How to Hit Drop Shots (The Ten Commandments)
by: Dave Winship @ On The Line

1. Thou shalt use the drop shot when thy opponent is way behind the baseline (or retreating away from thy target zone).

2. Thou shalt draw a baseliner in to the net - away from his or her comfort zone.

3. Thou shalt tire thy opponent by using the drop shot and following it with a lob.

4. Thou shalt apply some backspin, causing the ball to dip sharply into thy opponent's court and then "die" after it bounces.

5. Thou shalt use the same grip as for thy normal groundstroke (but players using extreme closed grips should change to an Eastern or Continental grip).

6. Thou shalt produce the backspin by using a high-to-low swing (if thou use a high backswing on thy normal groundstrokes, thou shalt develop the art of disguise by preparing thy racket just as thou wouldst for thy normal shot).

7. Thou shalt bring the racket smoothly forwards and downwards, slowing down the swing just before contact, turning thy forearm to open the racket face.

8. Thou shalt strike the ball at the same height as thou wouldst for thy normal groundstrokes - don't let the ball drop too low.

9. After contact, thou shalt continue moving your racket towards thy target area with a smooth and natural follow-through.

10. Thou shalt play the drop shot as an alternative to the approach shot, i.e. when thou art between the baseline and service line, thereby deceiving thy opponent, causing him to blaspheme more outrageously than I have in this article!

Regards.

Dave Winship