Picking up the Drop shot

The following are some key tips to help any youngster move forward to pick up a drop shot. So often we see players get to the ball but then due to some technical reasons are unable to execute the shot with any kind of conviction. Hopefully after reading these handy tips you will be much more accomplished at making this ball:

1. Notice Anna’s racket face. As she takes her racket back she does not allow her wrist to lay back but keeps the racket head up allowing maximum control when she gets to the ball. This is a common mistake where players have so much momentum going forward they find it difficult to keep the racket head still going into the ball. Always exaggerate at the beginning and focus on keeping their racket face in line with their left shoulder (if they are right handed).  
    

2. Anna’s eyes. It is so important to keep tracking the ball when moving forward. Here we see Anna’s eyes are totally focused on playing this shot. Even after she executes the stroke, her eyes and head do not lift to early but stay down as she moves to the ball. They must trust their ability to be able to put the ball into a corner without having to lift their head and look at the target.
    

3. move thru the ball. Notice that Anna does not plant her right foot, play the shot and then pull back to the baseline. Rather her weight goes thru the shot which actually allows her to get a little bit more pace and cut on the ball. What we see is her left leg come thru after the she has played the ball allowing her to cover a lot more ground for her next shot which will be a volley. When someone has been forced into playing a ball inside the service line then they must get good net position to be able to execute a volley.
    

4. where to play the ball? When I first teach this shot to players I usually start by telling them to play back down the line. The reason for this is that usually an opponent will have played the drop shot from inside the baseline so therefore you can catch them in a bad position where they must scramble back if you play line. Generally cross court means that you are playing across the opponents line and it is easy for them to volley the next ball past you down the line. As you get more accomplished and confident at playing this shot then start to experiment with a drop shot back to your opponent or maybe even a little angle cross court. This is especially effective on a clay court.

So there are just a few helpful pointers which if you practice, remember repetition is key to executing a new skill, will enable you to get a lot more comfortable at picking up the drop shot.