[HKz]

In my opinion, the dropshot is one of the most underrated and least used tactics in the junior game. It seems like I'm one of the few players that ever uses it in my USTA division. I've rarely seen any other top USTA player use it and even at all the college matches I go out and watch, only a few players ever use it at all.

The dropshot is such a great shot!
1. Makes your opponent run.
2. Opens up for an easy passing shot if you dropshot the person into one corner.
3. You can lob the ball to both win the point and make your opponent run even more.
4. Strains your body less since you are't hitting a huge shot to try to end the point.
5. It is easier to hit than a big shot if you are close to the net, especially if you have good feel.

How come people don't use it more often? Some of my friends tell me that they don't use it because of how "unmanly" it is compared to groundstrokes, which is totally absurd reasoning.

 

[Bernard Black]

Hey HKz, I've noticed you've replied to lots of threads in this forum. Way to go, I guess you're taking your tennis seriously, and seem to be giving some sound advice too.

You raise a good point here. In my area of the UK, very few juniors use the drop shot, it's more of an old folks shot. Here are the only reasons I can think of why this is the case:

1) As you point out, it is seen as more macho to be able to hit winners with power rather than finesse.

2) In some cases, and especially if over-used, it can be seen as having poor etiquette (similar to hitting repeated lobs rather than going for passing shots), though I don't agree with this.

3) It's a confidence shot - play one or two bad ones, and it can really put you off using the shot for a long time, especially if you hit it deep and your opponent pounds it for an easy winner. You really need to be confident to use it effectively.

 

[HKz]

Hey HKz, I've noticed you've replied to lots of threads in this forum. Way to go, I guess you're taking your tennis seriously, and seem to be giving some sound advice too.

You raise a good point here. In my area of the UK, very few juniors use the drop shot, it's more of an old folks shot. Here are the only reasons I can think of why this is the case:

1) As you point out, it is seen as more macho to be able to hit winners with power rather than finesse.

2) In some cases, and especially if over-used, it can be seen as having poor etiquette (similar to hitting repeated lobs rather than going for passing shots), though I don't agree with this.

3) It's a confidence shot - play one or two bad ones, and it can really put you off using the shot for a long time, especially if you hit it deep and your opponent pounds it for an easy winner. You really need to be confident to use it effectively.

Thanks for replying. The "poor etiquette" or so is especially true with the girls in my area as they see the dropshot, especially the dropshot/lob combo, as a bad/mean way to win a point but I don't see how it can be because you make your opponent move left to right by hitting groundstrokes while at the same time lobs and dropshots just make them move forward and backwards.

Using the dropshot excessively would be quite "lame" so I probably do not recommend that tactic (plus your opponent could just be waiting for a dropshot and unleash on it when you try to pull it off). I like to use dropshots whenever my opponent has extra pressure in order to give them even more problems to deal with. For example, I will usually throw in a dropshot when I have some sort of game point, break point, set point or match point. The dropshot is also quite useful in tiebreaks when it is most stressful and when your opponent is most vulnerable to being stunned mentally.

The confidence aspect of dropshots is quite demanding. For example, I have noticed that the players who do try to dropshot their opponents, they try to dropshot too precisely in order to try to end the point right then and there. This of course can lead to misses since it has a high margin for error and it can lead to them not having a backup plan in case their opponent does reach the dropshot in time since they don't expect their opponent to reach it. So what I do in order to remove this potentially confidence blocker is to take a few precautions when executing the dropshot:

1. I try to think that I'm going to win the point with the shot after the dropshot in order to not become pressured into trying to hit a perfect dropshot.
2. Instead of hitting the ball in a very short arc over the net, I hit with a bigger arc but instead put more backspin on the ball in order to compensate. While this does increase the chance that my opponent can get to the ball a little, in return I get a higher percentage that the ball won't hit the net.

 

[Kolya]

Pulling off a good drop shot requires a lot of skill and touch.

It is also important to choose the right moment.

There is a lot of risk playing the dropshot, if you stuff it up, the point is over.

 

[GlennMirnyi]

Dropshots aren't used that much because when pressure comes, using touch is much harder, so there's a tendency to simplify and just avoid a dropshot, especially because if you miss it, you lose the point either at the net or because the guy will get an easy putaway.

 

[stebs]

Dropshots aren't used that much because when pressure comes, using touch is much harder, so there's a tendency to simplify and just avoid a dropshot, especially because if you miss it, you lose the point either at the net or because the guy will get an easy putaway.

:yeah: You get a lot of headcases going for dropshots at big moments and it usually costs them.

 

[AviramDj]

In juniors a drop-shot is a hard shot to make due to the demend of touch needed to create a good drop .
PLus its only good till a certain point. this days juniors age 12 to 16 hit in such strength which doesnt enable much room for dropshots .
add to that the fact that most juniors at a good level can reach any drop shot with no effort .
Drop shots today are unfortunately less common due to the speed of the game but are great on clay .
I teach my students btw to drop shot well but they just dont seem to like using that shot . they always prefer the heavy top spin instead .

 

[Machiavelli]

I mostly play on clay in Croatia, and the dropshot is one of my favourite shots, i love to go to the net, IMO i have good touch which you need to have if you want to be able to play a good dropshot; i play often slice on my bekhand, so with the time i developped excellent feeling for my bekhand dropshot.....

I am very disappointed with todays tennis; looking at the american and russian men and women which prefer to play drive volleys instead of plain and simple good old volleys; and not to mention that the majority of the players (russian women, or american men) are not able to play a dropshot; one of the reasons is that they grow up on hardcourts, and that their tennis coach's do not prefer to teach them that shot; sometime when your opponent is way beyond the baseline the perfect weapon is the dropshot but too many players do not us it because their dropshot gets too long and they play it like crap, if you rarely hit a dropshot, of course you are not going to be able to hit one when you need it..............

 

[Action Jackson]

The dropshot is a great shot when used at the right time, but since the OP is in the US and most of the tennis is on hardcourts, it's definitely a lot more difficult to execute.

Also it depends on where it's played from and if a player has poor hands and feel, then their dropshots are going to be wooden.

 

[HKz]

I don't know, I guess it must just be me. I find dropshots very effective and I rarely ever lose points where I have used the dropshot. But I mean I see so many players who try to just power the ball over and over into the corners against some very fast and consistent player causing the offensive player to finally mess up. If you watch, the defensive player is so far behind the baseline and he is running so much; if you just pull a short slice, it is going to induce a weak return.