Tip 02 — The third shot drop isn't optional

If you're serving or returning deep and then storming the net behind a hard drive, you're giving the net team a fast ball to punish. That's why the third shot drop exists.

The idea: from the baseline, hit a soft, arcing shot that lands in the opponents' kitchen and dies low. It buys you time to walk in and join your partner at the net on even footing, instead of racing forward while the ball's still live.

It's a touch shot, not a power shot — think more wrist-relaxed lob than swing. Most players rush this because dropping is less satisfying than driving. Decode it as patience banked for the rest of the point, not a wasted shot.

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