Playing a Straight Drop Shot in Squash
Straight Drop Shot | Cross-Court Drop Shot | Straight Volley Drop | Cross-Court Volley Drop
A Straight Drop Shot is one of the most beautiful shots in the game. When executed well, it is one of the most dangerous shots for your opponent to face.
It is played low and at a slow pace so that it hits the front wall low down and stays in the front corner tight to the side wall or even into the nick.
It can be played from the front of the court to put pressure on an opponent by forcing them to dart in low to the front corner or it can be played from the back of the court to catch an opponent out, open up the court or for variation.
It can be played both as a Straight Shot and as a Cross-Court Shot.
The Drop Shot is one of the most important shots in the game and should be used frequently when an opponent is behind you in order to apply pressure by forcing them to run and get down low quickly.
Play a good Straight Drop Shot in four quick steps:
- Get down low – Make sure you get down low so that you have more stability and control over the ball.
- High/standard backswing – As you line up for the shot, make sure your racket is in the same position as it would be if you were going to play a Drive or a more powerful shot. This disguises your Drop and prevents your opponent anticipating it easily, while also giving you the flexibility to change your shot late on if need be.
- Open racket – Make sure you have an open racket face. If your grip is correct, you should already have an open racket face but it doesn’t hurt to open it further when playing a Drop shot to add a little more spin. You can read about checking your grip and what an open racket face is here.
- Long connection – Make sure you feel and guide the ball into the corner, keeping the ball in contact with your strings for as long as you can. Do not rush the contact, even if you hit the ball slightly harder than you’d like initially.
→ Check out our other related Short Shots:
Stun | Straight Kill | Cross-Court Kill | Boast | Trickle Boast | Reverse Boast
→ Recommended posts for those looking at Drops:
Going in Short, Topspin Drops, Building Pressure, Hitting the Nine Corners, Following up short shots from the back,