How to handle short ball/drop shot

[KaiserW]

Hi, what is the best way to handle a short ball/drop shot to the backhand. This is a tough shot for me to defend especially because I am 6'3". The smart players I play will do this quite often to me because they know it is a tough shot for me. I usually will slice it up the line but often it does not get enough juice on it as I am hitting up.

Any thoughts on a good way to defend against? Maybe a drop shot back cross court ala Djokovic. He is the master at that. Although touch is not a strong point in my game maybe it is the best play.

 

[mntlblok]

Hi, what is the best way to handle a short ball/drop shot to the backhand. This is a tough shot for me to defend especially because I am 6'3". The smart players I play will do this quite often to me because they know it is a tough shot for me. I usually will slice it up the line but often it does not get enough juice on it as I am hitting up.

Any thoughts on a good way to defend against? Maybe a drop shot back cross court ala Djokovic. He is the master at that. Although touch is not a strong point in my game maybe it is the best play.

Try this. Experiment with wiping really hard left-to-right at the ball with a Continental grip. You might have to fiddle a bit with the precise racket face angle if it floats too high or goes into the net, but you may find that you can swing much harder at such a ball in this manner than you might have guessed. Even if it still doesn't have quite the juice on as you would like, at least as far as pace goes, it will still might have enough depth, curve, and annoying spin to bother the opponent. *And* with a bit of practice, you can modify this play by opening the racket face a bunch and creating a cute little dropper of yer own - on that bounds nearly straight sideways after it hits. Here's one I happened to catch on video recently. Oh, and the forehand slice that I hit just before that was hit largerly in that "swiping across" manner. Not pretty tennis, but when yer wrist is gone. . .

 

[Deleted member 120290]

You need to lose some height like me.

If that doesn't work, then try dropping them off the dropper if they stay back. If they start to creep up, then slice deep.

 

[KaiserW]

I need to work on my slice and dropper. Thanks

 

[dct693]

First you need to make sure you get to the ball in time so that you can have some options and aren't all stretched out. Then, as the others have said, drop it right back or slice it deep. The key is to get it either really short or really deep.

 

[beltsman]

It's all about getting there quickly, obviously. I like to slice it up the line or lob it to their BH.

 

[snvplayer]

Hi, what is the best way to handle a short ball/drop shot to the backhand. This is a tough shot for me to defend especially because I am 6'3". The smart players I play will do this quite often to me because they know it is a tough shot for me. I usually will slice it up the line but often it does not get enough juice on it as I am hitting up.

Any thoughts on a good way to defend against? Maybe a drop shot back cross court ala Djokovic. He is the master at that. Although touch is not a strong point in my game maybe it is the best play.

These shots are tough to deal with and your response varies on the the subtle differences in the height of the bounce, where the ball lands, where your opponent is, and your own position.

If I am slicing up the line to counter a drop shot well below the height of the net, I try to hit it as deep as possible literally within a foot from the baseline. Whether you can hit a slice with good bite or not depends on the height of the bounce and distance from the net. But, depth over pace/bite in this case since it gives me time to recover and forces my opponent to hit while moving back especially if he has moved inside the baseline anticipating a drop shot response.

Otherwise, you can counter with a drop shot, I tried to soften my hand and to bounce the ball off the string (rather than tapping or hitting). At least in my case, crosscourt response hasn't been successful unless I get a really good angle.

 

[ByeByePoly]

Hi, what is the best way to handle a short ball/drop shot to the backhand. This is a tough shot for me to defend especially because I am 6'3". The smart players I play will do this quite often to me because they know it is a tough shot for me. I usually will slice it up the line but often it does not get enough juice on it as I am hitting up.

Any thoughts on a good way to defend against? Maybe a drop shot back cross court ala Djokovic. He is the master at that. Although touch is not a strong point in my game maybe it is the best play.

You want 6' 3" and touch ... greedy. Teach me 6' 3" ... and then I will help.

Depends on:
- quality of dropper
- did opponent follow it in
- how high is ball when you get to it
- opponents skills

But in general, assuming a good enough dropper you can't hit an offensive shot off of:

If opponent didn't follow it in ... agree with TenFanLA ... re-droppa. One of my go to shots in singles is cross court drop shot off bh. An opponent that gets to it and re-drops effectively ... either forces me to follow it in ... or hit it less. In this situation ... keep it simple ... just get it over net short (cross court doesn't mean much). The exception is what re-droppa is high percentage for you. For me ... a fh cross court sharp angle dropper is about the same percentage for me as straight back over the net ... but go with your percentages.

Note: best thing to do if you are facing this a lot is do enough drills/practice to get a "good enough" re-dropper. Doesn't have to look great ... needs to be functional.

If opponent has followed drop shot:

Time for quick calculation:

Opponent is on the way in ... if you can hit any shot (slice) dtl deep (say even with opponent position or deeper) ... should be a winner. Pace doesn't matter ... a deep slice past an opponent approaching net is usually a winner.

So that isn't available ... low bounce, opponent on top of net ... always remember a good re-dropper keeps you in the point. Your opponent can't do much with a good re-dropper even if they are on top of net.

Cross court sharp touch angle ... brings a smile to your face when it works. I use it often, more fh cross court. But this comes up when you are both near the net. For example, opponent just hit a short volley or dropper from net position near my fh line. I'm on the run and ball bounces low ... dtl is covered ... sometimes a touch short angle towards opponents fh line will work. Just miss wide rather than miss towards your opponent sitting at the net.

 

[KaiserW]

You want 6' 3" and touch ... greedy. Teach me 6' 3" ... and then I will help.

Depends on:
- quality of dropper
- did opponent follow it in
- how high is ball when you get to it
- opponents skills

But in general, assuming a good enough dropper you can't hit an offensive shot off of:

If opponent didn't follow it in ... agree with TenFanLA ... re-droppa. One of my go to shots in singles is cross court drop shot off bh. An opponent that gets to it and re-drops effectively ... either forces me to follow it in ... or hit it less. In this situation ... keep it simple ... just get it over net short (cross court doesn't mean much). The exception is what re-droppa is high percentage for you. For me ... a fh cross court sharp angle dropper is about the same percentage for me as straight back over the net ... but go with your percentages.

Note: best thing to do if you are facing this a lot is do enough drills/practice to get a "good enough" re-dropper. Doesn't have to look great ... needs to be functional.

If opponent has followed drop shot:

Time for quick calculation:

Opponent is on the way in ... if you can hit any shot (slice) dtl deep (say even with opponent position or deeper) ... should be a winner. Pace doesn't matter ... a deep slice past an opponent approaching net is usually a winner.

So that isn't available ... low bounce, opponent on top of net ... always remember a good re-dropper keeps you in the point. Your opponent can't do much with a good re-dropper even if they are on top of net.

Cross court sharp touch angle ... brings a smile to your face when it works. I use it often, more fh cross court. But this comes up when you are both near the net. For example, opponent just hit a short volley or dropper from net position near my fh line. I'm on the run and ball bounces low ... dtl is covered ... sometimes a touch short angle towards opponents fh line will work. Just miss wide rather than miss towards your opponent sitting at the net.

Haha I got a chuckle out of your response. Touch is definitely the worst part of my game. Also as I mentioned smart players see someone tall they should try to get them moving forward. If I play someone where we just baseline bash I love it, that is my comfort zone.

Almost everyone I play rarely follows their dropper in. So based on that I guess drop them back is probably my best play. I need to work on my dropper. Might take a lesson this winter to help with this.

 

[KaiserW]

It's all about getting there quickly, obviously. I like to slice it up the line or lob it to their BH.

Never thought about lobbing. May try that also.

 

[beltsman]

Never thought about lobbing. May try that also.

It will necessarily be a slice lob but if you have good touch you can get it deep to their BH corner.

 

[KaiserW]

These shots are tough to deal with and your response varies on the the subtle differences in the height of the bounce, where the ball lands, where your opponent is, and your own position.

If I am slicing up the line to counter a drop shot well below the height of the net, I try to hit it as deep as possible literally within a foot from the baseline. Whether you can hit a slice with good bite or not depends on the height of the bounce and distance from the net. But, depth over pace/bite in this case since it gives me time to recover and forces my opponent to hit while moving back especially if he has moved inside the baseline anticipating a drop shot response.

Otherwise, you can counter with a drop shot, I tried to soften my hand and to bounce the ball off the string (rather than tapping or hitting). At least in my case, crosscourt response hasn't been successful unless I get a really good angle.

No doubt they give me a lot of trouble. The guy I play the most has an excellent drop shot. That is what got me thinking what can I do to try and combat it.

 

[ByeByePoly]

Haha I got a chuckle out of your response. Touch is definitely the worst part of my game. Also as I mentioned smart players see someone tall they should try to get them moving forward. If I play someone where we just baseline bash I love it, that is my comfort zone.

Almost everyone I play rarely follows their dropper in. So based on that I guess drop them back is probably my best play. I need to work on my dropper. Might take a lesson this winter to help with this.

Nah ... you don't need a lesson. Of course, hitting a drop shot from the baseline isn't the same as re-dropping from close to the net. For close to the net ... just go find NYTA and play a bunch of that USTA mini-tennis. From the baseline, you already said you can hit a slice bh ... you are good to go. I hit most of my baseline drop shots off bh. One thing that surprises people learning to hit effective drop shots from the baseline is that it's not about hitting low over the net. It's about where the second bounce hits ... closer to net the better. Years ago our club pro (played #1 singles D1) had a bunch of us stand on our baseline and try to get to his drop shots. It was surprising how high the ball path could be and still be hard to get to.

 

[KaiserW]

Nah ... you don't need a lesson. Of course, hitting a drop shot from the baseline isn't the same as re-dropping from close to the net. For close to the net ... just go find NYTA and play a bunch of that USTA mini-tennis. From the baseline, you already said you can hit a slice bh ... you are good to go. I hit most of my baseline drop shots off bh. One thing that surprises people learning to hit effective drop shots from the baseline is that it's not about hitting low over the net. It's about where the second bounce hits ... closer to net the better. Years ago our club pro (played #1 singles D1) had a bunch of us stand on our baseline and try to get to his drop shots. It was surprising how high the ball path could be and still be hard to get to.

It's funny you mention how high a drop shot can be and still be effective. A little while ago I was watching a you tube video on droppers and he said the exact same thing. He mentioned if it bounces twice before it hits the service line it is a good drop shot.

 

[geca]

2 things:

- Isner is even taller, why don't other guys drop him more? because he hits with huge power and put them on defense first... as a big guy you need to play big tennis to take the initiative.... so develop a big weapon.

- intimidate the other guy... if he leaves one dropper too high, aim at his belly and ***** slap the ball as hard as you can... don't worry about missing the court, the goal is to make him think twice before trying the dropper again.

 

[ByeByePoly]

It's funny you mention how high a drop shot can be and still be effective. A little while ago I was watching a you tube video on droppers and he said the exact same thing. He mentioned if it bounces twice before it hits the service line it is a good drop shot.

Yeah ... I would have used the service line as a guideline also ... but I think shorter than that for a really good one. Near the sideline and half way in the service box the gold standard if on or just inside baseline. You are generally picking your times favorable for the shot ... that plays into it.

 

[Bender]

Honestly, you don't have to do too much with the ball provided that you can get to it on time.

You just need to make your opponent realise that his strategy is ineffective.

So you can do one of many things:

1. Drop shot back (CC and / or DTL), Nadal style: If he is forced to run for a drop shot every time he hits a drop shot himself, he will be less likely to continue using that strategy. This strategy works especially well if your oppoent is not proficient at net. A wide angle CC drop shot is practically a guaranteed winner if executed properly.
2. BH slice DTL, Federer style: Probably the easiest option I can think of, but can be difficult if the drop shot is good. It's important to keep the slice low (hit it earlier if you want to slice CC instead, which isn't the best option), but more importantly you have to make sure you cover the correct part of your side of the court, ie the AD service box.
3. Reverse I/O FH, Nadal style: If you have plenty of time to get to the ball because you anticipated the drop shot, and the drop shot lands rather deep (which is going to be the case quite often unless your opponent is unusually good at hitting drop shots), you can run around your BH and smack a topspin I/O FH into their backhand, and then approach the net. If you can hit spinny reverse FHs, this would be a good time to use it if you want to create huge angles.
4. BH CC, Djokovic / Murray style: If you have a good topspin BH, this will work just as well as #3. Bonus points if you can create angles and go for a ultra wide-angle side spinning BH CC for a winner.
5. Hard FH / BH approach down the middle, Roddick style: Unless you're playing against Federer, most people can't react to a big groundstroke coming at them from the forecourt fast enough to pass you.
6. #5 + contact, Lendl style: For when you dislike your opponent and you want to make it known to the world.
7. Lob it, weekend public park hack style: This one just occurred to me, but a lob would give you a lot of time to prepare for your next shot, and also will push your opponent deep into the court unless they are (a) good at hitting groundstrokes very early; or (b) hitting winners from 2-3 m behind the baseline; or (c) are comfortable hitting swinging volleys from the baseline.

 

[HuusHould]

I don't know how to link it to a certain time, but if you look at the following times;
1) 6m52s
2)7m40s
3)8m12s
4)13m7s
5)15m59s
6)18m18s
7)18m28s
8)23m10s

In the highlights package I think Novak is 6/14 when drop shotting, the highlights may not include a missed drop shot or two, I thought the way Stan dealt with the drop shot was one of the reasons he won! Along with brilliant baseline play, good serving and getting to the net at opportune times.

In summary, the Stanimal will hit an eastern grip forehand cross court with minimal backswing, but a full follow through if there's space when it's on his forehand side. If there's no space he plays deep to the centre of the backhand court and gets ready for a volley/overhead.

On the backhand he runs with the racquet out in front (doesn't put his hand on the throat; has enough momentum from running forward to allow no backswing, just a follow through), I think this helps him move into position.

Sorry, just realised you said to the backhand!!!!

 

[KaiserW]

Honestly, you don't have to do too much with the ball provided that you can get to it on time.

You just need to make your opponent realise that his strategy is ineffective.

So you can do one of many things:

1. Drop shot back (CC and / or DTL), Nadal style: If he is forced to run for a drop shot every time he hits a drop shot himself, he will be less likely to continue using that strategy. This strategy works especially well if your oppoent is not proficient at net. A wide angle CC drop shot is practically a guaranteed winner if executed properly.
2. BH slice DTL, Federer style: Probably the easiest option I can think of, but can be difficult if the drop shot is good. It's important to keep the slice low (hit it earlier if you want to slice CC instead, which isn't the best option), but more importantly you have to make sure you cover the correct part of your side of the court, ie the AD service box.
3. Reverse I/O FH, Nadal style: If you have plenty of time to get to the ball because you anticipated the drop shot, and the drop shot lands rather deep (which is going to be the case quite often unless your opponent is unusually good at hitting drop shots), you can run around your BH and smack a topspin I/O FH into their backhand, and then approach the net. If you can hit spinny reverse FHs, this would be a good time to use it if you want to create huge angles.
4. BH CC, Djokovic / Murray style: If you have a good topspin BH, this will work just as well as #3. Bonus points if you can create angles and go for a ultra wide-angle side spinning BH CC for a winner.
5. Hard FH / BH approach down the middle, Roddick style: Unless you're playing against Federer, most people can't react to a big groundstroke coming at them from the forecourt fast enough to pass you.
6. #5 + contact, Lendl style: For when you dislike your opponent and you want to make it known to the world.
7. Lob it, weekend public park hack style: This one just occurred to me, but a lob would give you a lot of time to prepare for your next shot, and also will push your opponent deep into the court unless they are (a) good at hitting groundstrokes very early; or (b) hitting winners from 2-3 m behind the baseline; or (c) are comfortable hitting swinging volleys from the baseline.

Good stuff thanks. Yes if the dropper is deeper I will use number 4 a lot as my topspin backhand is my best shot. For good droppers I think number 1 is my best option, just need to work on it as I don't really practice or attempt many droppers. If I can improve on it I agree my opponents will try it less.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

IMO my time is better spent avoiding the dropper (ie. hit deep, make them hit from behind the baseline), because that at least gives you time to react.
normally when i hit droppers, i also have the option to attack with a normal groundstroke (and because of this they are usually a couple feet further back anticipating the big fh)

that said, when i've given my opponent a short ball, and they choose to drop me, i'll either (if i can):
* chip back deep
* re-drop
* drive/slice approach (if i can get their early, and make contact at a comfortable height) - no brainer, so i'm presuming you're not talking about this scenario

but in general, at that point, they are dictating play (no different than making me run out wide to hit a fh/bh), by drawing me into net on their terms.

 

[ByeByePoly]

IMO my time is better spent avoiding the dropper (ie. hit deep, make them hit from behind the baseline), because that at least gives you time to react.
normally when i hit droppers, i also have the option to attack with a normal groundstroke (and because of this they are usually a couple feet further back anticipating the big fh)

that said, when i've given my opponent a short ball, and they choose to drop me, i'll either (if i can):
* chip back deep
* re-drop
* drive/slice approach (if i can get their early, and make contact at a comfortable height) - no brainer, so i'm presuming you're not talking about this scenario

but in general, at that point, they are dictating play (no different than making me run out wide to hit a fh/bh), by drawing me into net on their terms.

You would not avoid the ByeBye dropper ... but all your mini-bunt tennis should have you prepared.

All kidding aside ... the mini-tennis without simulating full strokes really would be an excellent touch drill. I could see starting beginners with the goal of inside the service lines, and then advance closer and closer to net. I guess the endpoint with drills/practice has to be repetitions feeding droppers from the baseline, with them starting from theirs ... but two beginners playing mini-tennis together are for sure learning "touch".

 

[Nellie]

When you are slicing back the drop shot, you should not be going for power. Instead, think of it as an approach shot and prepare for the volley. Try to hit deep with backspin so the ball stays low.

Also, you should work on this footwork (I call it a karaoke step) so you can move forward from the slice and into a volley position.

(also, if someone is drop shotting you a lot, position yourself closer to the base line so you can get to the drop shot easier/faster.)

 

[mntlblok]

Also, you should work on this footwork (I call it a karaoke step)

And a lot of *other* people call it a karaoke step, too. Turns out it's from the Brazilian dance of the same name, "carioca".

And then there's the karioka (also spelt carioca), the Filipino chewy ball.

Yer welcome.

 

[movdqa]

If you're playing someone that can identify patterns and respond, then you need to be able to hit it do several places on the court. Down-the-line deep, drop-short DTL (very short), drop-shot cross-court, deep cross-court. Bonus points for angled inside-out to the service line/sideline corner DTL or cross-court. If you hit it to the same place all the time, he will notice that and move for that point after hitting the drop-shot.

Another option, if you have the shot, is a little topspin brush that's high and deep to either corner or down-the-middle. It doesn't give your opponent a lot of time to prepare and respond. It can be a challenging ball to hit if you're stretched.

 

[LeeD]

Every shot should depend on what you CAN do vs what you are not good at doing.
If you can't volley, better for for a outright winner.
If you can't cover overheads, don't get too close to the net.
If you have no touch, don't go for drop angles.

 

[ByeByePoly]

When you are slicing back the drop shot, you should not be going for power. Instead, think of it as an approach shot and prepare for the volley. Try to hit deep with backspin so the ball stays low.

Also, you should work on this footwork (I call it a karaoke step) so you can move forward from the slice and into a volley position.

(also, if someone is drop shotting you a lot, position yourself closer to the base line so you can get to the drop shot easier/faster.)

I did a lot of following my slice to the net ... but don't think I ever did that. For one thing... your weight is already on the front right leg ... seems my left leg just comes around and takes the next step. That said ... never really watched myself on video with the slice approach.

It looks like Edberg did ... or at least close. I only looked at his first 3 slice approaches in the video below ... but @01:44 he brings his left foot up close to the right ... but does not step past it. Good to see Edberg again ... but the video makes you appreciate HD and slow motion.

@00:34, 00:51, 01:44