Drop when the return is deep and low, when your opponents are already set at the net, or when you are off balance. Drive when the return is short or sits up above net height, when an opponent is still moving forward, or when your partner is ready to crash behind it.
Most good teams mix the two. A drive that earns a weak block sets up a fifth-shot drop; a series of drops that gets you to the line earns the chance to attack later.
Keys to remember
- Ball height decides: below the net, drop; above it, drive
- Drive at hips and middles, not corners
- The drive-then-drop pattern is the safest way to use pace