Honestly I was tired of losing point after point just ’cause my dropshots sucked. Every time I tried that sneaky soft shot near the net? Either flew way too high or dove straight into the net. Felt like throwing my racket sometimes, man. Then I dug up these three practice tips online and figured I’d test ’em myself.
First: Stop Hammering the Ball
I walked onto the court thinking “harder hits mean better shots” like an idiot. Grabbed a basket of balls, stood midcourt, and just started whacking forehand volleys toward the service line. Half went long, half hit the tape. Total mess. Then I switched it up like Tip 1 said—started tapping the ball super gentle, like just letting it bounce off the strings. Focused on keeping my wrist floppy loose, almost lazy. Shocked how the ball suddenly landed exactly near the net tape.
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What changed?
- Relaxed my death grip on the handle
- Made contact high when the ball was falling
- Pretended I was catching an egg, not smashing a bug
Second: Tiny Steps Save the Day
Always thought footwork meant big fancy lunges. So wrong. Tried those giant steps to chase a backhand drop shot? Tripped over my own feet twice. Embarrassing. Tip 2 said: “use baby steps right before hitting.” Forced myself to take 3-4 tiny hops right as the ball approached. Felt weird at first—like tip-toeing—but suddenly my positioning wasn’t trash anymore. Could actually control where the ball went.
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Key moves I drilled:
- Stutter-stepped sideways when opponent swung
- Set feet wide and stable like a squat before swinging
- Stopped running through shots like a headless chicken
Third: Actually Taking Breaks
Used to grind nonstop for an hour thinking more reps = faster results. Sweat buckets but still missed routine shots by minute 20. Tip 3 was dumb simple: rest every 15 minutes. Set my phone timer, practiced serving for 15 mins, then sat down for 5. Drank water, stretched my shoulder. Went back in—boom. Consistency shot way up. Didn’t realize how much fatigue messed up my form till I tried this.
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Break routine:
- Hydrated—actually drank water not just splashed my face
- Shadow-served without a ball to check posture
- Shook out my legs like wobbling noodles
Three weeks later? Played a match and pulled off four clean dropshots that my opponent didn’t even chase. Felt unreal. Still gotta practice regular but those tiny changes? Night and day difference, swear.