5 Ways You're Screwing Up Pickleball Drops

James Ignatowich

Pickleball Pro

Last Edited

Oct 11 2024

Category

Instruction

Less is always more when mastering the pickleball drop. Too often, players overthink their swing, adding unnecessary complexity that throws off their timing.

The key to consistent drop shot success is simplifying the motion so the ball feels like it’s just getting in the way of your paddle.

Whether you’re slicing or rolling, your drop should be steady, controlled, and measured.

Here's what I see as the most common mistakes players make when executing drop shots and how to fix them.

Too big of a swing: The bigger your swing, the harder it is to gauge the speed of your swing. Simple is absolutely better on a drop, whether you’re slicing it or rolling it.

Slowing down or speeding up your swing: This is probably related to swing size, but I see a lot of people that change the speed of their swing either right before or after contact. You should be thinking of the drop swing as a gradual pace where the ball is just getting in the way of the paddle.

Too much topspin: A lot of people grossly overestimate the amount of topspin you can and should be hitting on a roll drop. Obviously you want that ball rotating downward, but it’s still more important that it’s soft and low, so you can’t be too ambitious with your swing speed.

Off-balance: I can’t stress the importance enough of keeping both feet on the ground when you’re hitting a drop, even if you are moving in with it. If you aren’t in position to have both feet on the ground then you should probably be driving that ball.

Down the line: A lot of people are addicted to hitting their drops directly down the line, probably because that’s how they usually drill it. There’s more space cross court to hit into, the nets lower crossing the middle, and you can sometimes beat them with an angle unwinding the stack.

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