How to Respond to the Perfect Drop

Every once in a while someone will lay it on you ... the perfect drop.

The ball floats toward you, just out of reach in the air but still nearly lands on your shoelaces.

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You're forced to awkwardly play it on the short hop or as a volley from your ankles. You're caught in a vulnerable position but still want to maintain an advantage in the point by keeping your opponent back.

Well, it's probably too late. Your court position advantage is gone. Unless of course, your opponent stopped at the bathroom on their way to the kitchen.

Selkirk Coach Mark Price explains how to respond to the perfect drop in a new video.

Price suggests you dink the ball cross-court and shallow. You're at risk of the other team closing in on a high ball if you try to put the ball too deep in the court.

Sending the ball cross-court gives the player in front of you less of a chance to jump on a high ball or poach.

This shot allows your opponent to easily reach the kitchen line but it keeps you safe from a potentially point-ending mistake. It happens often at higher levels and is also known as "conceding the kitchen."

But you don't have to settle.

Although one drop might have been perfect, it doesn't mean the next one will be. You can make the feat more difficult by adjusting.

• Make sure you're up to the line with your knees bent to allow a further reach into the kitchen. Perhaps what you thought was out of reach was just bad form on your part. Even a mediocre volley can halt their approach and make them hit another shot from deep in the court.
• If you decide to let it bounce, then decide early. Step back so the ball can reach a more comfortable height off the bounce. This will take the pressure off your next shot and might even open up the opportunity to speed up at a player who is still on the move.