Three’s a Charm! Why You Should Care That Pickleball Pros Are Experts at Hitting the Third Shot

It seems pretty obvious: You need to keep the ball in play in pickleball. As much as you can, do not hit it into the net, put it out of bounds, or commit an error.

To that point, it is imperative to hit that third shot, as it is widely known in pickleball circles that said shot often sets the stage for how a rally will play out. Incidentally, the pros are very good at hitting that third shots—and the PPA Tour has the stats to prove it.

Take, for instance, the gold medal matches in Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles this season alone. There have been 27 such matches across three divisions in nine tournaments, and in those matches, professional picklers hit nearly 4,000 third shots and kept the ball in play 93.6% of the time. In the Men’s finals that number was at 93.5% and was at 94.4% in the Women’s finals. It was 93.1%.at the Mixed finals.

Just how good are those numbers? Consider: Anna Leigh Waters kept 49 of 50 third shots in play in the Women’s Doubles final at the Masters. Christian Alshon kept all 53 third shots in play in the Men’s Doubles final at the Mesa Cup. Jorja Johnson kept 43 of 44 third shots in play in the Mixed Doubles final at the North Carolina Cup.

Learn from the Masters: Nailing the Third Shot

Put simply, the pros are masters at hitting that third shot. And everyday picklers can learn a thing or two from how they do it. To this end, it is imperative to remember the following:

• A drop on the third shot must be executed with proper trajectory for the ball to clear the net.
• A drive on the third shot that stays in play can either set up easier fifth shots or prolong a rally. In fact, a study last year found that only 17 percent of the pros’ rallies with third shot drives ended on the third or fourth shot.

Speaking of third shot drives, the PPA Tour had previously discovered that more and more pros are going for this flat and hard hit on the third shot, presumably because it sets up the player nicely for the succeeding shots. Data from the PPA Tour saw a 13% increase in third shot drives in the double’s gold medal matches in the first five tournaments of 2024 as compared to the same timeframe for 2023 (51% in 2024, 23% in 2023).

That same increase was observed in Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed doubles, hinting that as early as 2024, the best of the best in pickleball had already figured out the criticality of that third shot. And, of course, they have adjusted accordingly and are adjusting still.

So, where does that leave the everyday pickler?

The simplest answer is to just keep the ball in play—especially in that third shot. Once you do, it’s up to you to swing the rally in your favour.