram and Facebook!

Discounts for You

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