I guess if pushing the drop helps you get started on playing the short shot that is good.  So you are playing this push shot off a ball that is higher than the tin, and a ball that is no more than one metre from the front wall approximately, as well as a bit wide.?  If that is the case the ball would need to hit the nick for sure to be effective.  If it does not hit the nick  (the ball will sit up) your opponent is sure to read the shot.

If you do the push shot, as a drop shot, off a low ball (lower than the tin) and you are outstretched, I think you will have a high error rate; also, especially when you try the shot from further back, say 1m in front ofthe T.

My suggestion is try new ways of doing a short shot, but at the same time do a lot of solo practice on the chipping and slicing of the ball while standing close to the front wall, and then start the chipping along the front wall idea doing about 50 consecutive little chipping, slicing shots until you start to get a good feel for the ball onto your racket.

 

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A guy in my team who I consider to be the expert of drop shots, told me to 'push' the ball, i.e. have a really closed racket face, in order to improve my drop shots. I started to do this, and I have immediately improved my drops, they are now all a lot lower and a good percentage also land in the nick. I am winning a lot of points by doing this.

Although this may be a bit of an unorthodox way of playing the shot, it's something for you to think about.

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adam - while I am trying to feel these drop shots (sitting at the computer that is), I feel little backspin or slice when the ball is really close to the side wall (as the main thing is to get the drop running along the wall, with no angle necessary); and the further the ball gets away from the side wall and the corner, more slice/spin is required to get the angle into the nick.  The closer the ball is to the front wall, less swing is necessary; the further back a full swing is needed to carry the ball the distance into the corner, hence the need for the slice/backspin.

I see the harder shot more like a kill (or dead nick) which is a different type of skill, (usually hit flat and hard) as opposed to the drop. Then sometimes the players do hard short drives from near the front too, a sort of kill drive.

A good way to experiment, is to stand in various parts of the court around the front of the court,  and at the same time visualise where your opponent would be if attempting this particular shot,  drop the ball to bounce at various heights (or throw the ball firstly onto the front wall) and  play some shots into the corners, ie both  soft and hard shots, and  you will  find out a lot about the ball and the bounce, and the type of  hit that will  make a  good  shot. The ultimate aim of course is to be able to play a shot that is difficult for the opponent to return because it is too close to the side wall, too close into the nick, runs along the floor, bounces very little. Yeah?

Try it and let me know how you go.

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But you do not ALWAYS want backspin do you? Especially if you mean to play a firm drop shot, What are the different times that you would need to play more of a soft drop shot??

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adam - I have a problem visualising a drop shot being hit at the top of the bounce, unless you were right there on top of the ball, and cut the ball down hard into the side wall nick.  To do that to a boast I think  it would have to be a very defensive shot (boast) hit high on the front wall, and not a very low atttacking boast scooting away towards the side wall nick.

I am not trying to criticise your suggestion (shot), but talking it through with you.

If your low drops are lollipops it means you are lifting them up with a very flat racket or jabbing at it. This in turn will make the ball bounce far too high when it hits the floor.  Try practicing the drops by cutting/slicing the ball so it gets heaps of underspin. Hit the ball almost as hard as a drive with very little ball contact on the strings, and that will impart a lot of spin which will in turn sit the ball down; when you have got that under control try to angle the shots into the side wall nick.

Give it a go. It is a delicate touch shot.

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It is also best to hit the ball at it's highest point for this especially, Right? That way it will go down and double bounce alot quicker, rather than have to float up, then start coming down and hot the front wall.

 I hate doing those lollipop drop shots.

 E.g, I volleydropped a boast and I was like a foot away from the front wall, had I let it come down and bounce, then hit it, the angles would have been different and it would not have double bounced anywhere near as quick.

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