Blocking a pickleball drive is pretty much what it sounds like. Instead of swinging, just hold your paddle steady and let the ball do the work.
Some players drive most of their third shots. They haven’t mastered the drop shot or they may just be power players who always hit drives.
They are hoping you will make a mistake when responding to the hard drive. They want you to totally miss it or pop it up.
Balls hit from deep on the court will naturally slow down as they approach the net and are easier to handle with more aggressive shots. If they hit a hard drive on the third shot from deep in the court, they are giving you an opportunity to smash the ball if it is too slow and high. You can also punch volley it back at them to keep them back at the baseline.
Another approach is to just softly block the drive shot over the net.
Blocking a Pickleball Drive
In the illustration below, a fast drive is hit on the third shot from deep in the court, the defensive player softly blocks the shot just over the net.
Blocking a pickleball drive shot involves using a soft touch at the net.
Executing a soft touch shot like this is challenging and requires practice, as there’s a risk of hitting it too softly, causing the ball to land in the net, or striking it too hard, sending it too far back and popping it up.
Do this when you’re at the kitchen line and the drive shot is coming from deep in the court.
It will be tough for your opponent to get to the net to respond to the block. Be aware, if the drive has good topspin and is dropping just over the net, it may be too low for an effective block.
A soft block can take the pace off and land the ball right in your opponent’s kitchen. Simply position your paddle in the path of the drive shot. Allow the drive to make soft contact with the paddle.
Since the drive is moving fast, it will rebound off your paddle and, if executed correctly, will land safely in the kitchen on the opposite side of the net. You need a soft grip for this shot as a rigid grip will cause the ball to rebound harder off the paddle.
Once you master this technique, the blocked shot will fall just beyond the net, making it difficult for your opponent to reach.
Other Considerations
Although the soft block can be used to defend against any shot, including the drop shot, it is most effective against the drive shot.
One reason for this is on a drop shot, the ball is traveling slower. As it slowly floats through the air, the offensive player hitting it, and their partner are likely moving towards the net if it is a good shot. If you block this shot, the offensive players are more likely to get to it. If you can, volley this drop shot back to their feet to keep them away.
On a drive, the ball is traveling fast and gets to you before the player hitting even has time to move forward at all. It is more likely they won’t reach the blocked shot when they drive the ball.
Note that if the offense is using a Shake and Bake play, they may get to the net on the block as the non-hitting partner is charging the net as soon as the drive is hit. Watch out for this if you are playing against very aggressive, quick players that are using the shake and bake play.
Summary
Blocking a pickleball drive is a move that outshines the drive shot itself, causing the player executing the drive against you to reconsider their strategy for driving deep balls at you in future plays.