Most pro pickleball players can anticipate a drop shot and use it as a free invitation to the kitchen line.

This weekend, Collin Shick breathed new life into the drop volley.

Shick shocked the Championship Sunday crowd by taking game one against the legend Ben Johns (see video below).

Even though Johns cleaned up in games two and three, Shick's earlier win was enough to prove that even the number 1 in men's pro can be brought down by a relative newbie who knows what he's doing.

A crucial part of Shick's silver medal run was the ability to surprise opponents with the drop volley. Let's take a closer look at how he did it.

Shick is shaving the surface of the ball and letting the grit of his paddle pull the ball down into the court.

The amount of backspin he generated forced errors and miscalculations from all of his opponents, including Ben Johns.

His buttery soft grip is loose on the paddle, allowing him to absorb the pace of the ball.

Watch him take a drive from Johns, read it a story, and tuck it into bed. His drop shot doesn't even cross the kitchen line.

Three keys to adding the drop volley to your game:

• Slice - Open the paddle face 45 degrees and move from high to low
• Soft Hands - Loosen the grip to a 2 or 3 out of 10 to take pace off of the ball
• Angles - Use angles to keep your drop shallow in the court = make them run

Shick's version of the drop shot is high risk, high reward. He cuts through the ball in an exaggerated motion that shows pro level precision. Years of executing the tennis volley are paying off in pickle.

To remove some of the risk, you can cut down on the motion from a full swing down to a just a punch.

Have fun dropping...your opponents are going to hate it.

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