The Third Shot Drop in Pickleball: When, Why and How to Hit It

October 16, 2026

If you play doubles, you have probably lived this rally. You serve, they return deep, and suddenly both opponents are standing at the kitchen line while you and your partner are stuck at the baseline. Every ball comes back at your feet.

The third shot drop is built for exactly that moment. Here is why it exists, what a good one looks like, and a simple way to practice it.

The third shot drop in 30 seconds

It is the serving team's first shot after the return, so it is the third shot of the rally.
It is a soft shot from the back of the court that lands in your opponents' kitchen.
Its job is to buy you time to move forward to the kitchen line yourself.

Better Pickleball coach CJ Johnson calls the drop "one of the most challenging pickleball shots to hit consistently" in his third shot drop drill guide. So if yours keeps finding the net, you are in good company.

Why it exists: the two-bounce rule and the kitchen

Two rules set the whole thing up.

The two-bounce rule. The official USA Pickleball rulebook (Rule 10.A) says: "The serve and the return of serve must each bounce before being returned." In plain terms:

You serve, and the receiver must let it bounce.
They return, and your team must let that one bounce too.
Only from the third shot on can anyone volley.

That rule pins the serving team near the baseline at the start of every rally. The receiving team, meanwhile, can return and walk straight up to the net.

The kitchen. The rulebook describes the non-volley zone as the area that "extends 7 feet from the net on each end of the court, within which a player is not allowed to hit the ball out of the air before it bounces." Players cannot volley while standing in that zone, so a soft, low ball aimed there is hard for them to attack. Our kitchen rules guide covers the zone in full, and our serve rules guide explains how the rally starts.

Put those together and the logic of the drop is simple. A soft ball that drops into the kitchen is hard to attack from the net, which gives you a moment to move up.

Drop or drive: what each shot is trying to do

You do not have to drop every third shot. Many players also hit a harder "drive". This table sets out what each shot is aiming for, so you can think about the choice. It is a description, not a coaching rule.

	Third shot drop	Third shot drive
Speed	Soft	Hard
Target	Your opponents' kitchen	Deep, low through the court
Goal	Make them let it bounce, so you can move forward	Force a weak reply
What goes wrong	Too high and it can be attacked; too low and it finds the net	It can come straight back at you

Better Pickleball sums up the drop's risk: one that floats is "easily smashed at your feet", so the goal is an "unattackable" drop that lands low in the kitchen. Its drill guide adds that the shot "requires touch to execute successfully".

Stance and swing: three fixes from Better Pickleball

CJ Johnson's Three Quick Fixes To Your Third Shot Drop names three common mistakes. Here is what the article suggests, in short:

Lift, don't drive. Many players set up the drop "like a traditional groundstroke". Instead, Better Pickleball says to start "with your paddle down and out in front, then gently lift through the ball", thinking about net clearance and a soft landing in the kitchen.
Keep the backswing compact. Too much backswing adds energy, so the ball can "pop up or travel too far". The article's fix: "Your paddle should not go behind your body." Its summary is "Short, soft, and controlled."
Loosen your grip. The article calls tension "the enemy of touch" and suggests aiming for "a 3 or 4" on a grip pressure scale of 1 to 10.

A fresh Tacky Pro overgrip is handy when you are holding the paddle loosely; the listing describes a "secure hold". For more on grip, see our grip tips for better control, and if your soft shots tend to sail, read why am I popping the ball up?

After the drop: move up, and be ready to go again

The drop is a bridge, not a winner. Its value is the time it buys you to move forward toward the kitchen line with your partner.

It will not always work. Sometimes you need another soft shot before you get all the way in. The drill below practices exactly that.

A drill progression: from dink to drop

This is the first drill in Better Pickleball's third shot drop series. The idea, in CJ Johnson's words, is to use "a skill you already have to develop a new one": the dink.

How it works (paraphrased from Better Pickleball):

Both players start dinking at the non-volley zone line.
One player stays at the net.
The other takes a couple of steps back toward the baseline each time they land a dink in the kitchen.
Once they reach the baseline, they work their way back in.
After a miss, go back to the kitchen line and start again.

Make it easier or harder (also from Better Pickleball):

Easier: the player at the net feeds cooperative balls that are easy to return to the kitchen.
Harder: the player at the net hits harder and at the feet.

Better Pickleball also suggests setting aside "10-15 minutes before playing" for this drill. When moving back from the kitchen, the article stresses picking up your feet rather than shuffling.

Set up to practice

A Cannonballz Outdoor 50-pack gives you plenty of 40-hole outdoor balls in a fluorescent optic-ember color.
No court nearby? The Pro Portable Net is 22 ft wide, has an alloy steel frame and comes with a carry bag, so a driveway session is possible.

For more touch drills, see our 9 drills to improve your pickleball control and top 4 skills that improve your pickleball game.

Gear for a soft game

No paddle hits a drop for you. Practice does that. But if you are choosing a paddle and lean toward a soft, patient game, here is what the listings say.

Carbon Flow Foam: a Gen4, 16 mm paddle with a solid EPP foam hitting zone and a full EVA perimeter ring, with "no honeycomb". The listing calls EPP "the material of choice for control". It also comes in blue.
GhostX: a Gen4, 16 mm paddle with an MPP10 foam center and an EVA halo. The listing describes it as the "lowest swing weight in the range".

Orders over $215 ship free.

Quick FAQ

Is the third shot drop a rule? No. The rule is the two-bounce rule. The drop is a strategy that grows out of it.

Can I volley the return of serve? No. Under the two-bounce rule, the serving team must let the return bounce.

Do I have to drop every third shot? No. Many players mix drops and drives. The table above shows what each is trying to do.

Can my opponents volley my drop? Not while they are in the kitchen. If they stand behind the line, they can take it out of the air, which is why a low drop matters.