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- Any Serve Can Improve | 3rd Shot Drop Drills | 2026 Programs Are Live
Any Serve Can Improve | 3rd Shot Drop Drills | 2026 Programs Are Live
Universal Rackets Weekly Pickleball Update: Coaching - News - Tips
In partnership with
Universal Rackets Weekly Update!
Let’s Talk About Your Pickleball Game…
Takeaways
🟢 Any Serve Can Improve
🎾 3rd Shot Drops Are About Feel .
🚦 Red–Yellow–Green = Better Positioning
📍 2026 Programs Are Live
🎥 Learn to Play the Wind
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🎯 3 Serve Progressions That Improve ANY Pickleball Serve
No matter how you serve - drop serve, traditional serve, running serve, hard, soft, flat, or with spin - every good pickleball serve follows the same progression. Your age, athletic background, skill level, or serve motion doesn’t matter. If you build your serve in the correct order, it will become more consistent, more accurate, more powerful without forcing it, and far more reliable under pressure.
The first progression is synchronization and rhythm. Before thinking about power or spin, your paddle and ball must work together. The ball drop and swing should feel connected, smooth, and unhurried. Most serve errors happen because timing is off — the paddle is late, early, or rushed. When rhythm improves, tension disappears and the serve immediately becomes more repeatable.
The second progression is rotation and acceleration. Once rhythm is solid, controlled speed can be added. This doesn’t mean swinging harder. It means turning the body, allowing the paddle to drop, and accelerating smoothly through contact. Rotation happens first, acceleration second. When done correctly, topspin shows up naturally, serves travel deeper, margin over the net increases, and the serve feels effortless rather than forced.
The third progression is legs and momentum. Power comes last, not first. This stage adds leg drive, weight transfer, and forward momentum. When the legs and body move together, power appears automatically without extra arm effort. This is how advanced players generate pace while staying accurate and protecting their shoulder and arm, especially late in matches or under pressure.
The bottom line is simple: every serve improves by following the same order — synchronize the paddle and ball, rotate and accelerate smoothly, then add legs and momentum. Skip steps and the serve will always feel inconsistent. Follow the progression, and any serve style will improve.
2026 PA Winter, Spring & Summer Adult and Junior Clinics and Summer Camps Are Here!
Universal Rackets is excited to roll out our Spring & Summer Pickleball programming, offering Adult Clinics, Junior Clinics, and Summer Camps designed for all ages and skill levels and built around fun, structure, and real improvement.
✅ Adult Pickleball Clinics
✅ Junior Pickleball Clinics
✅ Pickleball Summer Camps
✅ Multiple Locations
✅ Indoor & Outdoor Options
✅ Multiple Skill Levels
✅ Weekday & Weekend Offerings
Whether you’re just getting started or looking to sharpen your skills, our programs are built to help you play smarter, improve faster, and enjoy every session.
👟Drill of the Week: 3rd Shot Drills: Drop Bean Bag/Ball Toss & Step Back
Purpose:
To learn the proper motion, touch, and distance control of the 3rd shot drop.
How It Works:
Start halfway between the baseline and the kitchen. Without a paddle, toss a ball underhand into the kitchen. Think of this exactly like a bean bag or cornhole toss — smooth, relaxed, and controlled. This underhand motion is the foundation of a basic 3rd shot drop.
Once that feels comfortable, grab your paddle and hit drop shots using the exact same relaxed motion, aiming to land the ball softly in the kitchen.
Next, stand at the kitchen line and toss the ball into the kitchen. Each time you successfully land it in, take one step backward. Continue stepping back after each successful toss until you reach (and eventually move behind) the baseline. This teaches you feel, arc, and range control.
Finally, repeat the same step-back progression with your paddle, starting close and gradually moving farther away while maintaining the same smooth, controlled drop motion.
This drill builds touch, confidence, and consistency — and helps your 3rd shot drop feel effortless instead of force
Instantly Improve Your Forehand Ebook Is HERE!
Our very own Universal Rackets coach & creator, @pickleballwithtyler, just dropped his brand-new ebook — and it’s a GAME-CHANGER for anyone looking to level up their forehand.
Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player… this book gives you the full blueprint to hitting a cleaner, more powerful, more consistent forehand.
🚀 What’s Inside:
Fix your contact point once and for all
Master the “Turn–Bounce–Drop–Hit” timing system
Learn how to add real topspin
Build effortless power without muscling the ball
Improve accuracy, control & consistency
100+ video links included throughout the book
PLUS: exactly what to do after your 3rd shot drive
This is Tyler’s most complete forehand breakdown ever — built from 10,000+ in-person coaching hours, 10,000+ online coaching videos and millions of online views.
👉 Purchase your copy today at: www.instantlyimprovemyforehand.com
Want a sneak peak? CLICK HERE
3rd Shot Drop: Red Light, Green Light, Yellow Light
One of the biggest mistakes players make? Rushing the kitchen after every 3rd shot drop. The truth is, your positioning should depend on the quality of your drop — and that’s where our traffic light system comes in:
🚨 RED LIGHT = High Drop
Your opponent is making contact above the net, driving the ball down.
👉 Stay back! Give yourself time to defend.
🟡 YELLOW LIGHT = “Normal” Drop
Your opponent is contacting the ball at or slightly below net height.
👉 Creep up and get ready — set body
💚 GREEN LIGHT = Great Drop
Your opponent is reaching below the net, head down, hitting up.
👉 Move up to the kitchen line and apply pressure!
By using this Red-Yellow-Green system, you’ll stay in better position, take smarter risks, and ultimately win more points.Players end up losing too many points because they think after EVERY drop they should move up to the kitchen: HOWEVER in reality you should position yourself based upon what type of drop you hit in other words: RED LIGHT, YELLOW LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT.
RED LIGHT= HIGH DROP - this is when your opponent is making contact above the net down into the court
YELLOW LIGHT= ”NORMAL” DROP - this is when your opponent is making contact at the net or slightly below net heigh
GREEN LIGHT= GOOD DROP - this is when your opponent is making contact below the net, head is down and they are hitting up
When Red Light: move back (to allow yourself time to return the balls)
When Yellow Light: move up slightly and set
When Green Light: move up to the kitchen to capitalize on your shot
By adapting this strategy you will be in the best position to win points.
Program Spotlight: New Universal Rackets Location — Doylestown Township
Universal Rackets is excited to kick off programming with our newest partner, Doylestown Township! We recently launched our first Friday Night Beginner/Intermediate Adult Pickleball Clinic.
This new partnership allows us to bring high-quality, structured pickleball programming to the Doylestown community, with offerings for both adults and juniors throughout the year.
👉 View all upcoming Doylestown Adult Clinics, Junior Clinics, and Junior Camps at: www.buckscountypickleball.com
Lesson of the Week: How To Play Pickleball In The Wind
Thank you for reading and we can’t wait to see you on court!
-Universal Rackets