Dating back to 2014, when videos about pickleball’s third shot drop started appearing on YouTube, the first video describing a forehand topspin and backhand underspin was a video called Forehand Topspin and Backhand Underspin 3rd Shot Drop, by Ann Carney, sponsored by PickleballCafe, video by Toui Pomsouvan.
You can see in the screenshot how Carney finishes the forehand topspin over her left shoulder, and, when you watch the video, how the backhand underspin movement with the paddle goes forward and comes under the ball.
These stroke mechanics are standard for all the topspin and underspin shots in pickleball. What is unique about Carney’s shots is that they are used for the third shot drops.
- Point A: Preparation
- Point B: Point of contact
- Point C: Follow-through
- Footwork: Carioca Step (So what is this? Here is the best definition I could find: “Coming over out back out over out back out stop at a certain point then you’re going to come back in the other direction to make sure that you’re getting the other.” You can view a demonstration of a Carioca exercise on Carlos Davila’s YouTube video.)
- Timing (Backhand): Step. Hit – paddle swings forward while the left foot moves toward the point of contact at the same time. Follow through.
This is an excellent video for seeing how to hit a topspin forehand and an underspin backhand third shot drop. I must admit, though, that I am just as intrigued by the Carioca Step as I am about the demonstration of the shot. Why? Because I see so many non-athletic types in my beginner clinics, people who have never played a sport but who have heard about pickleball and want to learn how to play.
I hate to say it, but most of these people will never really learn how to play well enough to enjoy the game. (I deny saying this, of course!) These people do not have good eye-hand coordination, nor can they move laterally or up and back on the court without losing their balance. They find it hard to get into position to hit a shot, and they have an even harder time mastering the mechanics of any of the shots in pickleball. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but pickleball instructors know that I am telling the truth.
Well, the Carioca exercise just might be a good way to help these folks get into better condition for playing pickleball. Although it won’t help them with eye-hand coordination or stroke mechanics, it can aid them in learning how to move around the court without the risk of injury. Without knowing anything about “Carioca,” I have been showing my beginner students similar moves when shuffling side to side to get into position to hit forehands and backhands. In fact, I have been working with my brother, who, at the age of 81, is recuperating from back surgery and doing physical exercises with the hopes of getting back on the court. He has been practicing Carioca-like movements in the gym to help him regain balance and give him a sense of security when stretching to get into position to hit the ball. There is something to be said for the “Carioca.”
This blog post is taken from a monograph that I am writing on the third shot drop. The monograph will be available as an eBook in January 2023. It traces the history of the third shot drop in YouTube videos dating back to 2014. In my two books, especially in Pickleball for Beginners Part II, I write a great deal about the third shot drop. I hope you get a chance to read my books. You can purchase a Kindle version or paperback on Amazon.