How To Hit Your Backhand 3rd Shot Drop On A Dime

Hi, welcome to Primetime Pickleball. My name is Nicole Havlicek. In today's video we're going to show you how to hit a backhand third shot drop. We'll also cover a simple yet powerful progressive drill you can use to work on it. Here's Jordan to show us how it's done. Hi, welcome to Primetime Pickleball. My name is Jordan Briones and today we're going to go over the backhand third shot. A lot of people struggle with this. Their forehand comes a lot more natural and is a lot easier, but we're going to go over the backhand third shot, how to hit it, and also the footwork, and also just how to make it easier and to be in a good position. One thing I like to do when I'm starting off helping people with their third shot is I really want you to realize that it's not like a ground stroke. It's not like a swing. It's a control shot that you're hitting making sure you're you're stopped and set and ready and it's a nice smooth low to high motion just like a dink and it's very similar to a dink. I'm going to show you kind of just how that works. Me and Danny are going to dink right here and there's a few components that are really important when you're hitting a backhand dink or a backhand third shot. We're going to start low and then we're going to end high. It's a push motion and we're lifting up on the ball making sure that we clear that net. That's the number one thing that we want to do especially when we're hitting shots from the baseline. Third shot drops from the baseline. We really want to clear that net and get that arc up and over. I have a continental grip and I'm going to start right here. I'm not starting way behind my body. I'm going to start right around here and I'm going to lift up in a smooth motion and hit that ball and lift that ball up. You'll notice I'm not going to flick my wrist. I'm not using a lot of wrist and you'll notice my paddle is stable and my paddle face is open. It's not closed like this because I'm not going to get that arc over the net. Let's take a few dinks here Danny. Backhand dinks. I'm making sure that I contact the ball out in front and also that I'm keeping my eye on the ball. As you notice it's not a swing. This is a drill that I like to do that you can really work on your third shot drop on the backhand side. When you're starting off you don't have a lot of control especially from that far. This drill is really going to help you and you can kind of see how my foot work and how I move back. Danny, I'm going to hit two shots from right here. Two backhand dinks and then I'm going to move back. Then hit two from that position. Here we go. One. Making sure I get that arc over the net. Two. Take a step back. One. Two. Step back. One. Two. Really trying to get that arc and clear the net. If it's a little deep it's okay. Two. One. Two. Back here. One. Two. There's a few things that I just want to highlight. I'm making sure that my feet are in position. When I'm up here dinking I don't have time because the kitchen line here and the non-volley zone line I'm not stepping in because I need to really hold my ground and make sure I'm in position. The further back I move I think it's easier and you're more balanced of hitting a third shot with with your right leg forward. So if you're a right-handed player if you're hitting a backhand I'm stepping in with my momentum trying to making sure I'm hitting in front of me. I'm stepping in my weight's leaning forward. All the time if you're ever moving back or leaning back on the third shot you're going to lose control. That's really important to know so that you're always leaning forward on your third shot and your contact point is always out in front. Notice also that I'm not flicking my wrist. It's nice and smooth as I move back. Let's try it again. My weight's moving forward. Here we go. Out in front. My right foot is out in front of me as I hit it. Really making sure I'm trying to arc that ball. If it's a little deep it's okay. We're just working on the stroke here and as you get back further it should look the same. As you notice I'm really moving my feet. I don't want to be reaching way too far and I don't want to hit it way close to my body because the most control I have is right here in front. You really got to make sure you move your feet and get in position. If you do this drill as you notice he's hitting really easy balls. Then as you progress and get better he could really put more pace and more spin on the ball. When you're just starting out you really want to make sure that you have your your stroke and technique down. Then you'll progress and get better and your partner could feed harder balls. Hope this helped. Go out there and practice with a partner on your third shot making sure that you're in position and you're not leaning back. Always making sure that contact point is out in front. That low to high motion and I'm not flicking my wrist. My paddle is stable and going from low to high. Hope this helped. Thanks for watching this video. If you like this share it with a friend and we'll see you in the next video. If you enjoyed this video please give it a like. Thanks for watching. For more pro player pickleball secrets to help you play your best game please visit primetimepickleball.com. You'll find a clickable direct link in the video description below. But before you head on over there please be sure to subscribe to our channel so you don't miss out on any of our future videos.