Hey, I am 5 feet tall. I have trouble doing overhead drops. I stand in the back around the baseline when I practice. Sometimes for some reason it just doesn't go over the net. Its pretty common that its doesn't go over. So its 50/50, like luck. I don't think I am ready for the slice dropshots yet. I also do not jump, I don't think I am ready for that yet. But it is weird, I can do smashes. And it goes over the net most of the time when I smash. But I cannot do the same with overhead drops. Isn't it just the same thing but slower? Any ideas on what I am doing wrong? I also know there is other threads on this, but I didn't find one that the problem was similar to mine. They were all about slices. I'm right handed.
put more pace on the shot. a lot of people like to try and make the drop as tight as possible, and end up not giving it enough distance to even get across the net. so play it with a bit more pace to begin with, then start trying to get better. make sure you're playing with the same type of stroke as you are smashing.
I think you should play a drop shot the same as a smash, with a few differences. 1. Do not pronate your arm as much; instead make it a little stiffer. 2. Put in a little less energy in the stroke. Correct me if I'm wrong.
If I understand you correctly, then your problem is about achieving a basic, slow drop shot that falls fairly close to the net. You're not doing anything complicated, such as trying to be ultra-deceptive or use slice. If so, then I think it's almost certainly a psychological issue. I'm sure you are capable of getting the shuttle to fall gently over the net; but something stops you. Most likely, you are trying to play an extremely tight drop shot -- one that almost trips the tape. This leaves you no margin for error, so your stroke will be inconsistent. If you really aim to hit the tape, then about half your shots should go over, and the other half should fall short. You need to aim your drop shots to go higher than the tape. Then some will go yet higher than you aim, and others will be very tight, but few will fall short. Another interesting question is: why are you doing this? What makes you try for such a tight shot? Perhaps you are just a perfectionist, and believe aiming for the tape is the right way to train -- so eventually, once you get good enough, your drops will be perfect. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like this. You will be better aiming for about 70-90% consistency first, and only after you achieve this trying to play a tighter shot. Having said that, you should also allow yourself practice times for experimenting with "crazier" stuff, without worrying about your success rate; but this should not be the bulk of your practice. Perhaps you are being forced to play extremely tight drop shots, because your opponent is attacking the looser ones with net kills or tight spinning net shots. If so, he's already won that battle: by forcing you to play without a sensible margin of error, he'll win 50% of those rallies without even trying (you hit it into the net for him). If your opponent is pressuring you in this way, then it could just be that he's too good. Alternatively, you may making a poor tactical choice: playing a slow drop shot at the wrong time. A slow drop lands somewhere between the net and the front service line. This is great if your opponent reaches it late, because he will be forced to lift very high -- probably still not reaching the baseline -- or play a dicey hairpin net shot. But if your opponent reaches the slow drop early, taking the shuttle near the tape, then you're in trouble. Here, the tightness of your drop shot works against you: it allows him to play a very tight, spinning net shot in return! Against a fast player, slow drops are normally a bad idea. He will take them practically off the tape. You should reserve them for when he is out of position and will be late to the shuttle -- then they become deadly attacking shots. A fast drop shot lands about the front service line or slightly further back. You hit these faster and more directly downwards, rather than slow and loopy. The advantage is that the shuttle will pass the net before your opponent can reach it, and he will have to hit from low down. It is nearly impossible to play a good spinning net shot off a fast drop. The disadvantage is that he doesn't have to move as far forwards, because the shuttle is falling farther into his court. This means his lifts can be more shallow and attacking. Most of the time, in doubles or singles, your drop shots should be fast. The service line is a good target. Only use the high-risk, high-reward slow drops when your opponents are out of position.
It could also be a case of having your basics wrong! Starting from your grip to the way you execute the stroke, your standing stance and stability, your footwork, your backswing, the contact point, the weight transfer and the follow through. Since you are short, did you maximize your height by hitting the shuttle at its highest point or instead you bend your waist too much, and/or you also bend your elbow when hitting the bird? Or you let the bird get past you and you have to hit it from an arched position? Hitting from the baseline requires more power but not the kind of power you need to do a smash or a drive. The trajectory is different, more akin to a loop instead of a straight line and you need a softer touch for a drop shot. As you have been reminded, don't try to just clear the tape always. Give yourself more room, never mind if the shuttle travels higher than the tape and falls beyond the short service line at first. Through practice, you'll learn to adapt and get a better feel of how to do a better drop each time.
since you say you can do a smash pretty well, i strongly suggest you try doing the FAST drop first, instead of the SLOW drop. (kindly refer to Gollum's post on this). the fast drop is almost like a smash, execute it the way you would with a smash, but use a slower swing speed just before the time of contact. for me i'd usually do a little slice, in that way it adds to deception and significantly reduce the hitting force at the same time gollum is right that the fast drop is used most of the time, but the key point is if you are sure that by the time your opponent reaches the shuttle, it has falled below net height, then the slow drop is a good choice
Thanks! Also for footwork do you shuffle or karaoke step? Or both? And you run back to middle right and you run to the front when your in the back, getting ready for a net drop, but the last step is always shuffling? I see pros do shuffling most of the time, but I see other people karaoke.
Also you are right! My brother is pretty good so whenever I train with him in drops, he always either don't hit it when its too "high" or smash it. So it usually does barely go over. And he yells TOO HIGH WHAT ARE YOU DOING! But he doesn't care when it hits the net.
