Drive, Then Drop
Why this drill
The modern third-shot pattern isn't drop-or-drive — it's drive to set up the drop. The drive forces a block; the fifth-shot drop lands on a team that is leaning back. This drill installs the two-shot combination as one habit.
Setup
One player at the non-volley-zone line, one at the opposite baseline, straight ahead on a half court. Feeder has balls.
The drill
The line player feeds a medium ball. The baseline player drives it firmly at the feeder, who blocks it back — the natural response to a drive — and the driver hits a fifth-shot drop off the block, advancing behind it. That completes one combo: drive, block, drop, advance. Sets of eight combos; score the drop exactly as in any drop drill — it counts when the line player would have to hit up on it. Swap roles every two sets. The block player is getting reset practice at game speed for free.
One thought to take on court
Drive through the ball, then change gears completely — the fifth shot is a different swing, not a smaller version of the drive.