It is easier to hit a third shot drive on your opponent's return of serve that lands shorter or in the middle of your court. This happens more often after you hit a deep serve. Strategies involve players evaluating what your shot does to your opponent. If your drive is strong enough to make your opponent hit a defensive volley, then you can more successfully move forward. If your drive lacks enough pace to pose a problem, it is risky to move forward when your opponents will be hitting a hard volley at you. Bear in mind that the very best players can reset difficult balls hit at them and basically move up to their NVZ line. For the vast majority of players, a hard hit volley hit at you when you are in the middle of the court poses a real problem and you generally lose the point.

The strategy of hitting a strong drive and moving forward is based on the drive getting a defensive returning ball that can be hit hard at your opponents again. The attacking player is just going to hit every ball hard and there is really no thought of hitting a drop shot. Players that hit every ball hard are called “bangers”. This style is effective against players who don’t have accurate placement on their volleys. Let’s face it, most intermediate players are going to try and block volleys back against a hard drive. So bangers will hit a drive and move forward to hit a swinging volley on the 5th shot of the point. If the volley from the first drive lands in front of the players coming in, they will hit that ball as another drive. The bottom line is many players just don’t try to hit balls into the kitchen. Instead, they hit every ball as a drive no matter where they are on the court.

This style is effective and is always going to be played. There is no one “right” way to play pickleball. Certainly, many prefer to play the slower game with drop shots and dinks, but many others prefer to “speed up” the point and hit harder shots.

To counter the hard drives, volleys, and dinks, you must either hit a hard volley back or hit a drop volley to reset the point. Either way your volleys will be challenged and you must have quick hands and accurate placement in order to compete.

Some clubs have actually identified a court or two that third shot drops are encouraged because players prefer this style of play. And don’t we all want to play with certain players and their style of game?

Pickleball is a lifetime sport and you should want to develop all the shots so you can play with and against all players. This chapter should get you to understand the importance of developing a drop volley to reset the attacking shots and accuracy on your volleys to place your shots low and in front of your opponents.

Learn to identify fast balls at the height of your chest that will fly long. Develop your matrix moves along with accurate volleys and you will beat the bangers..