We all attempt to play our padel shots with some power and spin. The goal is to respond faster than your opponent so they can’t get the ball. We frequently overlook the potency of a well-timed and well-placed drop shot.
In Padel, the drop shot is made at a distance closer to the net than the second side fence post. Play the drop shot with a ball traveling at medium speed between the knee and the chest. When you take a drop shot, aim for the second bounce against or close to the fence’s base.
Let’s examine the drop shot in more detail and discuss utilizing it to score more points.
What Are the Hazards of Dropshots?
A tennis court is longer than a padel court. As a result, compared to while playing on a tennis court, your opponents will nearly always be closer to the net.
Because of this, it will be pretty simple for your opponents to travel to the net and grab your drop shot. The ball will move through the air more slowly when you play a drop shot, allowing your opponents more time to reach the ball.
Avoid trying to make a drop shot from behind the second post.
You will allow your opponents to retaliate and advance toward the net if you try to play a drop shot from behind the second post and away from the goal.
The drop shot becomes increasingly challenging if you play it from behind the second post.
You must play your shot harder when you are farther from the goal to ensure it crosses it. This makes it easier to return because your drop shot will land farther into your adversaries’ court.
Obtain their back before attempting a drop shot.
When you play a drop shot, there is a real potential that your opponents will be able to reach the ball if they are slightly forward and closer to the service line.
That is a lousy notion since you would be giving up the benefit of playing with the at-net position on the court.
Playing a sequence of deep shots that push your opponents back and toward the back of the court will be a superior strategy. Even better is if you make your rivals back into the court’s corners.
When your opponents are forced back, your drop shot will have a slightly higher chance of success.
What Height Ball Should Be at for a Drop Shot?
We should first consider what doesn’t perform well for a drop shot before examining the appropriate height to play the ball for your perfect drop shot.
It is almost impossible to play a successful drop shot if the ball arrives at you above chest height. The ball will bounce higher than you would like since you will be playing it down from that height.
In addition, attempting to play through under the ball as you would for a drop shot above chest height results in a tense, constricted arm position that makes it challenging to control the ball.
Similarly, generating enough control and spin for a solid drop shot is challenging if you are playing the ball down at your ankles, as you will be playing the ball up to get it over the net.
Drop shots should be played between knee and chest height, which is the perfect height. This is about waist height for me, about the same height I play the service in Padel.
What Ball speed should I use for a Drop Shot?
Removing enough speed off the ball when it approaches you too quickly to play your drop shot with much control is challenging.
On the other hand, if the ball is coming towards you slowly, your opponents can move slightly forward as it arrives at you, allowing them to run to the net and block your drop shot.
What to Aim for with a Drop Shot
You should aim your drop shot slightly cross-court rather than straight to prevent it from traveling too far down the court after the bounce.
The optimum place to aim for is where the ball’s second bounce is either just before the fence or against the wall right at the bottom, as seen if you watch the pros on the global padel tour play their drop shots. This decreases the likelihood that your opponents will attempt to return your drop shot.
