Target Practice: Your New Kitchen Line Plan of Attack
December 16 2025
Knowing when to attack at the kitchen line is a critical skill as you face better and better opponents. But knowing where to attack is what separates good attempts from points scored.
PPA pro Eric Roddy is an assassin in the short game. It’s not because he’s the most skilled or powerful player out there; it’s because he knows when to go on offense — and how to hit every shot with intention.
Always go down the line. Chances are good the opponent cross-court from you is also right-handed, meaning he’s pinching middle, paddle in when you’ve got the ball. Speeding up here is an unnecessary risk. Whenever you can, attack straight ahead, down your sideline instead. Even if they get it back, you’re in the power position for an easy put-away.
Aim paddle side hip or shoulder. It’s nearly impossible for your opponent to generate any pace on a ball sped up to either of these locations. The arm just doesn’t bend naturally that way. The best part: hit your spot and 75% power is more than enough to result in a weak return.
Low through the middle. Once you’ve established these targets on the opponent across from you, they will be forced to adapt and overcompensate. The most common way to protect is to slide towards the line, which will expose the middle of the court between your two opponents. When this gap opens up, attack it, hard and low.
You want to have all three of these targets in your repertoire ready to use at any time during a match. Variability is key to your success, too — mix your attack locations, and the speeds of each attack, for the best results.
Use this code for a 10% discount on a custom paddle
First Time Buyers Only
Why we are different
There are well over 100 paddle manufacturers serving the pickleball industry. We are the ONLY custom paddle manufacturer in the world. In order to understand what it is we do and why it’s unique, it’s necessary to understand how a paddle is made.
Every paddle with few exceptions has a honeycomb core. The different companies in the industry use one of three different materials for the core- aluminum, polymer and Nomex. We use all three. The core provides 75% of the way a paddle performs.
Then the honeycomb core is sandwiched between two thin layers of surface materials. Again, the different companies in the industry use three different materials- graphite, fiberglass composite and carbon fiber. We use all three. The surface material is about 25% of the way a paddle performs. Think of it as fine tuning the paddle’s performance characteristics.
The three different core materials combined with the three different surface materials make 9 different combinations of materials. Each plays differently. We make two (soon to be three) different shapes for our paddles. The Chaos has a large square sweet spot- at 8 1/2”, it is the widest paddle on the market. The Kratos has an equally large rectangular shaped sweet spot. Each combination of cores and surfaces is available in both the Chaos and Kratos shape.
Then we give each player the opportunity to select their paddle’s weight (ranging from 7.4-10.5 ounces).
Now comes the grip. Players can choose one of three different handle shapes, their grip size from 3 7/8” to 6”, one of three different grip materials and more than 10 colors for each grip style.
Now that the player has chosen the best paddle shape, core, surface and grip for their individual game comes the fun part. We can put any custom graphic the player chooses on their paddle face- either one of our many choices or one of their own- a picture, logo or graphic of their choosing.
Now every player can play with a totally bespoke paddle and watch their game immediately improve because they are playing with the right paddle for them in every way.
Every other sport has specialized equipment for every player except pickleball. Not anymore- now pickleball is catching up to other sports. Pickleball players spend a lot of time playing the game they love. Now they can play with the gear that suits them and not be forced to use a one size fits all paddle.
Want to Join Team TSD?
We are actively seeking avid pickleballers with sales experience to educate, demonstrate and promote Third
Shot Drop pickleball paddles.
Please send your prior sales experience, where you play, how often you play, what level player you are, if you
play Tournaments, how many players you can reach and your contact information to:
Ashley@ThirdShotDrop.com
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