The Drop Shot in pickleball

There is a lot of pickleball advice out there.  From blogs like this one, to full scale books, everyone has a philosophy or strategy to share.  Being someone who doesn’t have time or the attention span to read extensive books on anything, I have come across a short 40 page book, dedicated to a skill I think is most overlooked at the intermediate level of pickleball.  Drop shots.

This book, Drop Shot Decoded, is written by Claudia Fontana.  Actually, I’ve known Claudia for a long time, although I only see on occasion.  She is a former physical education teacher, turned pickleball instructor, coach and author.  I came across this book by chance, and was thrilled to see that Claudia had chosen to write about the shot I find  so important, yet rarely used in recreational play at many levels.  I clicked on the “Read Sample” button on Amazon and honestly felt she was speaking directly to me.  The second sentence in the Preface says,

……the game is not always about power and speed, but a game that is filled with strategy and finesse combining several shots to manipulate the rally to outwit or outplay your opponent.”

If you’ve been a reader of my blog, you’ve heard me say just that.  Strategy.  It’s the key to what makes pickleball such a great game.  It’s what I believe the game of pickleball should be about.  Not banging the ball as hard as you can back and forth across the net until you out bang your opponent. 

Don’t misunderstand.  Power and speed is important in this game.  It’s just not the only way to play, and if you plan on getting better you have to add more variety to your shots.  A drop shot is one of the first ones you should consider learning. 

Learning how to hit a drop shot, and practicing it in every drill session, then using it in your games will make you a much better player.  It will force your opponents to use their skills, not just their power or reactions to compete with you. 

The drop shot, according to Claudia, can be used as an offensive weapon.  She says,

It is an offensive shot that can outright win the point by placing the ball in the difficult-to- return non-volley zone area…… A well disguised and accurately executed drop shot can catch opponents off-guard and out of position”

Do you need any other reasons to encourage you to learn why, when and how to incorporate a drop shot into your game? 

I encourage you to go to Amazon and purchase this small, very informative book by Claudia.  BTW…. I do not get a commission for promoting this book!  It’s just that good that I want to share it with my readers. 

Click HERE  for a link to Amazon where you can purchase the e-book or a paperback copy.