In this video, we show you a mistake that we see happening ALL the time by both beginning and intermediate pickleball players. It’s a big one and there’s a good chance you are losing many points because of it.
The good news is that there’s also a super simple fix since it requires a strategic adjustment which is much simpler to implement than a technical change.
All it takes is a decision to stop doing it and to do something else instead.
In today’s video/blog we’re going to cover one of the most common mistakes made by players on the third shot drive and what you should do instead.
Here’s Jordan to tell us how it’s done…
Driving the third shot could be a great option sometimes. I definitely believe that there’s a place for dropping a third shot and also driving.
But, in this scenario I’m going to go over a certain thing that people do after they drive their third shot.
So, this is what not to do…here’s an example where I’m serving down the line, playing a form of half-court singles…I’m going to serve, Nicole’s going to return and then I’m going to drive my third shot and rush in.
Do not do that.
This scenario actually happens a lot more than you think.
I see a lot of players, whether I’m watching them in recreational play or in a tournament, they are driving their third shot and they’re rushing in.
Now, whether it’s you driving the ball and rushing in or whether it’s you driving the third shot and your partner rushing in, this could put you in a very tough situation, especially if that drive is not good enough and the team at the net is volleying down.
What I suggest to people, if you’re going to try the third shot drive, after you drive, wait behind at the baseline and wait and see what that ball does or what they do with that ball.
If they volley it deep then you’re already back ready to defend, maybe to hit another drive or to hit a third shot drop or a fifth shot drop at that point.
What we don’t want to do is we don’t want to drive the ball and just come rushing in because if that drive is not good enough and they hit it really hard at our feet, me or my partner will get caught.
What we want to do after we hit that drive, we want to wait and see what that ball is going to do and then we’re going try to move in or decide what to do after that.
If it’s short maybe I go drive it again or maybe I just hit a fifth shot drop from the transition zone. And, if it’s deep, maybe I just drive that fifth shot or maybe I’ll drop it which means me and my partner could get in,
It’s really important that whoever is driving that ball, when you’re that team, make sure you drive and then watch that ball and don’t just rush in like a headless chicken.
I see a lot of people driving and trying to rush in and then they get burnt every time because they are moving while that team is hitting the ball.
So, if you’re going to choose to drive that third shot you kind of split step and watch it with your partner and see where that ball is going to be placed and then react to it depending on what kind of shot they hit.
I hope you found this video/blog helpful!
