Make the RIGHT 3rd shot decision! #pickleball #pickleballtips
Summary
tanner.pickleball gives clear rules for the third-shot decision. Drive when a strong return has you on your back foot, to earn an easier next ball to drop, and drive when you can get your body weight set behind the ball to apply pressure.
Drop when the return lands mid-court but bounces low, so you’d have to hit up. Also drop on a neutral return near the baseline that lacks pace, since it’s hard to create your own power from there; drop and take the kitchen.
Key takeaways
- Strong return, back foot: drive to earn an easier next ball
- Weight set behind the ball: drive to apply pressure
- Low-bouncing mid-court return: drop it
- Slow neutral return near the baseline: drop and take the kitchen
Action items
- Call drive or drop out loud before every third shot in practice
- Have a partner feed the four return types and practice the matching shot
- Track which choices win more points in one session