Running down a drop shot?

[SageOfDeath]

My brother hits a well disguised drop shot and I was wondering how do you take care of a drop shot? I try to run down the drop shot as fast as I can but by the time I get to the ball its almost too low to hit and when I do it goes into the net.

My question is what should you do? Should you anticipate the shot better, run faster?

 

[jasonbourne]

Anticipation and careful watch of his body preparation are a couple things to do. However, be sure not to stay far behind the baseline, which tempts him to do that. Or if that is your strategy, then prepare for the sprint to the ball.

 

[krnboijunsung]

Considering he's your brother, you probably play alot with him. You should get used to or find out what he does to get ready to hit a dropshot. No matter how good the disguise, preparing for a normal groundstroke and preparing for a dropshot will have its differences, and you just have to find it.

And shuffle your feet around and be ready to run it down before the ball gets over the net. There isn't much else anyone can say other than get used to when he's hitting the dropshots, and getting to it faster by anticipating faster.

 

[jimiforpres]

If you are trying to return it with topspin then you'll never get it out of the net unless it isn't a very good drop shot. If you aren't already doing this, just chip it back. Doing sprints won't hurt either.

 

[fist pump]

just think about it - running down a drop shot is one thing and where to hit or place it is another.

a good opponent really can get your return back easily if you dont go for a high risk good placement shot.

do you return it easily without placement or do you place it but it will be a hrad shot ????

 

[AngeloDS]

Don't put him in the position of doing a dropshot .

 

[zAllianceBmx]

is it just me? or does anyone else enjoy running to those drop shots. i pretty much always get there. even though it feels like im not going to make it, my racquet just makes it and it puts the opponent off guard..

 

[SageOfDeath]

Don't put him in the position of doing a dropshot .

Easier said than done he is much better than me. More consistant, a lot more powerful, better footwork, just at a different level. I wanted him to teach me how to hit a drop shot but I haven't played him again yet.

I hit a crosscourt forehand and then he got in position to hit his shot, his takeback was the same but then he hit and I wasn't paying attention to his finish, just the approaching ball. The ball seemed slower than most of his shots and then dipped right over the net.

I guess I should have been able to anticipate it when I saw him slicing on his forehand which he usually doesn't do. But he can do a drop shot on his backhand too and he has, of course, a slice backhand so I never can tell if its going to be a deep slice or a drop shot.

 

[dakels]

While anticipation, watching the body language on a shot, and better court positioning all help you with drop shots, as stated, running them down successfully generally often helps intimidate your opponent from doing it alot. If you feel a drop shot coming you should step inside the baseline. At worst you just have to step back a foot or 2 to deal with a groundy. Most players telegraph a drop shot more then you might think. Look for it. Also, a bad drop shot is a terrible position for them to be in, make them realize this better by practicing some close net drills (sharp angle chips, agressive topspin flicks, etc). Stand at the baseline and have someone chip feed balls from the service line or hand toss balls just over the net and run for them.

 

[finchy]

one way to negate his drop shot is to take it away by rushing the net.

 

[Tennis Ball Hitter]

One thing I have learnt from playing one of my friends is that if you do get to a drop shot poke it [no spin] so that the net clearence is very low. This means you can run to the drop shot with the racquet out in front.

The low net clearence ensures low bounce so you wont be completely on the back foot for the next shot, it also means it will be short and your opponenet has to hit the shot while running in [he will be in a better position than you because he should have anticipated your drop shot]. I use to try topspin alot, most went into the net and those that did go over [with low net clearence] would bounce up meaning my friend would have more time and ball bounce to hit it for a winner.

 

[goober]

Just tell him "Be a man, don't use that wussy shot!"

 

[krnboijunsung]

Any tip given here will sound real easy to do. It's easy to come to a message board and tell the guy to "just run to it faster", "anticipate it right when your opponent takes the backswing", but it just comes down to getting used to it. So I advise you to keep playing your brother. There's nothing better than practice. Just get used to it the situation of a greatly disguised drop shot.

Everyone's tips here will be the same, which is to find the difference between the backswing of a normal groundstroke and the preparation for a dropshot, so you can get ready for it faster. A good player knows where the shot will go and what type of shot it will be right after the moment of contact of the opponent's racquet.

 

[SageOfDeath]

Will do, but do you think the differences of a groundstroke and a drop shot will vary from player to player or will they make telegraph nearly the same thing when they are about to hit a drop shot?

 

[kevhen]

Sometimes you just have to stick your racquet out in front and soft hit the dropshot back. If you can get a racquet on it, you can get the ball over, but you do need to adjust your swing and sort of scoop the ball out as you catch it just before it bounces a second time. You don't need to take much of a swing, sort of a half volley with the racquet in front of your body with just enough oomph to get the ball over the net.

 

[mucat]

Will do, but do you think the differences of a groundstroke and a drop shot will vary from player to player or will they make telegraph nearly the same thing when they are about to hit a drop shot?

I am thinking this outloud, so...
It is of course different from player to player. But if you think about it, a player can only disguise the backswing (so the best disguise the backswing will be the same for his groundies and dropshot), the foward swing will be different for dropshot and groundies. However, most players' disguise are not prefect, so you can usually read the dropshot during his backswing or latest during his forward swing.