As a reminder, when you are at the Non-Volley Zone or Kitchen Line, you should be in Pickleball Ready. If you are not in the Pickleball Ready position, then you are not ready to dink.

Now that you are in your Pickleball Ready position and ready to dink, here are the basics to mastering the art of the unattackable dink that, as discussed in the previous section, (a) has an apex that is on your side of the pickleball court; (b) has an apex that is one to two feet over the top of the net; and (c) falls into the two-thirds portion of the Non-Volley Zone or Kitchen on your opponents’ side of the pickleball court that is closest to the net:

1. Watch the Pickleball – Too often, players mishit a pickleball simply because they do not watch the pickleball all the way to their paddle. Watch the pickleball!

2. Protect Your Force Field (AKA Hula Hoop) – Imagine that there is a one- to two-foot force field or hula hoop around your feet. Do not let the pickleball travel within this force field or hula hoop when dinking. Comfortably extend your paddle when dinking to protect your force field or hula hoop.

3. Get Under the Pickleball – When striking the pickleball for a dink, get your paddle under the pickleball. If you are staying compressed in your Pickleball Ready position, you should be able to see the underside of the pickleball strike your paddle.

4. Gently Lift Through the Pickleball – Once you strike the pickleball for a dink, gently lift up and through the pickleball. This should be a controlled motion with a firm wrist, rather than a sharp jerk with any wrist snap. With practice, you will be able to find the right amount of force and lift to consistently hit the unattackable dink.

5. Revert to Pickleball Ready – After you finish your lift, quickly revert back to the Pickleball Ready position. You need to be ready for the next shot, whether it is another dink, a surprise fastball, or a lob.

These dinking basics remain the same whether you are hitting a straightforward forehand dink, straightforward backhand dink, crosscourt forehand dink, or crosscourt backhand dink. However, for crosscourt or other directional dinks, slightly pivot your feet and your hips in the direction that you want the dink to go to. Think about it like skiing—if you want to go to the left, you turn your skis to the left; if you want to go to the right, you turn your skis to the right. Same for crosscourt or directional dinks—slightly pivot your feet and your hips in the direction that you want the dink to go to.

Drill, drill, drill and dink, dink, dink to master this skill. If you can hit at least 100 dinks in a row, then you are ready to move on to the next lesson. For ideas for basic dinking drills, keep reading!

Key Takeaways:

1. To hit an unattackable dink:

a. Watch the pickleball
b. Hold the line and protect your force field
c. Compress and get under the pickleball
d. Lift up and through the pickleball
e. Revert to Pickleball Ready!

2. To hit an unattackable dink crosscourt, keep the mechanics the same, except pivot your feet and your hips in the direction that you want the pickleball to go.