The third-shot drop is hit by the serving team, right after the serve comes back. Your opponents are already standing at their kitchen line, waiting. You are stuck back near the baseline. The drop is a soft, high-arc shot from deep in the court that floats over the net and lands in their kitchen — too soft to attack — and while it travels, you and your partner walk up to your own kitchen line. It turns a bad position into a fair fight.
When you use it
On nearly every third shot, especially when the return is deep and you're pinned back. Beginners often drive the third shot hard instead — but a drive from the baseline at two players set at the net usually comes back faster than it left. The drop is the patient answer: it buys you the four steps that put you where rallies are won.
What it looks like at each level
At 2.5, there is no drop yet — third shots are drives and lobs, and the serving team stays back.
At 3.0, the idea is there but the height isn't: drops land in the net or sit up to be volleyed away.
At 3.5, the arc is reliable — the ball clears the net with room, lands soft, and the serving team reaches the line most rallies.
At 4.0 and up, players mix drops with drives on purpose, so the returning team can never settle into one rhythm.
The mistake almost everyone makes
Hitting it flat. A drop needs height — the ball should peak on YOUR side of the net and fall on theirs. Hit flat and fast, it arrives at net height right where a waiting paddle wants it. The second mistake: standing still to admire a good one. The drop only pays off if your feet move while the ball is in the air.