The Best Pickleball Drills To Improve Your 3rd Shot Drop

Every sport has its nuances and pickleball is no different. Today's pickleball game looks very different from the game we all fell in love with a handful of years ago. Competition is fierce, and shotmaking has become a beautiful combination of art and science.

Today's lesson is on the third shot drop.

A masterful move, the third shot drop is all about control, touch, spin, and deception. When executed properly, it can be the most demoralizing shot in pickleball. But, when it's done poorly, it can be disastrous.

Fortunately, there are some drills you can practice if you want to become an artisan of one of the most dangerous shots in pickleball. And this article discusses those drills.

First, let's go over what a third shot drop is and what makes it so darn awesome.

What is the 3rd Shot Drop

The third shot drop is performed at or near the baseline on the third shot (serve is first, return of serve is second). If done well, the ball will slowly creep over the net and land softly in the opponent’s kitchen (the box at the front of the net).

The purpose of the shot is to give your team enough time to get to the non-volley zone (NVZ), close to the net.

One visual you can imagine is an upside-down Nike sign, the swoosh. But instead of coming from the bottom up, it goes from the top down. It has a long tail (because you are hitting it from the baseline, the ball sails up into the air and drops into the kitchen.

Sounds easy enough? But, as anyone who has tried to execute it can tell you, it's not.

Benefits of the 3rd Shot Drop

Remember that mention of nuance earlier in this article? Well, one thing that's become very clear in pickleball, especially at the higher levels, is that whoever controls the net controls the pace of the game. And whoever controls the pace of the game is likely going to win the rally and the match.

So, what are the benefits of this shot?

It Takes the Defending Team's Advantage Away

The reason why the defending team has the advantage is that they are standing at the net while the serving team is all the way back near the baseline. Deciding what to do on your third shot is a huge decision. You could lob the ball over, but then the defending team can smash it back at you. You could drive it straight at them, but that's also risky because they can hit it into your kitchen while you're too far away from the net.

If you’re on the serving team, how can you remove that advantage?

Yup! The third shot drop.

It Allows You Time to Get to the Net

The third shot drop is a slow shot that takes time to get over the net and get returned. Due to the speed of the shot, this allows you and your partner plenty of time to quickly get to the kitchen line before the next shot happens.

And, as we discussed, being upfront is a major key to winning at pickleball.

It Forces an Unfavorable Shot From Your Opponent

The fourth shot can be a great time to try and win before the rally even fully gets started. Typically, you have a lot of options: dinking it into a corner, driving the ball, or lobbing it over your charging opponents' heads. But, when you're faced with a third shot drop, your options go away quickly. Now, you're simply trying to get up to the net and return the ball back to the other side of the court instead of trying to score with the shot.

But, as we said, it's not quite as easy as saying, "I'm going to third shot drop the ball now." Then execute it to perfection every time. To do that, you need to practice. And at practice, you run drills.

The Best Third Shot Drop Drills

Before getting into the drills, one of the main points we want to make when attempting the third shot drop is to have a loose grip–3 to 4 on the grip strength scale.

Now onto the drills.

Drill #1 - Toss the Ball

One of the best ways to get a feel for the amount of power needed in a third shot drop is by putting your paddle to the side and underhand tossing the balls over the net. Remember your goal is to get the ball to land about 1/2 to 3/4 deep into the kitchen of your opponent.

Do this drill with a bucket of balls and practice tossing it to all parts of the kitchen while standing at your baseline.

Drill #2 - Step-by-Step

With you and your partner on opposite sides of the court, you want to start this drill at the kitchen line. For every other shot, you want to take two steps back toward the baseline. Your goal is to hit the ball softly enough that it falls just inside your opponent's kitchen. If you hit it any harder, your opponent could drive it at you. As you move back, you'll notice that it's the same swing no matter where you are on the court; it's just a bigger follow-through with your arm and shoulder.

To make it more difficult, restart the drill from the kitchen line every time you miss your shot.

Drill #3 - Practice Moving Forward

The main purpose of the third shot drop is to give yourself time to move forward before your opponent is able to return their shot. To practice this, start at the baseline and have your partner on the other side hit the ball at you to simulate a return of serve. Your goal is to hit a good dink shot and move towards the kitchen line. If you hit it well, you should have time. If you don't hit it well, wait for your spot to make your move.

One of the mistakes you can make on the third shot drop is not to hit it soft enough but then charge forward anyway. The next thing you know, your opponent is driving the ball at your feet or into an open lane.

How can you tell when you've hit a good third shot drop? Your opponent should have to get down low to retrieve it. If they are standing comfortably, then you may have not put enough loft on the ball or you hit it too deep onto their side.

Drill #4 - Add Height

For this drill, it's all about adding height to your third shot drop. You basically want to pick any of the drills above but focus on adding more height to the ball. What makes adding height dangerous is that if you don't land it just inside your opponent's kitchen, then you are setting them up for a potential rally-winning smash. So, this is crucial to practice before you try to do it on the court.

Drill #5 - Practice Your Backhand

Wouldn't it be nice if our opponent always put the ball on our forehand, allowing us to hit our best shot possible every time? Unfortunately, that's not going to be the case. Pick a drill above and practice your backhand as well as your forehand.

Mastering both with the third shot drop will make you the most dangerous player on your court.

Conclusion

There you have it, five drills for you to practice mastering the third shot drop. Hopefully, you now have an understanding of how difficult but deadly this shot can be, and you're able to incorporate it into your game.