Is your tennis drop shot technique messy? Want to look like the pros but don’t know how? Try my best drop shot tip to improve the quality and consistency of your drop shot tennis.
The tip is simple, hold the finish. When you complete your drop shot stroke, hold the racquet at the finish, while your feet start to recover. Once the ball crosses the net, then you can release the finish back to the ready position. It is as simple as that.
Tennis Consistency Tips for a Better Drop Shot
One of the best tennis consistency tips I can give you for tennis drop shot technique is to focus on holding the finish. This is not a new concept, for those of you that have watched some of my other videos. Just like I teach on the groundstrokes, volleys, and returns you should focus on holding the finish of your drop shot. The reason why I heavily emphasize holding the finish of your shot is because it improves the quality of your shot.
So what does “holding the finish” look like? As you recover from your drop shot, you hold the racquet in place from the finish of the shot. You still hold the finish until the ball crosses over the net. Don’t swing and pull the racquet down immediately. Clearly define the hold with your tennis follow through to make sure you are doing it correctly. The good news is, these tennis consistency tips apply to both your forehand and the backhand tennis drop shot technique.
Last but not least, when you finish your drop shot, be sure that you are holding the proper position. The path of the racquet should flow across your body to contact the inside of the ball. On your backhand drop shot, your non-dominant hand should extend away from your body, but be sure not to over exaggerate this motion. Follow my tennis consistency tips, and you will get more drop shots over and in the court.
Common Tennis Drop Shot Technique Mistakes
Yes, you can hold the tennis follow through of the drop shot too long. However, this is harder to do on a drop shot because the ball is moving slower than a typical groundstroke. Because of this, you will have more time. Be sure to hold the racquet at the finish as you are recovering, but once the ball crosses the net, you can return the racquet to your regular ready position.
It is very important that you understand this concept for your drop shot. Holding the finish keeps you accountable for following through correctly on your groundstroke. It will also make your swing path smoother, increase your consistency, and overall improve the quality of your drop shot.
Another common mistake I see more so with the backhand tennis drop shot technique is a big, over emphasized finish. How many times have you heard the phrase, “separate your hands?” I think that on a tennis backhand slice, coaches spend too much time emphasizing the hand separation, and it becomes an over exaggerated motion. If you take a look at my tennis follow through in the picture above, my non-dominant hand is extending away from my body, but not nearly close to the 90 degree angle implied by “separate your hands.” Try keeping your non-dominant hand closer to your body on your tennis follow through to keep it controlled and consistent.
Conclusion
Now that you know my dos and don’ts of tennis drop shot technique, go out and practice. The key to tennis consistency tips is consistency. During your practice, remember to hold the finish of your drop shot, swing across your body with a neutral wrist, and don’t over exaggerate the tennis follow through. Soon, with focused practice your tennis drop shot technique will start looking like the pros.
By Jeff Salzenstein, Founder Tennis Evolution
Jeff is a former top 100 ATP player and USTA high performance coach committed to helping players and coaches all over the world improve” at the end of the blog.
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