The third shot drop: pickleball's most important shot
The “third shot drop” is the most-talked-about shot in pickleball, and once you understand why, you can’t unsee it. Every doubles point in pickleball follows the same pattern: serve, return, third shot. That third shot — the third hit of the rally, made by the serving team after the return bounces — is the moment the entire point gets decided. Get it right and you get to the Kitchen line. Get it wrong and you’re stuck back at the baseline for the rest of the rally.
Why the third shot is special
The two-bounce rule forces the first three shots of every rally to start in a specific way:
- Serve. The server hits from the baseline. Both servers are at the back of the court.
- Return. The receiver lets the ball bounce, then hits a return — typically a deep shot designed to push the serving team further back. The receiving team comes up to the Kitchen line during this shot.
- Third shot. The serving team must let the return bounce, then hit. They’re stuck at the baseline. The receiving team is already at the Kitchen line, paddles up.
That third shot is a structural disadvantage. The serving team is hitting from the back of the court, against two opponents at the net. If they hit a hard, fast shot, the opponents at the net will smash it back. If they hit a soft drop into the opponents’ Kitchen, the opponents can’t attack it (because of the Kitchen rules) and have to hit a soft return — which gives the serving team time to come up to the net themselves.
The third shot drop is the best answer to this structural problem. It’s the shot that turns the disadvantage of being the serving team into a roughly even rally.
What the shot looks like
A textbook third shot drop has three properties:
- It arcs upward. The ball goes up from your paddle in a slow, looping path — not a flat drive.
- It peaks above the net. The high point of the arc is above net height, so the ball is on its way down by the time it crosses.
- It lands in the opponent’s Kitchen. Specifically, the bounce should land somewhere in the 7-foot Non-Volley Zone on the opposite side, so that the opponents can’t volley it.
Think of it like a high, soft moon ball — except aimed at a small target. It’s the opposite of every aggressive instinct you have. The first time you try one, it will feel ridiculous.
Why it’s hard
Three reasons:
The target is small. The Kitchen is 7 feet deep and 20 feet wide. Hitting a softly arcing shot to land inside that box, from 30+ feet away, is genuinely difficult — and the consequences of missing are bad. Land it short (in the net) and you lose the rally. Land it long (past the Kitchen) and the opponent at the net pounces on a high ball.
It requires touch, not power. Most amateur players hit hard. The third shot drop requires a soft, controlled, almost gentle stroke — paddle face open, knees bent, swing through the ball without snapping the wrist.
The opponents are watching for it. Good players at the Kitchen line recognize a third shot drop and adjust. If your drop is even a little high, they’ll hit it down at your feet. If it’s perfect, they have no good option.
How to learn the shot
The single best drill for the third shot drop is this:
- Stand near the baseline.
- Have a partner drop a ball just inside the Kitchen line on your side and softly hit it back to you (a fed dink).
- Let it bounce.
- Hit a third shot drop into the opposite Kitchen.
Repeat fifty times. Then rotate to the other side. Don’t practice it under pressure — practice it under no pressure, because the entire point of the shot is reliability.
You’re trying to develop a feel, not a technique. Most players who get good at this shot describe the same thing: they stop trying to aim and start trying to hit a height. Aim for a peak about 6 feet off the ground over your end of the court, and let the ball fall where it falls. Once the height is right, the depth comes naturally.
When to drop versus when to drive
Not every third shot has to be a drop. There are two other options:
The third shot drive — a hard, flat shot aimed at the body or feet of the opponent at the net. Drives are useful when:
- The return came in short and gave you a fast, easy ball
- The opponents at the net are out of position
- You’re confident you can hit it hard enough to handcuff the volley
The risk with a drive: if the opponents handle it, you’ve fed them a shot that they can put away.
The third shot lob — a high, looping shot over the heads of the opponents at the net. Lobs are useful when:
- The opponents are creeping past the Kitchen line
- You can hit the lob with enough height to clear the smash zone
- You’re playing outdoors with no wind
The risk: a short lob is the worst shot in pickleball. The opponent will smash it back at you.
The default at every level — beginner through pro — is the drop. Drives and lobs are tools you reach for when the situation specifically calls for them.
Common mistakes
- Hitting the drop too low. The shot has to peak above the net. If your peak is below the net, the ball will hit the net.
- Hitting it too hard. The drop is a soft shot. If you’re snapping your wrist or stepping into the ball, you’re hitting too hard.
- Not coming up afterward. The whole point of a drop is to buy time to walk forward. Hit the drop, take three steps forward. Hit the next drop, take three more steps. Don’t stand and admire your shot.
- Trying to be perfect. A good enough drop that lands a few feet past the Kitchen line is fine. Don’t sacrifice consistency to land it right at the line.
Source
The third shot drop is not a rule — it’s a tactic. It’s covered in nearly every pickleball coaching curriculum, and the USA Pickleball coaching certification materials describe it as “the foundational tactical shot of the doubles game.” The shot itself is described in the rules only insofar as the two-bounce rule forces the situation it solves; see The two-bounce rule for the rule it answers.