The Drop Volley in Pickleball – What Is It?
The drop volley in pickleball is a shot that takes pace off of your opponent’s shot and drops the ball just back over to the other side of the net. When you use this shot correctly, it catches your opponents off guard and wins the rally in your favor.
In this video we’ll break down the secrets to the drop volley in pickleball so that you know when to do it and how to use it to win rallies the next time you get on the court.
Drop Volley in Pickleball Tip #1: The Set Up
The first step in using this shot is the set up. In order to use it, you have to be at the net, and your opponent has to be near the baseline. There is no perfect sequence to this, but you want to pin them back and it’s ideal to catch them leaning away or to the side. Once they’re back and leaning away, that’s a good time for you to use the drop volley.
Drop Volley in Pickleball Tip #2: The Anticipation
Next, you want to look for a shot that is slightly higher and if it’s a drive, one that you can handle. If your opponent hits a high third shot, you want to send the ball back to the baseline to keep them back.
Drop Volley in Pickleball Tip #3: Making Contact
In order to hit the drop volley in pickleball, you need to have very soft hands to absorb the shot from your opponent. Your grip pressure will be similar to a dink or possibly even looser. If you need to practice loosening up your grip, you can take a few fingers off of your grip. Because you want the ball to just make it to the other side of the net, you won’t be swinging. In fact, if your opponent is really driving the ball hard, you can take extra pace off the ball by catching it slightly with your paddle.
Drop Volley in Pickleball Tip #4: Deception
If you want to add some extra deception to your drop volley in pickleball, you can hold your paddle like you’re going to smash the overhead, but at the last second, drop the ball.
What do you think? Will you use the drop volley in pickleball?
Will you use the drop volley in pickleball? Let me know in the comments!
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