The Offensive Pickleball Drop Shot is Over-Hyped

Adam Forziati

Team The Kitchen

Last Edited

Jul 15 2024

The Offensive Drop Shot is Inherently Risky

Scenario: You've pushed your opponent(s) back toward the baseline and you're keeping them deep with some aggressive drives and slams.
You decide to drop the next ball they return to catch them off guard and hopefully win the point.
They drive hard, a low shot with spin that just clears the net...

...What do you think happens in this situation?

If you actually try to drop, the pace your opponent just put on the ball will make an already-difficult drop even more tricky.

Remember, for this shot to be most effective, you're looking to place it in the shallow kitchen, close to the net; not close to the NVZ line like you would with an aggressive dink.

You want your opponent to run as far as possible, minimizing the chance they'll get to it in time. But if they've put serious pace and topspin on the ball, the likelihood of you nailing that perfect shallow drop goes down.

But if you keep them back with a solid punch return, drive, or a smash return if you can manage it, you maintain an advantage.

They have to try to drop an unattackable ball while moving back to the kitchen; meanwhile, you have many more angles to use if they float a ball high enough for you to smash.

I'm not saying you should NEVER try for the drop in this situation, but doing so should be considered a Hail Mary; something you do to surprise your opponents in a situation where you feel confident you can nail the drop.

Examples

Watch this point:

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The team closest to the camera does well to keep the opposing team back...even then, the opponents are highly skilled and able to come back to the NVZ.

Dropping would have been a free ticket. So when they're finally able to force them back again with a lob, the front team keeps the pressure on, and the opponents finally lose to an unforced error.

Conversely, check this out:

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The Johns Bros, one of the most revered doubles teams in the sport, are on the side furthest from the camera.

Collin Johns, viewer's left, sees that both his opponents are at or beyond the baseline, so he tries for the offensive drop shot...and the opponent who was furthest away from the ball retrieves it, giving both of the near-side opponents the chance to come back to the line and ultimately end the point.

Collin tried to be tricky and he paid for it.

Granted, most of your average rec-level opponents won't be as speedy or talented as the opponents in white in above video.

So, here's what you should think about when considering an offensive drop:

Look for a slower drive you can handle for a drop, but punish the hard ones to keep them back.
If your opponent(s) is particularly athletic and/or has long legs, it's probably too risky.
Are you good at fake-outs? Can you convince your opponents you're about to slam it and then change it up? Have your opponents fell for any of your misdirects before? If so, the drop is a go.

All of this is compounded at higher levels of play. There's a reason you see pros keeping their opponents back instead of trying to trick them with offensive drops.

You should probably follow their example.

(If you find yourself on the far end of the court in the opposite position, follow these tips for getting back to the kitchen successfully).