Where should you target your placement for a drop? Placement of a drop can be important to give yourself an advantage in achieving your goal of neutralizing your opponents. Here are some basic strategies to improve your placement of your drop:

1. Look Crosscourt – Try targeting your drops crosscourt. Crosscourt drops give you more room for error because (a) the trajectory of the pickleball will be over the middle part of the net, which is the lowest part of the net; (b) the pickleball has a longer distance to travel, so you will have more time to get to the Non-Volley Zone or Kitchen Line; and (c) you will have more court space to work with, as you will have a wider angle of the Non-Volley Zone or Kitchen to place your drop.

2. Go Down the Middle – As mentioned above, the lowest part of the pickleball net is down the middle. By hitting your drop down the middle of the court, you will have a lower net by about two inches. You will also have much more room for error, as you will probably will not hit the drop out of bounds. Lastly, you will hopefully cause confusion or fighting between your two opponents over who will take the shot by hitting the pickleball between them.

3. Isolate the Weaker Opponent – If the ability levels of your two opponents differs, consider isolating the weaker opponent to give your team an advantage. To isolate the weaker opponent, target the weaker opponent with shots, including the drop.

Key Takeaways:

1. Look crosscourt with the drop, as there is more room for error and more time for you and your partner to get to the Non-Volley Zone or Kitchen Line.
2. Go down the middle with the drop, as there is more room for error, since the net is at its lowest point.
3. Use your drop to isolate and target the weaker opponent.