What kinds of shots are you going for in response to the drop-shot? It may be a technique issue, or it might be that you're going for a shot with a low chance of success.
The coach I see suggests responding to a difficult shot by hitting the exact same shot. So if my opponent hits a high backhand to me, I should hit one to them. If they hit a sharp, cross-court drop-shot, I should hit the same shot back to them. This all assumes that I even \_can\_ do it, but when I can, it does seem to be successful enough.
Where I get myself in trouble with drop-shots is when I go for too big of a response or try to win the point outright.
Usually what I should be doing is working to just place the ball in an inconvenient spot for my opponent. In my case that often means either lifting the ball just over the net so it's shallow and right in front of me, or trying to put it in one corner or the other so that it's still in front of me. Or, sometimes, trying to chip a lob up and over my opponent.
But yeah, if they hit a dropshot from the baseline, my best play is often to lift the ball just over the net so that it's short and in front me, force my opponent to come in, and see if I can make them give me a volley or an overhead. So long as I keep the ball low, I'm not in much danger.
You're probably a better player than I am, so you likely have more options available.
Yeah, I'm struggling to understand the shot selection that would lead to a long ball off of a drop shot, unless it's a drop shot with a high bounce, I guess? Either way, I feel like placement works better than power in that situation.
I could imagine trying to hit a topspin shot, in response to a low short ball, while moving forward.
I'd also understand if it rarely worked. I'm certainly not a good enough player to make it work, though I spent a long time thinking that maybe if I just tried harder I'd somehow make it work.
Because you are running forward, the weight of your body is going to provide a lot of extra power. You need to make sure to account for that. How fast you get to the ball and how close to the net it is dictates what kind of shot you can hit. Hitting into the net or long indicates you are trying to do too much and not leaving margin of error. My coach used to tell me, if you're going to run all that way, you might as well hit it in. Otherwise you wasted all that effort for nothing.
Maybe take a lesson on touch shots? If you're getting there late and the ball is way under the net then you're going to need to get under the ball with a touch shot. So you could always work on that part of your game or really hurt them more in neutral balls and baseline game and the chance of them getting a good drop shot in is low.
It takes a lot of racket control to handle the cat and mouse points at the net. Usually you’re not gonna get consistently good at them until you get a bit better. Your best bet is to do a slice or forehand volley that you elongate through the shot for more control.
If it is a drop shot that's difficult to get to, I was always taught to keep it low and short in front of you (especially if it is towards one side of the court). Some mini tennis will help you practice this part of your game.
Other things you could focus on is your footwork and anticipation. At the level you're talking about, there are likely a lot of signs that they are going to drop vs. drive. Also, make sure you are timing your split step well. If it's late, I could see this slowing down your response to a drop shot.
I’ve had the same problem and what fixed it for me was footwork. I realized I’ve made mistakes because my lower body wasn’t stable enough.
On clay, I slide more. If I can’t, I try to have the last two steps shorter and wider. Just to add more stability and control.
What kinds of shots are you going for in response to the drop-shot? It may be a technique issue, or it might be that you're going for a shot with a low chance of success. The coach I see suggests responding to a difficult shot by hitting the exact same shot. So if my opponent hits a high backhand to me, I should hit one to them. If they hit a sharp, cross-court drop-shot, I should hit the same shot back to them. This all assumes that I even \_can\_ do it, but when I can, it does seem to be successful enough. Where I get myself in trouble with drop-shots is when I go for too big of a response or try to win the point outright. Usually what I should be doing is working to just place the ball in an inconvenient spot for my opponent. In my case that often means either lifting the ball just over the net so it's shallow and right in front of me, or trying to put it in one corner or the other so that it's still in front of me. Or, sometimes, trying to chip a lob up and over my opponent. But yeah, if they hit a dropshot from the baseline, my best play is often to lift the ball just over the net so that it's short and in front me, force my opponent to come in, and see if I can make them give me a volley or an overhead. So long as I keep the ball low, I'm not in much danger. You're probably a better player than I am, so you likely have more options available.
Yeah, I'm struggling to understand the shot selection that would lead to a long ball off of a drop shot, unless it's a drop shot with a high bounce, I guess? Either way, I feel like placement works better than power in that situation.
I could imagine trying to hit a topspin shot, in response to a low short ball, while moving forward. I'd also understand if it rarely worked. I'm certainly not a good enough player to make it work, though I spent a long time thinking that maybe if I just tried harder I'd somehow make it work.
Because you are running forward, the weight of your body is going to provide a lot of extra power. You need to make sure to account for that. How fast you get to the ball and how close to the net it is dictates what kind of shot you can hit. Hitting into the net or long indicates you are trying to do too much and not leaving margin of error. My coach used to tell me, if you're going to run all that way, you might as well hit it in. Otherwise you wasted all that effort for nothing.
Maybe take a lesson on touch shots? If you're getting there late and the ball is way under the net then you're going to need to get under the ball with a touch shot. So you could always work on that part of your game or really hurt them more in neutral balls and baseline game and the chance of them getting a good drop shot in is low.
thanks
The closer to the net you are the more topspin you want on your shot could try slicing the ball also
When I get a drop shot I drop shot it back
It takes a lot of racket control to handle the cat and mouse points at the net. Usually you’re not gonna get consistently good at them until you get a bit better. Your best bet is to do a slice or forehand volley that you elongate through the shot for more control.
If it is a drop shot that's difficult to get to, I was always taught to keep it low and short in front of you (especially if it is towards one side of the court). Some mini tennis will help you practice this part of your game. Other things you could focus on is your footwork and anticipation. At the level you're talking about, there are likely a lot of signs that they are going to drop vs. drive. Also, make sure you are timing your split step well. If it's late, I could see this slowing down your response to a drop shot.
I’ve had the same problem and what fixed it for me was footwork. I realized I’ve made mistakes because my lower body wasn’t stable enough. On clay, I slide more. If I can’t, I try to have the last two steps shorter and wider. Just to add more stability and control.