Third Shot Drop

Create Space with a Topspin Roll

August 27 2024


The roll volley is a shot somewhat unique to pickleball in the world of racquet sports. Most players coming from tennis are accustomed to slicing a volley as they close in on the net.

In pickleball, the roll volley is a great option to thwart your opponent's attempts to advance forward in the court. It is also a valuable weapon to attack with while at the kitchen line.

One aspect where it is underutilized is forcing your opponent to move from side to side.

As the returning team, your fourth shot should be focused on keeping your opponent back. While depth is the main focus, you should also experiment with roll volleys targeting the sidelines.

  • A topspin roll will kick up once it hits the ground
  • At the right angle, this will pull your opponent far off the side of the court
  • They'll have to hit a more difficult drop while on the move and you will have more open court to place your next shot as they try to recover

Making your opponent move is a great way to force simple mistakes. If you're able to move them from side to side, it is easier to expose a weakness like a poor backhand.

For example, use the roll volley to pull the right-side player out wide. As they try to recover, you will have more space to target their backhand with less threat of the left-side player stepping in to cover the weakness.

If the straight-ahead roll volleys aren't working to keep your opponents at bay, use your advantage in court position to create angles using roll volleys that target the sideline.

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