Don’t Default to the Third-Shot Drive: Drop Instead and Get to the Kitchen by Five (Drive Only Weak Returns)
Summary
Troy Akin explains why he stopped defaulting to third-shot drives. He’ll still drive a weak return he can take control of. But against someone who can handle all of his power, the drive doesn’t finish the job — he still has to hit a drop anyway. So he might as well take the third shot as a drop and get himself and his partner up to the kitchen by the fifth.
The official description spells out what usually happens on that drive: it goes in the net, it sails long, or it lands and they block it back — and now you have to hit a perfect fifth-shot drop anyway. The drive isn’t a bad shot; it’s the wrong default. Drop first, and drive when they give you a short, high ball. You’ll need to practice those drops, but it’s the simplest way to get to the kitchen.
Key takeaways
- Drive a third only when the return is weak enough that you can take control
- If they can handle your pace, you still have to drop — so drop the third and try to be at the kitchen by five
- The usual drive outcomes are net, long, or a block that still leaves you hitting a fifth-shot drop; the drive isn’t a bad shot, just the wrong default
Action items
- Play a game where your default third is a drop, and drive only short, high returns
- After any third-shot drive that gets blocked, notice that you still needed a drop — that’s the clip’s argument for starting with one