Anna Leigh Waters, one of the top female players in professional pickleball, recently wrote a Facebook post in which she explained why she hits a 3rd shot drive instead of a 3rd shot drop.
“My Pro tip is drive your third shot and drop your fifth. I suggest driving your third shot because for me driving is the easier shot and then you can take that fifth ball which is usually going to be easier and you can just drop your fifth right in the kitchen. I would use this tip throughout the game. If it’s not working then you can switch it up. But I would definitely start doing this when you start your match. You can definitely use this on the court to level up your game.”
In pickleball, whether to drive or drop the third shot depends on the situation and the strategy you and your partner have decided upon. The third shot drop is a soft shot that is typically used when your team is on defense and you’re trying to regain control of the net. It involves hitting the ball softly and landing it in the kitchen (the non-volley zone).
The goal of the third shot drop is to give your team time to move forward and take control of the net. The third shot drive is a harder shot that is typically used when your team is on offense and you’re trying to put pressure on the opposing team. It involves hitting the ball with more force and trying to land it deep in the opposing team’s court. The goal of the third shot drive is to keep your opponents back and prevent them from taking control of the net.
There are dozens if not hundreds of YouTube videos and articles on the 3rd shot drop. Most advocate using it, whereas others, like ALW, prefer a drive and waiting later in the point to use a drop shot. But there are also many videos and articles that take the position that the situation should dictate whether or not to use a 3rd shot drop or drive. A good one is Mark Renneson’s “Master The 3rd Shot DRIVE In Pickleball To Win More Points,” where he uses a film of pro players in matches to explain how to drive the ball and how to execute this shot that, he says, leads to easy points. 1
Another good resource is an article in Prem Carnot’s The Pickleball Guru, where he advocates the drop shot most of the time but also gives some examples of when not to hit a drop shot.2 He begins by explaining why he advocates the drop shot: “My primary philosophy of Smart Pickleball is to make whatever shot buys you the most time. If you’re serving, your opponents have the advantage of being at the line while you and your partner have to wait for the ball to bounce. In this situation, the drop is the shot that buys time for you and your partner to advance to the Kitchen. This is a defensive shot! It is designed to take the advantage away from your opponents. It is not designed to win the point!”
If the scenario were different, and your opponents were back, you should keep them back, so in this situation, a drop shot would not be appropriate because you don’t want to bring them up intentionally; rather, you want to hit a drive and keep them back. It’s the old adage: “When they’re back, keep them back.”
Let’s look at one more article, a blog post in Stacie Townsend’s Pickler called “When to Drive or Drop Your Third Shot on the Pickleball Court.”3 “The goal with the third shot is to neutralize your opponents and help you and your partner get from the baseline all the way to the Kitchen line, as most points are won there,” says Townsend.
“The decision on your shot selection—whether to hit a third shot drive or a third shot drop—may come down to your individual style of pickleball play, your strengths as a pickleball player, and the effectiveness of the shot against your particular opponents. However, there are a few scenarios where one is more effective than the other.” Townsend goes on to explain when to hit a 3rd shot drop or a 3rd shot drive. She describes various scenarios when each shot would be appropriate, similar to Renneson and Carnot.
In summary, both shots are useful and can be effective in different situations. It’s important to communicate with your partner and decide on a strategy before the match begins. As the match progresses, you may need to adjust your strategy based on how the opposing team is playing. Ultimately, the decision to drive or drop the third shot should be based on the specific circumstances of the game.
1 http://pbcpickleballpro.com/wp-admin/
2 https://pickleballhelp.com/drop-not-drop-part-1/
3 https://thepickler.com/blogs/pickleball-blog/third-shot-drop-drive-pickleball
The information in this blog post comes from my research and experience playing pickleball and can be found in my books — HOW TO GET STARTED PLAYING and HOW TO IMPROVE FROM BEGINNER TO INTERMEDIATE IN PICKLEBALL — both are available on Amazon. I hope you learn something from this post that you can take onto the courts to help you improve your game.