The 40 Percent Third Shot Beats Power Against Better Teams

• The Dink says a third shot hit at about 40 percent of full swing speed, called a drip, gives recreational players a better chance against stronger teams than a full-swing drive.
• The breakdown comes from a Selkirk TV video by Marshall Brown, according to The Dink.
• The article lists five keys and a simple practice drill: 20 drips in a row from the baseline, then two steps toward the kitchen.

Why Ripping The Third Shot Backfires

You are down against a stronger team and the urge is to rip everything. The Dink published a guide on October 21 that argues for the opposite. Better teams take your pace, add more to it, and hit a winner past your reach.

The article points to a video from Marshall Brown of Selkirk TV, which walks through why a soft drive or hard drop beats a full-swing third shot against stronger opponents. Some players call that shot a drip.

What Is A Third Shot Drip?

The Dink describes the drip as a hybrid between a drive and a drop. It is hit at roughly 40 percent of full swing speed, stays low, lands in the court and gives you time to move forward. It carries more pace than a drop and far less than a drive.

The aim is modest. “The goal is not to win the point on the third shot.” The goal is to reach the kitchen line.

The Cost Of Full-Swing Power

The stronger team uses your pace against you, often with a clean winner. The article names two problems with the full-speed drive: you miss it, or you hand the opponent an easy drive back. It lists four costs of swinging hard:

1. You finish off balance and cannot move forward.
2. Better players absorb your pace and add to it.
3. Your error rate climbs.
4. Your partner gets no time to set up the fifth shot.

The Five Keys

The first key is speed. “Swing at about 40 percent.” The coach in the video uses that figure as a mental dial.

The second key is balance. Stay balanced through contact so you finish able to move. The third is height. Keep the ball low over the net, dipping toward the opponent’s feet instead of floating into their strike zone.

The fourth key is the target. Aim for the kitchen area so the opponent has to play the ball near the transition zone. The fifth key is movement. “Move forward immediately.” The article puts the reason in one line: “The whole point is the easier fifth shot.”

How The Drip Sets Up The Fifth Shot

A slower, lower ball takes pace off the return and gives your team time to reach the kitchen. In the video sequence, the coach hits a drip, her partner has time to get up to the net, he applies pressure, and the point ends two shots later. The article gives no statistics or timings for the sequence.

When To Choose The Drip, The Drop Or The Drive

The Dink gives three use cases:

1. Drip: you want the pace to stay low and need to get forward fast, such as against a stronger team, when your drop feels shaky, or when opponents crowd the kitchen and punish a high ball.
2. Drop: you have time, balance and a comfortable contact point.
3. Full drive: only when a weaker opponent is out of position or a ball is sitting up.

Patience Over Power

The guide says patience beats power against better players. It suggests three mental habits. Remind yourself the third shot is a setup, not a winner. Pick one target before you swing. Reset your breathing between points to avoid panic swings.

The article also answers the worry that the drip is too passive. It calls the shot controlled and intentional, as it earns kitchen position. The drip still applies pressure through position and patience instead of speed, and the article separates caution from fear.

A Simple Practice Plan

The only concrete drill in the article has two steps:

1. Hit 20 drips in a row from the baseline, aiming for a low flat arc that crosses the net with a few inches of clearance.
2. After each drip, take two steps toward the kitchen and set up for a live fifth shot.

Four Mistakes To Avoid

The Dink closes with a checklist of common errors: swinging too hard and turning the drip into a drive, letting the ball float high, standing flat-footed after contact, and forgetting to move forward once the ball is gone.

For players who keep losing to stronger teams, the takeaway is to turn down the swing and turn up the footwork. Hit the third shot soft and low, then get to the kitchen line.