The Backhand Drop Shot Deconstructed: Key Technical Details

Chris Lewit

In Part 1 (Click Here), we dissected the forehand drop shot. Now let's explore the technique and nuances of the one handed and two handed backhand drop shots. In a third upcoming article I will also share some of my favorite ways to practice soft touch shots.

Grip

The grip is almost always a continental grip although some players use an eastern forehand grip. Though two handed players who have a weak eastern forehand grip with their dominant (lower hand)—sometimes use that grip for executing the drop shot.

A grip closer to eastern forehand can also be purposefully used to get more loft and extreme backspin on drop shots. That type of grip can help cut the ball more and generate swerve. It can also be helpful on very low balls because the grip helps to open the racquet face, adding height to the drop shot to clear the net.

One handed players almost always use their slice backhand grip to make a drop shot and thus avoid any grip changes. No grip change is optimal for disguise. The slicing grip used can vary from player to player and could be from strong continental to composite forehand (1/4 western), to eastern forehand, depending on player preference.

It's helpful for two-handed players to use the same grip with the dominant, lower hand on drop shots that they use for topspin backhands because it also helps with disguise, as will be discussed later.

Preparation

Similar to the forehand drop shot, it's important to really “sell" the fact that the player will be hitting with power and topspin before offering a soft shot instead. This deception will keep the rival from anticipating a short ball.

At high levels of the game where players are extremely fast, disguise is truly paramount. Even for club and recreational players, disguising the drop shot will really add to the success rate.

The most important way to hide the drop shot is by taking the racquet back with two hands on the handle, faking a regular topspin two handed shot. When I'm working with my double handed backhand students on the backhand drop shot, learning to keep both hands on the handle, like they are setting up for a topspin two hander, is really hard to master.

In the beginning, most players will feel more comfortable preparing the drop shot more like a slice backhand. That's okay in the beginning, but all high level players prepare with two hands on the handle rather than the hands spread out on the frame like a slice shot.

For one handers, it's critical to take the racquet back like a normal one handed topspin shot. Players who tilt the racquet towards them during the initial take back will have more disguise than players who do not cock the wrist as much.

The reason is that when the racquet is prepared tilted past 90 degrees it starts to look like a slice preparation. It's an advantage to prepare a topspin one hander this way, but not all elite players do it.

Federer probably has come the closest to tilting the racquet towards his left shoulder in the backswing so that sometimes the opponent cannot tell if he is going to hit a topspin drive, a slice, or a drop shot. Players like Wawrinka for example, who have a more vertical racquet takeback always lack disguise in the backswing between their topspin drive and slice or drop shot—a minor disadvantage.

On the backhand drop shot, another option is to sell the backhand slice in the preparation. The backhand slice looks almost identical in preparation to the backhand drop shot.

Therefore, many players will hit a couple backhand slices deep and then execute the drop shot because the rival cannot tell the difference between the two in terms of preparation. A common pattern seen at all levels is one or two slices cross court and then a drop shot down the line, for example.

The backhand slice to backhand drop shot combination is easier to learn for many club and recreational players and should be one of the first skills and patterns mastered. The disguise is automatically built into the shot because slice and drop shots look similar, and since club players often chip their backhands, it makes sense to make the backhand drop shot a key weapon with a disguised slice preparation.

As players get more adept with the drop shot, they should progress to trying to disguise the drop shot to make it look like a topspin stroke delivery as much as possible!

Backswing

One handed topspin backhand players will typically shift the grip for the drop shot from an eastern or semi-western backhand topspin grip after the preparation phase. The preparation ideally should be identical to the topspin one handed backhand.

The grip shift happens just before the racquet begins to drop and accelerate, just after the unit turn and preparation phase. As mentioned above, if the player can tilt the racquet towards the left shoulder in the backswing phase, that movement will help further hide the player's intentions because with this structure it's possible to hit all three backhand shots: slice, drop shot, and topspin drive with near identical preparations for maximum disguise.

On two handed backhands there is rarely a need for any grip shift at all. The grip should be completely disguised automatically because most two handers use a continental to eastern forehand grip for their dominant hand. The only exception would be for the rare two hander that uses an eastern backhand grip with the dominant lower hand.

Having no grip change needed on the two handed drop shot is yet another plus in a long list of advantages for the two hander vis-à-vis the one hander. Yet the modern one hander is still surviving at the pro level!

The most difficult skill to master for two handed backhand players is probably the left hand slide up the racquet to the throat. That hand slide needs to happen very quickly at the last possible second. Players like Djokovic and Alcaraz make that left hand slide up the racquet throat look fluid and easy.

Some players—especially female players— drop shot with both hands on the handle! This is reminiscent of how some female players hit their backhand volley with two hands. A player who hits a backhand volley with two hands is more likely to feel comfortable hitting the drop shot with two hands as well.

Swing Path, Racquet Speed, and Spin

The swing path can vary from almost straight vertically downwards to near parallel to the ground depending on the height of the ball received. Lower balls are hit with a more linear to mildly angled slope in the swing path. Higher balls are chopped down more and require a more steeply sloped downward swing.

The racquet should accelerate to the ball to impart good backspin. Beginner and intermediate players can focus on blocking the ball with less acceleration, similar to hitting a volley. Using similar technique as a volley with the wrist relatively firm is a great way to build control and reliability in the shot. Toni Nadal recommends this approach for beginners and I agree.

Advanced players will accelerate the wrist and elbow joints to create more backspin and sidespin using the triceps muscle and the muscles of the wrist. An inside out swing path is typical when players try to impart sidespin to the drop shot, which is more common on down the line drop shots than cross court ones. Federer, for example, really chops across the ball and the swing path crosses the body plane.

Finish

The finish varies depending on the height the ball is struck, the tactical intention, and the amount of wrist employed. The finishes can vary depending on the hooking or fading angle, similar to the forehand drop shot as discussed in Part 1. (Click Here.)The follow through will tend to be lower on sharp trajectory downward swing paths at higher contact points.

The angle of the racquet face on impact and on finishes varies from very open to the sky for low height struck balls to closer to more vertically aligned on higher height struck balls.

As mentioned, the most extreme finishes across the body are on inside out spin drop shots. Federer and other pros will often finish down across the body making an inverted windshield wiper movement, which helps to create the inside out sidespin.

This is common and useful on down the line drop shots when the player wants to carom the ball away from the opponent towards the alley (spin away from the opponent). The racquet will sometimes literally point straight down to the ground after impact as the racquet moves across the body with extreme internal shoulder rotation and elbow extension in an inverted windshield wiper movement.

This is a very advanced move as compared to a simple blocking volley type swing path that is mostly traced forward and downward using elbow extension and does not divert as much across the midline of the player.

Djokovic and other two handed backhand players will do the same inverted windshield wiper movement on their drop shots down the line too.

On cross court drop shots, which are generally faded, the severe internal shoulder rotation is not present as compared to down the line drop shots where sidespin is desired.

Footwork Options

Players typically will move through the backhand drop shot to take an advantageous court position. The footwork used to move through the backhand drop shot can be a simple running step or caricoa behind step.

If the player does not want to follow the backhand drop shot forward, he or she will often anchor the back toe with the heel upward. This is the same anchored finish seen on the one handed topspin backhand finish.

Conclusion

Whether players have a one handed or a two handed backhand, the drop shot can give them an edge in baseline rallies. Start by blocking the ball or gently slicing the ball and slowly progress to learning how to accelerate and create more backspin rpm and swerve on the ball. Remember that the best drop shots must be disguised well. Finally, try some of my practice suggestions and exercises to enhance your feel and continental grip skills, coming in the next article!