What is the story about?
Decisions.
Decisions. Decisions. Pickleball, like life, is full of difficult decisions.
And there's one that seems to top list, because it's a decision that needs to be made on almost every point. And that is the focus of this week's tip.
Coach Mary's Tip of the Week: When to drop and when to drive
Decision-Making is a question I often get from my advanced drill classes. They often ask: “What should I have done in that situation?”
The situation we'll put the spotlight on today is whether or not to drop or drive for the third shot.
Online instructor Jess Improta shares three things to consider when making that decision on the fly.
- Preference: what are you comfortable with? Do you like to drive it? Do you have great topspin. Do you love your third shot drop? Slice, Topspin, Drop? Choose what you love to do.
- Court positioning: If the ball is in the front part of the transition zone and it sits up, this is a great ball to drive. If the ball is lower, you should drop. If the ball is deep and sits up, you can drive it. If the ball is deep but is low, you should drop it.
- Ball height and pace: If the ball sits up, you can drive from up close or at the baseline, but the closer you are, the less power you should use. 60 – 70 percent. More topspin. If the ball is low, you should drop it, giving you time to move up to the NVZ. This goes for up close and at the baseline.
Factor these three things into your decision as well
- Do you have slice and topspin? These skills will help you with execution of the third shot drive or drop. Low to high, use your hips and shoulders, finish with your knuckles to the sky.
- Your mobility: You need to move back to execute a third shot drop, it must be executed in front of your body, at knee height. If you have mobility issues, practice executing from the transition zone, since you will need more time to get to the NVZ.
- Your physical abilities: You need to bend your knees, use your hips and shoulders, and use a short backswing and a longer follow-through to execute good third shot drops.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Pickleball tip of the Week: Know when to drop or drive that third ball
