Today we’re going to look at a drill that will lock in and improve your 3rd shot drop.
Let’s get started!
Drill
This is one of my favorite drills. For this drill, you will only need to use half of the court.
One player will start at the NVZ, and the other will start at the baseline.
The player at the NVZ will start the drill by feeding a deep ball to the player at the baseline.
The player at the baseline will try to hit as many 3rd shot drops in a row, without hitting the ball out of bounds or into the net.
Every 3rd shot drop that they hit counts as one point.
When the player at the baseline hits a ball out of bounds or into the net, he will switch positions with the person at the NVZ.
The whole objective is to get a cumulative 60 points, which will win the game.
Each player will keep track of their points, and through repetition, they will try to find a rhythm in hitting their 3rd shot drop.
Let’s take a look at some of these points. (See video at top of post)
Even though the player at the baseline is working on their 3rd shot, this doesn’t mean that the player at the NVZ can’t work on something too.
Objective For Player At The NVZ Line
The objective for the player at the NVZ is to keep every ball as deep into the court as they can.
As you can see here, I make sure that I’m right up at that NVZ line, which puts me in a better position to hit an aggressive, deep shot.
When I’m up at the net, I’ll try to volley every ball that I can, but most importantly I try to keep every ball deep into the court to make a tough 3rd shot drop for my opponent.
Something you also might notice is that I try to place the ball in different positions and hit the ball with different spins.
Hitting the ball deep, mixing it up with forehands and backhands, and putting different spins on the ball makes a tougher 3rd shot for the player at the baseline.
Final Thoughts
By doing this drill over and over, it will allow you too find your 3rd shot rhythm and stroke, which you will need in a game situation.
Remember, consistency only comes by one thing- practice. So what are you waiting for? Go out there and drill!
Get our free 3rd shot course here! –> 3rd Shot Drop Course
