The fourth shot in pickleball: the most under-coached shot in the rally

Every pickleball coach on YouTube has a third-shot drop video. Almost none of them have a fourth-shot video. The shot that comes immediately after the drop, in many ways the more important shot of the two, is the most under-coached moment in the rally.

This guide walks the two competing definitions of "fourth shot" you will hear from different coaches, the decision tree for each, and what the channels we cite (Briones, PrimeTime, CJ Johnson, Tanner Tomassi, The Dink) actually teach about it.

The definition fight

Walk three different rec courts in a week and you will hear "fourth shot" used to mean two different things. Both are valid. They describe different sides of the rally.

Definition 1: The receiving team's response to the third-shot drop

This is the framing most pro and tour-adjacent coaches use. Sequence:

1. Serving team serves (shot 1).
2. Receiving team returns (shot 2).
3. Serving team hits the third-shot drop (shot 3).
4. Receiving team plays their fourth shot off the drop, usually from at or near the kitchen line.

The receiving team's fourth shot is what determines whether the serving team can transition forward or gets stuck in no-man's land. A loose fourth-shot dink lets the serving team approach. A tight, deep, or low fourth shot keeps them pinned back.

This is the framing The Dink uses in their fourth-shot videos and Tanner Tomassi consistently teaches.

Definition 2: The serving team's transition shot after their drop

The other framing, common in club coaching, counts shots from the perspective of the serving team. In this framing, the third-shot drop is shot 3, and the serving team's NEXT shot (often a transition-zone reset or counter as they move forward) is the "fourth shot."

This framing leans on the practical reality: the serving team's drop is rarely a one-and-done. They almost always face a counter or a dink and have to keep playing. The "fourth shot" in this view is whatever they do next while still moving forward.

Briones Pickleball Academy and PrimeTime Pickleball both lean this direction in their transition-zone teaching.

Why both framings matter

The receiving team's fourth shot and the serving team's fourth shot are happening at the same moment in the rally. Both teams are playing critical shots simultaneously. In a 4.0+ point, you can almost see the rally pivot on this exchange. The receiving team is trying to extend their kitchen-line dominance; the serving team is trying to crack into it.

For 3.0 to 3.5 players, here is the practical takeaway: when you are the receiving team and a drop is coming at you, that's your fourth shot, and it is not optional. When you are the serving team and you have just hit a drop, the next shot you play is the one that determines whether you actually arrive at the kitchen.

The receiving team's fourth shot: the decision tree

You're at the kitchen line. The serving team's drop is incoming. Three options based on where the ball is:

1. The ball is high at or above net height

Attack. This is the punish situation. A drop that floats above net level at the kitchen line is the easiest put-away in pickleball. Speed it up at the body of the closest opponent, or take a clean angle into the gap.

The Dink calls this "punishing the bad drop" and it is the highest-leverage skill the receiving team has. If the serving team gives you a high fourth ball even 1 in 5 times, attacking it cleanly tilts the match.

2. The ball is at or just below net height, in the kitchen

Dink. The receiving team's job is to keep the serving team back. Drop it back into the serving team's kitchen at an angle that pulls them wide or pins them in the middle. The pace is low, the placement is everything.

The mistake at this height is hitting it harder. A medium-pace ball at net height, returned with medium pace, is a free attack for the next opponent. A medium-pace ball returned as a soft, low dink resets the rally on neutral terms.

3. The ball is low and short, dropping into the kitchen

Reset. This is the situation Tanner Tomassi teaches as the toughest fourth shot. The drop has done its job and you are out of attack options. Your job is to send a soft, low dink back, often crosscourt to the player still moving forward, and accept a neutral exchange.

The temptation is to scoop it, get under it, and lift. Don't. The lift becomes their attack. Stay down, soften the hands, and place the ball low.

The serving team's fourth shot: the decision tree

You've hit your drop. You're in the transition zone, somewhere between the baseline and the kitchen line. The opponent's response is incoming. Three options:

1. They speed it up at you

Block. The transition-zone block is its own skill. Soft hands, short paddle, redirect the pace down into their kitchen. Most rec players try to counter-attack here and pop it up; the right move is to absorb pace and keep moving forward.

Briones Pickleball Academy teaches this as the "panic moment" most 3.0 players fail. The 3.5+ skill is recognizing the speed-up early and committing to the block, not the counter.

2. They dink the ball back

Drop again, or step in and dink. If you're in the middle of the transition zone and they've dinked the ball back into the kitchen, you have two options based on your position. Far from the kitchen: another low drop to keep them pinned. Close to the kitchen: step in and dink it back.

The mistake is staying frozen in the transition zone. PrimeTime's framing is that the transition zone is "the worst place on the court to be," and you have to keep moving forward shot by shot.

3. They counter your drop with a drive

Reset. They have read your drop and tried to drive it back. Your job is the same as the receiving team in scenario 3 above: stay low, soften, place it back into the kitchen. The reset is the hardest shot to hit while you're moving and unsteady, which is why most rec serving teams never finish their approach.

Why this shot is so under-coached

Three reasons:

• The third-shot drop is sexier. It's the named, signature shot of pickleball. Coaches build content around it because players search for it. The fourth shot is a "follow up" and gets less attention.
• The fourth shot is situational. Unlike the drop, where the same mechanics work most of the time, the fourth shot has a decision tree based on ball height, position, and partner. Harder to teach in a 5-minute YouTube video.
• The fourth shot is the receiving team's, often. Most coaches teach offense (the drop, the speed-up), not the defense-into-transition skill the receiving team needs.

The drill that builds it

Tanner Tomassi teaches a fourth-shot drill that maps closely to game scenarios:

1. Start with one player at the baseline (serving team), one at the kitchen line (receiving team).
2. The baseline player feeds a drop into the kitchen.
3. The kitchen player has to hit a fourth shot based on where the drop lands: attack if it floats, dink if it's at net, reset if it's low.
4. The baseline player works on transitioning forward shot by shot.
5. Live ball after the third shot. Play out the point.

Run this for 10 minutes per side. Most rec partners have never drilled this exchange in isolation, despite it being one of the most decisive moments in competitive doubles rallies.

The skill-level translation

3.0 players

Goal: don't pop the fourth ball up. The single biggest fourth-shot mistake at 3.0 is the receiving team scooping a low drop and giving the serving team an easy attack. The cue: stay low, paddle in front, contact in front of the body, soft hands.

3.5 players

Goal: build a basic decision pattern. Recognize attack vs dink vs reset based on ball height. Practice all three in drills. Most 3.5 players have one go-to fourth-shot response (usually a dink) and need to build the other two options.

4.0+ players

Goal: integrate with partner positioning and pattern play. The fourth shot is no longer a solo decision; it's coordinated with the partner's movement and the read on the opposing team. Patterns like crosscourt-dink-then-attack-the-middle become callable plays.

What the channels actually teach

Some of the best fourth-shot teaching comes from these specific channels we cite. If you want to study this shot, here is where to start:

• The Dink: Look for their "punish the bad drop" content. Best receiving-team-side instruction.
• Tanner Tomassi: His mental-game and decision-pattern videos cover the fourth-shot read better than most.
• Briones Pickleball Academy: His transition-zone series is the best on the serving-team's fourth shot, including the panic-moment block teaching.
• PrimeTime Pickleball: Their "worst place on the court" framing of the transition zone shapes how to think about every fourth-shot decision from the serving side.
• CJ Johnson: Cleanest mechanics teaching for the soft-hands aspect of the fourth-shot reset and dink.

The honest summary

The third-shot drop sets up the fourth shot. The fourth shot decides the rally. Most rec players think the third shot is the inflection point, but the consensus of the channels we cite (Briones, PrimeTime, CJ Johnson, Tanner Tomassi, The Dink) is that the fourth shot is where most competitive points actually pivot.

If you have spent years drilling the third-shot drop and your game has plateaued, the fourth shot is probably your missing piece. Build the decision tree (attack, dink, reset). Run the drill. The next time you're at the kitchen line and a drop is incoming, you'll know which of the three to do, and your partner will start asking what changed.